HOUSTON - Jeff Bagwell 34 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 HOU 162 562 171 35 0 42 143 126 149 127 304 454 591 30 11 2000 HOU 159 590 183 37 1 47 152 132 107 116 310 424 615 9 6 2001 HOU 161 600 173 43 4 39 126 130 106 135 288 397 568 11 3       Bagwell had a bit of an off-year by his own standards, but was still one of the best hitters in the league. Apparently, he played with a bad shoulder all year, and had it surgically repaired after the season. He is one of the best first basemen in baseball history, and a 50-homer season would not surprise me in the slightest.

COLORADO - Todd Helton 29 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 COL 159 578 185 39 5 35 114 113 68 77 320 395 587 7 6 2000 COL 160 580 216 59 2 42 138 147 103 61 372 463 698 5 3 2001 COL 159 587 197 54 2 49 132 146 98 104 336 432 685 7 5       Helton's home/road numbers from 2001:   GM AB HIT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU HOME 81 297 114 31 2 27 81 84 52 47 384 478 774 ROAD 78 290 83 23 0 22 48 62 46 57 286 383 593       I think that Helton, by any measure, has established himself as a great hitter. His road numbers weren't as good as they were in 2000, but I think you can make a reasonable argument that he was hurt by the unbalanced schedule, having to play twice as many games in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego (all pitchers' parks). In another park, he probably has solid .300-.400-.600 percentages.       That ranks him ahead of most other first basemen, but I think that Giambi is clearly the best in baseball, and by a fairly wide margin. I will also stick with Bagwell as the best in the NL, until Bagwell demonstrates that he is in decline.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: Helton still has lofty numbers, including decent ones on the road. He's been the best first sacker in the NL, but not as good as Giambi, Sweeney, Olerud, Konerko and Thome.

SAN DIEGO - Phil Nevin 31 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 SD 128 383 103 27 0 24 52 85 51 82 269 352 527 1 0 2000 SD 143 538 163 34 1 31 87 107 59 121 303 374 543 2 0 2001 SD 149 546 167 31 0 41 97 126 71 147 306 388 588 4 4       Like Luis Gonzalez, another player who couldn't produce in a Tigers uniform. The Nevinator had a monster season at third for San Diego, and now is moving to first. After three big seasons, we have to believe that his success is not a mirage, that he has in fact learned to hit and is here to stay.

CINCINNATI - Sean Casey 28 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 CIN 151 594 197 42 3 25 103 99 61 88 332 399 539 0 2 2000 CIN 133 480 151 33 2 20 69 85 52 80 315 385 517 1 0 2001 CIN 145 533 165 40 0 13 69 89 43 63 310 369 458 3 1       Casey's power numbers fell, but otherwise he has another solid year. He hits well over .300 every year with line drive power; he's still in his prime, and probably hasn't had his best season yet.

MILWAUKEE - Richie Sexson 27 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 CLE 134 479 122 17 7 31 72 116 34 117 255 305 514 3 3 2000 CLE-MIL 148 537 146 30 1 30 89 91 59 159 272 349 499 2 0 2001 MIL 158 598 162 24 3 45 94 125 60 178 271 342 547 2 4       The new Gorman Thomas; it is entirely appropriate, then, that Sexson should be starrng in a Brewers uniform. He's a big strong guy who hits the ball a long way, also strikes out a lot but keeps his average respectable and draws the occasional walk. He should hit a lot of home runs over the next 2-3 years.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: He's having another good year, batting .282 with prodigious power. Clearly ranks ahead of Casey now.

CHICAGO CUBS - Fred McGriff 38 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 TAM 144 529 164 30 1 32 75 104 86 107 310 405 552 1 0 2000 TAM 158 566 157 18 0 27 82 106 91 120 277 373 452 2 0 2001 TAM-CHC 146 513 157 25 2 31 67 102 66 106 306 386 544 1 2       Freddy was feeling pretty good last year, at age 37, and put up some solid numbers. He's getting old, but with luck the winds will be blowing out of Wrigley this year.       I'm curious to see how McGriff fares in the Hall Of Fame voting. At first glance, he doesn't seem like a good candidate; he's a power hitter who has never hit 40 homers in a season, even though he plays in the same era as McGwire, Sosa and Bonds. On only a couple of occasions has he been even a mildly serious MVP candidate.       On the other hand, it now seems likely that he will reach 500 home runs. If he reaches that milestone, then he will very likely also get 2500 hits and 1500 RBI. Quick, how many players have put together those kind of numbers, and not made the Hall? Add in a whole bunch of walks, and his career numbers start to look very impressive.       He might also get some sympathy from the voters who realize that he hit his prime just before the homer explosion. True, he has never hit 40 homers in a season, but he led the AL in homers in 1989 and the NL in 1991. Had he been born ten years later, it's not hard to see McGriff hitting 50 homers in a season.       But we'll wait and see; he has to reach 500 homers first. If he breaks his thumb and April and retires, then there isn't a discussion.

FLORIDA - Derrek Lee 27 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 FLO 70 218 45 9 1 5 21 20 17 70 206 263 326 2 1 2000 FLO 158 477 134 18 3 28 70 70 63 123 281 368 507 0 3 2001 FLO 158 561 158 37 4 21 83 75 50 126 282 346 474 4 2       Lee had an awful start to the season, but recovered to post some decent numbers. He is capable of doing better, but he won't hit a lot of home runs as long as he plays in Pro Player Stadium.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: Had another slow start to the season, but has had a lot of extra-base hits recently. He's quietly having an excellent season.

ARIZONA - Mark Grace 38 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 CHC 161 593 183 44 5 16 107 91 83 44 309 390 481 3 4 2000 CHC 143 510 143 41 1 11 75 82 95 28 280 394 429 1 2 2001 ARI 145 476 142 31 2 15 66 78 67 36 298 386 466 1 0       A veteran left-handed hitter who still hits .300 and gets on base and has doubles power. Every good team needs a guy like Grace, and last year the Diamondbacks were a good team.       Here's another update of the six first basemen born between September 9, 1963 and September 24, 1964: NAME GM AB HIT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB AVG OBA SLU SB Mark Grace 2055 7632 2343 487 45 163 1123 1082 1013 307 386 447 68 Fred McGriff 2201 7865 2260 397 22 448 1243 1400 1202 287 381 514 71 Rafael Palmeiro 2258 8446 2485 488 36 447 1357 1470 1036 294 372 519 89 Mark McGwire 1874 6187 1626 252 6 583 1167 1414 1317 263 394 588 12 Will Clark 1976 7173 2176 440 47 284 1186 1205 937 303 384 497 67 Cecil Fielder 1470 5157 1313 200 7 319 744 1008 693 255 345 482 2       McGwire has joined Clark and Fielder in retirement. The other three are still going strong; Grace is still the leader in batting average. McGriff and Palmeiro should both pass the 500-homer mark in a couple of years; Palmeiro has a chance to move into the Top 30 in career RBI by the end of this season. Palmeiro should also become the seventh player with 500+ doubles and home runs (Aaron, Mays, Ruth, Robinson, Williams, Murray).

ST LOUIS - Tino Martinez 34 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 NYY 159 589 155 27 2 28 95 105 69 86 263 341 458 3 4 2000 NYY 155 569 147 37 4 16 69 91 52 74 258 328 422 4 1 2001 NYY 154 589 165 24 2 34 89 113 42 89 280 329 501 1 2       Martinez rediscovered his power stroke, and played better than he had in previous seasons. He's still not one of the top first sackers in the league, and at age 34 I wouldn't bet on him lasting much longer. But the Cardinals want to win it all, and they will be hoping that Martinez will bring some Yankee Magic with him from the Big Apple.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: He looks like the Tino of 2000, can't hit for average or power.

NEW YORK METS - Mo Vaughn 34 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 ANA 139 524 147 20 0 33 63 108 54 127 281 358 508 0 0 2000 ANA 161 614 167 31 0 36 93 117 79 181 272 365 498 2 0 2001 INJURED       I don't understand why the Mets made the Vaughn trade. Yeah, they needed to add some punch to their lineup, but they gave up a solid veteran starter in Appier, to get a slugger who will be 34 years old, has just missed a full season with injury, had already started to decline before he got injured, and who is packing a lot of extra weight.       Maybe Vaughn will pull a Dave Parker, come back and lead the league in RBI or something. But I doubt that he will be much of an improvement on Todd Zeile. Vaughn was a terrific hitter in his prime, but has been just ordinary the past three years. I certainly would not have given Appier up to get him.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: Big Mo is hitting like an old guy who can't swing the bat around his waist anymore.

LOS ANGELES - Eric Karros 34 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 LA 153 578 176 40 0 34 74 112 53 119 304 362 550 8 5 2000 LA 155 584 146 29 0 31 84 106 63 122 250 321 459 4 3 2001 LA 121 438 103 22 0 15 42 63 41 101 235 303 388 3 1       Karros has declined badly each of the last two seasons, and at age 34, the end would appear to be near. He had some injuries last year, so if he is healthy he may be able to take back a little of what he has lost, but I strongly doubt that he will ever be a quality first sacker again.

PITTSBURGH - Craig Wilson 25 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 AA 111 362 97 21 3 20 57 69 40 104 268 367 508 1 3 2000 AAA 124 396 112 24 2 33 83 86 44 121 283 383 604 1 2 2001 PIT 88 158 49 3 1 13 27 32 15 53 310 390 589 3 1       Kevin Young was the Pirates' regular first baseman in 2001. There is a very real possibility that he could be their first sacker this year as well... but I won't contemplate that possibility. Young surprised everybody with a couple of solid seasons, but he is 33 years old and was very bad last year.       On the other hand, the Pirates could use Craig Wilson. Wilson can hit, put up some big numbers in the minors and was very good when he got into the lineup. Wilson can also catch and play the outfield, so the Pirates will have to decide what to do with him. My guess is that they won't make that decision, that they will just move him around the field from one year to the next... but if it was me, I would just stick him at first and let his bat do the talking.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: I can't believe that the Pirates are still using Kevin Young at first; he can't hit. Wilson has played a lot of right field, has hit well enough that they should just hand him the job at first base.

PHILADELPHIA - Travis Lee 27 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 ARI 120 375 89 16 2 9 57 50 58 50 237 337 363 17 3 2000 ARI-PHI 128 404 95 24 1 9 53 54 65 79 235 342 366 8 1 2001 PHI 157 555 143 34 2 20 75 90 71 109 258 341 434 3 4       Lee got the regular first base job in Philly, got off to a good start, then coasted the rest of the season. His numbers were a small improvement on what he had done in the past, and there is always the potential of better things... but notice that it didn't take the Diamondbacks long to win the championship after they got rid of him.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: Lee has struggled, and the Phillies have acquired Jeremy Giambi, who has hit like his brother in a Phillies uniform. Lee's career should be in some trouble.

SAN FRANCISCO - JT Snow 34 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 SF 161 570 156 25 2 24 93 98 86 121 274 370 451 0 4 2000 SF 155 536 152 33 2 19 82 96 66 129 284 365 459 1 3 2001 SF 101 285 70 12 1 8 43 34 55 81 246 371 379 0 0       A wizard with the glove who does a solid job of getting on base. Snow was injured, however, and lost his power stroke; at age 34, he has no upside, and can't be considered a quality regular. The Giants may try to start the year with Snow in a platoon with somebody; they may also move Jeff Kent permanently to first, if they can find an adequate replacement for him at second.

ATLANTA - BJ Surhoff 38 L/R or Wes Helms 26 R/R or Julio Franco 41 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS SURHOFF 1999 BAL 162 673 207 38 1 28 104 107 43 78 308 347 492 5 1 2000 BAL-ATL 147 539 157 36 2 14 69 68 41 58 291 344 443 10 2 2001 ATL 141 484 131 33 1 10 68 58 38 48 271 321 405 9 3 HELMS 1999 AA 30 113 34 6 0 8 15 26 7 34 301 347 566 1 0 2000 AAA 136 539 155 27 7 20 74 88 27 92 288 325 475 0 6 2001 ATL 100 216 48 10 3 10 28 36 21 56 222 293 435 1 1 FRANCO 2001 ATL 25 90 27 4 0 3 13 11 10 20 300 376 444 0 0       The Braves suffered for most of the season without a first baseman, before they were finally forced to bring Julio Franco out of semi-retirement. Funny thing, though; Franco did a pretty good job, and was certainly not the reason they were dumped in the playoffs.       I think that Franco has had an amazing, underrated career, but obviously he is not a good long-term solution to the Braves' first base problem. That said, their other options are limited. BJ Surhoff's best days are well behind him, Wes Helms is a mediocre prospect at best. It seems hard to believe that a team with the Braves' resources could go so long without a quality first sacker, but spring training has started...

MONTREAL - Lee Stevens 35 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 TEX 146 517 146 31 1 24 76 81 52 132 282 344 485 2 3 2000 MON 123 449 119 27 2 22 60 75 48 105 265 337 481 0 0 2001 MON 152 542 133 35 1 25 77 95 74 157 245 338 452 2 1       Stevens' power numbers continued to head south last year. He is a minor-league first baseman whom the Expos play every day because he is a veteran and he doesn't cost very much.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: Stevens struggled badly; somehow, the Expos were able to trade him for Bartolo Colon. Now, they are trying out Andres Galaragga at first base. Hey, the Big Cat's already had about ten comebacks, what's one more?

FIRST BASE - BOTH LEAGUES
1 Jason Giambi	11 Rafael Palmeiro	21 David Segui
2 Jeff Bagwell	12 Richie Sexson	22 Mo Vaughn
3 Todd Helton	13 Fred McGriff	23 Eric Karros
4 Carlos Delgado	14 Derrek Lee	24 Craig Wilson
5 Jim Thome	15 Mark Grace	25 Steve Cox
6 Mike Sweeney	16 Doug Mientkiewicz	26 Travis Lee
7 John Olerud	17 Tino Martinez	27 JT Snow
8 Phil Nevin	18 Tony Clark	28 Wes Helms
9 Sean Casey	19 Carlos Pena	29 Lee Stevens
10 Paul Konerko	20 Dmitri Young	30 Scott Spiezio