Initial 2009 rankings: First basemen

In preparation for our early mock draft, we will go position-by-position with some preliminary rankings for Draft Day 2009. We move on to the famously deep first base position.

Our rankings are based on position eligibility for next season, which requires 20 games at a position to be eligible. If a player has not played 20 games, his primary position will be defined as what position he has played the most games at -- unless it is a current AL player (that player -- i.e. a Dan Johnson -- will be listed at DH). Giants 1B Pablo Sandoval has little chance to be catcher-eligible, since he should get 20 games at first base before the end of the season but likely won't at catcher and definitely won't at third.

Initial first basemen rankings for 2009
RK	Player	TM	The thinking is as follows …
1	Albert Pujols	STL	We will have to drop him down past No. 5 if he misses the first month due to elbow surgery.
2	Miguel Cabrera	DET	He had a great second half and should be much more comfortable in his long-term home.
3	Mark Teixeira	LAA	Big free-agent contract will figure to make him highly sought after on Draft Day.
4	Ryan Howard	PHI	If not for Ks and a low average, he would be a candidate for No. 1 overall. Nobody's perfect.
5	Lance Berkman	HOU	He was arguably the best player in Fantasy for most of 2008, but power might be declining.
6	Justin Morneau	MIN	One of the best pure run producers in baseball and he should see an uptick in homers.
7	Prince Fielder	MIL	He was one of the most disappointing early rounders of '08 in the never-injured category.
8	Kevin Youkilis	BOS	Boy, that power sure came this year and position eligibility is an added bonus, too.
9	Aubrey Huff	BAL	This is what we thought he should be years ago, but you can't be sure he can repeat this.
10	Adrian Gonzalez	SD	If not for a punchless supporting cast and a pitcher's park, his numbers would be a lot better.
11	Derrek Lee	CHC	Disappointing years makes you ask if he was healthy or merely just declining with age?
12	Carlos Delgado	NYM	A renaissance saved his career -- and perhaps the Mets -- but he is still old and an injury risk.
13	Garrett Atkins	COL	He has regressed the past two years ... and watch out below if he is dealt away from Coors.
14	Carlos Pena	TB	Hopefully you weren't counting on him duplicating his '07 numbers; that is bad policy.
15	Chris Davis	TEX	Rookie masher can reach 30 homers and 100 RBI -- but also 160 strikeouts?
16	James Loney	LAD	Power remains a question, but it is hard to deny a pure hitter like this on breaking through.
17	Conor Jackson	ARI	For a stretch there, we saw him becoming the 25-homer man he can be. We'll still wait.
18	Joey Votto	CIN	A great hitter's park gives him a real good shot to reach 30 HR and 100 RBI in Year 2.
19	Nick Swisher	CHW	We thought the move to Chicago's park would make him a 40-homer threat. Maybe Year 2.
20	Mike Jacobs	FLA	He is your classic free-swinger. What results if he is dealt out of Florida's pitcher's park?
21	Jorge Cantu	FLA	It was a nice rebound year, but if you counted on him before you will be cautious yet again.
22	Jason Giambi	NYY	Won't be an MVP again, but he is a better run producer than this ranking suggests.
23	Carlos Guillen	DET	Another injury-plagued year and no more SS eligibility should make him a latter-rounder pick.
24	Paul Konerko	CHW	Streaky slugger just never maintained a tear this season, but next year could be payback time.
25	Todd Helton	COL	His power went years ago and now his back went out; is he the one shuffled out of town?
26	Pablo Sandoval	SF	We don't see him retaining catcher-eligibility, but if this young masher does, look out top 15.
27	Hank Blalock	TEX	Shoulder injuries can be devastating, but that park and lineup can still lead to a rebound.
28	Casey Kotchman	ATL	He is better than Youkilis at a similar age, so could he be the next Youkilis? Maybe at 27 in '10
29	Casey Blake	LAD	Puts together huge months and then disappears for extend periods. Makes drafting him tough.
30	Adam A. LaRoche	PIT	If he could extend his hot streaks, shorten his cold streaks and stay healthy ... a lot of if's here.
31	Billy Butler	KC	We called him a potential Mark Teixeira-type, but the power really needs to get popping soon.
32	Kevin Millar	BAL	Veteran is going to be overlooked in many mixed leagues, but he can still hit on the low end.
33	Nick Johnson	WAS	You have to figure he will get long DL stays, but you have to like him if you are hot for OPS.
34	Lyle Overbay	TOR	He is finishing better than he started, but his days of being a breakthrough are likely done.
35	Ryan Garko	CLE	Former mashing catcher might have swung and missed his way to Fantasy obscurity.
36	Ryan Shealy	KC	He has always had pop, but what makes him any different than a Chris Shelton at this point?
37	Chris Duncan	STL	A monumental disappointment who has a career-threatening back injury. Just a late flier here.
38	Dmitri Young	WAS	Health woes claimed him again, so you can't expect much out of him going into 2009 now.
39	Daric Barton	OAK	It is hard to like anything you have seen to date, but the scouts once liked him, we suppose.
40	Kila Ka'aihue	KC	Quick-rising masher could be in the mix in Kansas City, but potential only goes so far at 1B.

Did we sell someone short? Overrate someone? You can e-mail Emack your Fantasy Baseball comments about our rankings to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: 1B rankings in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses to all questions.