Every Tuesday and Thursday for the next 4 weeks Caveball will sort out the 8 tiers for all 8 Fantasy positions. The following week at the end of February we will release our unique “Chartfelt Tiers”, the ultimate Cheat-sheet for Fantasy Baseball – unique because it allows you to easily cross-reference players in different positions who have similar value.

During that same week we will offer up our General Draft Strategy, which will then be followed by a specific strategy for 2015, which you can use in tandem with our “Chartfelt Tiers”.

To get the ball rolling let’s start with the always intriguing and perennially loaded First Base position:

Tier #1 – The Alpha Wolves (Level 1)

This top tier includes all first basemen ranked in the top 24 overall. For a 12-team league this covers rounds 1 and 2.

• Paul Goldschmidt – 27 yr old is the most complete 1B in the game
• Miguel Cabrera - 10 straight years of 100-plus RBI and he’s just 31 yrs old
• Jose Abreu - The mystery is over. ROY is the real deal, and he’s in his prime
• Jose Bautista - Like him or hate him, he’s elite power every year
• Edwin Encarnacion – 34 HR in just 128 games -prorate that
• Anthony Rizzo – Upside up the yin yang here. 32 HR and .913 OPS in 140 GP
• Freddy Freeman - 25 yr old still has upside, unlike his diluted line-up

Tier #2 – The Alpha Wolves (Level 2)

This tier includes all first basemen ranked from 25 to 48 overall. For a 12-team league this covers rounds 3 and 4. 

• Joey Votto - On-base machine should have a bounce-back year
• Prince Fielder - Hype is over for new Rangers – big question marks remain
• Chris Davis - Drug was cleared, head should be too – rare power 
• Adrian Gonzalez - RBI machine keeps on clicking in loaded line-up
• Albert Pujols - Hurts to watch him run now, but still has 100 RBI potential

Tier #3 – The Beta Wolves (Level 1)

This tier includes all first basemen ranked from 49 to 84 overall. For a 12-team league this covers rounds 5, 6 and 7.

• David Ortiz - Age will catch up some time for 39 yr. old, but he is one of a kind
• Victor Martinez - 2014 was the only year 36 yr. old had more than 25 HR
• Chris Carter - Ryan Howard lookalike hits like he used to (40 HR to come)

 (Tier #4 – The Beta Wolves (Level 2)

This tier includes all first basemen ranked from 85 to 132 overall. For a 12-team league this covers rounds 8, 9, 10 and 11.

• Adam Laroche – ChiSox first off-season acquisition is overlooked
• Carlos Santana - Catcher eligibility gives him high value
• Lucas Duda – Solid year should be followed by another 30 HR/90 RBI one
• Mark Trumbo – Forgotten man in 2014 could get back to 30 HR in 2015 

Tier #5 – The Gamma Wolves (Level 1)

This tier includes all first basemen ranked approximately from 133 to 192 overall. For a 12-team league this covers rounds 12-16.

• Brandon Belt - Should overcome early-career setbacks in the clean-up spot
• Kennys Vargas - Has good pop, but swings at balls – wait for 2016
• Justin Morneau - Batting Champ will miss more than 30 games
• Eric Hosmer - Has yet to hit 20 HR – Butler’s absence could change this
• Brandon Moss - Indians are packed at the corners. Might play fewer games
• Matt Adams - Sloppy defense could cost him playing time 

Tier #6 – The Gamma Wolves (Level 2)

This tier includes all first basemen ranked approximately from 193 to 240 overall. For a 12-team league this covers rounds 17-20.

• Joe Mauer – Loses catcher eligibility and most mixed league fantasy relevance 
• Billy Butler - Billy Beane has reverted to a pitching-first enterprise
• Michael Morse - Born and bred Floridian could thrive behind Stanton
• Mike Napoli - If Craig stays it could mean even less playing time
• Kendrys Morales - Is this finally his break after his infamous unlucky one?

Tier #7 – The Omega Wolves (Level 1)

This tier includes all first basemen ranked approximately from 241 to 276 overall. For a 12-team league this covers rounds 21-23 inclusive.

• Logan Morrison - Great September showed hope for long-time sleeper 
• Allen Craig - 3-yr. avg. of 126 GP and packed OF/1B bodes poorly
• Ryan Howard - Fading great has had a solid career, but…
• James Loney - Had his best run with Tampa, but decline has set in
• Steve Pearce - Earned a chance at a starting position in post-season

Tier #8 – The Omega Wolves (Level 2)

This tier includes all first basemen ranked 277 or higher overall who have a chance to crack the top 300. For a 12-team league this covers rounds 24 and higher.

• Jon Singleton - Gattis acquisition makes him bench bound
• Mark Teixeira - 2011 was the last yr. he played more than 123 games
• Ike Davis - New Oakland home/lineup won’t help his numbers
• Adam Lind – Jays only permitted him 33 ABs against lefties last year
• Garret Jones - Could hit the bench this year 

OK, We know you guys have your opinions. So, let’s have ’em.
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