NEW YORK YANKEES - Jason Giambi 32 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 OAK 152 510 170 29 1 43 108 137 137 96 333 476 647 2 0 2001 OAK 154 520 178 47 2 38 109 120 129 83 342 477 660 2 0 2002 NYY 155 560 176 34 1 41 120 122 109 112 314 435 598 2 2       For the second year in a row, the Yankees had the best free agent signing in baseball. Giambi gave them the most offense they've had from first base in 15 years, and the Bombers led the league in runs scored.

TORONTO - Carlos Delgado 31 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 TOR 162 569 196 57 1 41 115 137 123 104 344 470 664 0 1 2001 TOR 162 574 160 31 1 39 102 102 111 136 279 408 540 3 0 2002 TOR 143 505 140 34 2 33 103 108 102 126 277 406 549 1 0       Delgado failed to live up to expectations early in the year, was injured during the summer, then saved his season with a huge September. He's one of the best hitters in baseball, but he's also making close to $20 million, and doesn't seem to be worth the money. The Jays can't really afford him, and he may be traded; Delgado has another MVP-calibre season in his future.

KANSAS CITY - Mike Sweeney 30 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 KC 159 618 206 30 0 29 105 144 71 67 333 407 523 8 3 2001 KC 147 559 170 46 0 29 97 99 64 64 304 374 542 10 3 2002 KC 126 471 160 31 1 24 81 86 61 46 340 417 563 9 7       Sweeney was awesome the first half of the season. After posting a .400 average in June, Sweeney waltzed into the All-Star break with a .361 average and 16 home runs. He didn't have many RBI, despite batting .422 with runners on base; the Royals just didn't get that many baserunners on for him.       Problems with his hip and lower back put him on the disabled list and limited his effectiveness the second half of the season. If healthy, he is one of the best hitters in baseball... however, something always seems to slow him down in the second half of the season. Any team interested in acquiring his services should probably do so before the season starts.

SEATTLE - John Olerud 35 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 SEA 159 565 161 45 0 14 84 103 102 96 285 392 439 0 2 2001 SEA 159 572 173 32 1 21 91 95 94 70 302 401 472 3 1 2002 SEA 154 553 166 39 0 22 85 102 98 66 300 403 490 0 0       Olerud had another terrific season, and was among the best first sackers in the league. He hits for average, gets on base, has some power, and is a legitimate Gold Glover in the field. Like most hitters, he struggles at Safeco; Olerud hit .325 with more power on the road.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX - Paul Konerko 27 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 CHW 143 524 156 31 1 21 84 97 47 72 298 363 481 1 0 2001 CHW 156 582 164 35 0 32 92 99 54 89 282 349 507 1 0 2002 CHW 151 570 173 30 0 27 81 104 44 72 304 359 498 0 0       Had another good season, and has established himself as a good power hitter. Konerko was hot early in the season and made the All-Star team, giving the impression that this was a breakout year; instead he had the same numbers that he did in 2001. He's a solid bet to have a career season in 2003.

TEXAS - Rafael Palmeiro 39 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 TEX 158 565 163 29 3 39 102 120 103 77 288 397 558 2 1 2001 TEX 160 600 164 33 0 47 98 123 101 90 273 381 563 1 1 2002 TEX 155 546 149 34 0 43 99 105 104 94 273 391 571 2 0       I don't know what to make of Palmeiro these days. He was struggling to hit for average early in the year, and I was under the impression that he is becoming more of a mistake hitter. He's hit .273 each of the past two seasons, not great from a guy who's been over .300 for most of his career. On the other hand, he has hit 90 home runs the past two seasons; that's a lot of mistakes.       Even still, I think that Palmeiro's days as a top-flight first baseman are done. He is 39 years old; last year was the first time that he had really struggled against left-handers (.220 average). The Ballpark in Arlington may also be boosting his numbers just a bit.

DETROIT - Carlos Pena 25 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 AA 138 529 158 36 2 28 117 105 101 108 299 414 533 12 0 2001 AAA 119 431 124 38 3 23 71 74 80 127 288 408 550 11 3 2001 TEX 22 62 16 4 1 3 6 12 10 17 258 361 500 0 0 2002 OAK-DET 115 397 96 17 4 19 43 52 41 111 242 316 448 2 2       Pena had a terrific start to the season, then slumped terribly in May, was demoted to the minors, then was traded to Detroit, and is now looking forward to being the Tigers' first baseman for the next 5-10 years. He's a good young hitter with a lot of power, and he should improve quickly. A left-handed hitter, he had no problems with southpaws, but hit only .230 against right-handed pitching; that will change in 2003. On the other hand, he hit only .210 at Comerica Park; good thing they're planning to move the fences in this year.

ANAHEIM - Scott Spiezio 31 S/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 ANA 123 297 72 11 2 17 47 49 40 56 242 334 465 1 2 2001 ANA 139 457 124 29 4 13 57 54 34 65 271 326 438 5 2 2002 ANA 153 491 140 34 2 12 80 82 67 52 285 371 436 6 7       Spiezio had a nice little year for the Angels, providing solid offense and defense at first base, and of course delivering some big hits in the playoffs. What made Spiezio's performance so much better than in past years was a .368 average against left-handed pitching. He throws right-handed, and over the past three seasons his batting average is 44 points higher when batting right-handed. He has more power batting left-handed, but even still, I wonder about the wisdom of his switch-hitting...       For the moment, he is a decent first baseman. However, this position should be cause for concern for the Angels entering 2003. Spiezio is a career .260 hitter who had never before played as well as he did last year. He will also be turning 31; chances are, last season was a career year.

BOSTON - David Ortiz 27 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 MIN 130 415 117 36 1 10 59 63 57 81 282 364 446 1 0 2001 MIN 89 303 71 17 1 18 46 48 40 68 234 324 475 1 0 2002 MIN 125 412 112 32 1 20 52 75 43 87 272 339 500 1 2       Ortiz didn't play badly with the Twins, but his tour of duty in Minnesota was still a disappointment. He had an opportunity to be the only power hitter on a team that desperately needed a power hitter, but because of injuries and other reasons he never hit more than 20 homers in a season.       The Red Sox have decided that Ortiz is a low-cost solution to their first base problem. At age 27, I won't be surprised if Ortiz busts loose with a 30-homer season. The Sox also have the option of trying Jeremy Giambi and Kevin Millar at this position; all three safely pass the "Better than Tony Clark" test.

CLEVELAND - Travis Hafner 26 L/R or Ben Broussard 27 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS HAFNER 2000 A 122 436 151 34 1 22 90 109 67 86 346 447 580 0 4 2001 AA 88 323 91 25 0 20 59 74 59 82 282 396 545 3 1 2002 AAA 110 401 137 22 1 21 79 77 79 76 342 463 559 2 1 2002 TEX 23 62 15 4 1 1 6 6 8 15 242 329 387 0 1 BROUSSARD 2000 AA 87 286 73 8 4 14 64 51 72 78 255 413 458 15 2 2001 AA 100 353 113 27 0 23 81 69 61 69 320 428 592 10 3 2002 AAA 99 340 88 22 1 16 61 51 55 80 259 377 471 4 1 2002 CLE 39 112 27 4 0 4 10 9 7 25 241 292 384 0 0       For the past six years, the Indians could rely on a big season from Jim Thome at first base. With Thome gone, the Indians are going to try out a couple of young mashers who have been cooling in the minors, waiting for a chance. Hafner's minor league record is impeccable; he just got stuck behind a road block in Texas. He will probably get first dibs on the job, and no one will be surprised if he is the Rookie of the Year.       Broussard is a year older; it took him a long time to reach the majors, but he can hit a little, too. He will get some playing time if Hafner falters, or if Burks gets hurt, or if any of the outfielder don't pan out. Though they are too old to be considered hot prospects, I think the Indians want to give both of these a fair opportunity, to avoid a repeat of the Brian Giles fiasco.

MINNESOTA - Doug Mientkiewicz 29 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2001 MIN 151 543 166 39 1 15 77 74 67 92 306 387 464 2 6 2002 MIN 143 467 122 29 1 10 60 64 74 69 261 365 392 1 2       A lot of nice things were said about Mientkiewicz during the playoffs, mostly because the Twins won; the reality is that his season was a disappointment, a big step back from his fine 2001 season. Mientkiewicz is a good fielder, and does a good job of getting on base, but he struggles with hitting for average and power, and that's not good for a first baseman. I think that 2001 was likely an anomaly; the Twins have so many good young hitters (Kielty, Mohr, Cuddyer, Restovich, Ryan) that it's hard to imagine that one of them can't learn how to play first base.

BALTIMORE - Jeff Conine 37 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 BAL 119 409 116 20 2 13 53 46 36 53 284 341 438 4 3 2001 BAL 139 524 163 23 2 14 75 97 64 75 311 386 443 12 8 2002 BAL 116 451 123 26 4 15 44 63 25 66 273 307 448 8 0       Conine struggled with age and injuries, and had a disappointing season. He missed six weeks of the summer with a hamstring injury; when in the lineup he hit for more power than usual, but did a poor job of getting on base, something that he did so well in 2001. Will turn 37 this year, is obviously near the end of his career but the Orioles don't have a good replacement at the moment.

OAKLAND - Scott Hatteberg 33 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 BOS 92 230 61 15 0 8 21 36 38 39 265 367 435 0 1 2001 BOS 94 278 68 19 0 3 34 25 33 26 245 332 345 1 1 2002 OAK 136 492 138 22 4 15 58 61 68 56 280 374 433 0 0       The Athletics traded away their good young first baseman, and will instead give the job to Hatteberg, a 33-year-old former catcher. Hatteberg does some things well; he has a bit of power and does a solid job of getting on base. He's not the kind of hitter you want playing first base, but you might get away with him if your shortstop is your cleanup hitter.       The Athletics also have Erubiel Durazo, who is slated to be the DH but who is also an option at first.

TAMPA BAY - Lee Stevens 36 L/L or Travis Lee 28 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS STEVENS 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 2002 MON-CLE 116 358 73 13 2 15 50 57 54 89 204 305 377 1 0 LEE 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 2002 PHI 153 536 142 26 2 13 55 70 54 104 265 331 394 5 3       A former #1 draft pick, Travis Lee's career has been a huge disappointment. The Phillies stuck with him all of last season, and he was terrible. At age 28, he's still not as good a player as Lee Stevens was in his prime.       Stevens, unfortunately, is 36 years old, and last year was one of the worst players in baseball. The good news is that he could get one more chance to play, given that his only competition is Travis Lee. Such is life with these Devilish Rays.

FIRST BASE - BOTH LEAGUES
1 Jason Giambi	11 Ryan Klesko	21 Hee Seop Choi
2 Jim Thome	12 Derrek Lee	22 Doug Mientkiewicz
3 Jeff Bagwell	13 Carlos Pena	23 Mo Vaughn
4 Carlos Delgado	14 Sean Casey	24 Tino Martinez
5 Todd Helton	15 Mark Grace	25 JT Snow
6 Mike Sweeney	16 Fred McGriff	26 Jeff Conine
7 John Olerud	17 Scott Spiezio	27 Scott Hatteberg
8 Richie Sexson	18 David Ortiz	28 Randall Simon
9 Paul Konerko	19 Rob Fick	29 Travis Lee
10 Rafael Palmeiro	20 Travis Hafner	30 Jeff Liefer