Washington Nationals: Ranking The First Basemen Of The 2017 NL East
We will continue our rankings of the NL East position battles by looking at the first basemen. Where does the Washington Nationals Ryan Zimmerman fit in?
In 2017, The Washington Nationals are hopeful that Ryan Zimmerman can finally find his form and live up to the 100+ million-dollar contract that he signed.
For the Marlins and Mets there are hopes that their first baseman, Justin Bour and Lucas Duda respectively, can return to form after injuries in 2016. The Braves are hoping that their young star, Freddie Freeman, can be the center of yet another rebuild, while the Phillies are hoping that after a successful rookie campaign they have found their first baseman of the future in Tommy Joseph.
With the exception of Freeman, these first basemen are not projected to hit at the top of their lineups. That does not mean that the success of their respective ball clubs does not weigh on their shoulders.
Many of the young stars in the NL East are relying on solid bats out of their first basemen to come to life in 2017 and stay healthy. Production from the bottom of the lineup is important for success over the 162 game campaign.
Maybe unlike other lists, except shortstops and center fielders, there will be an emphasis on defensive efficiency. Despite popular opinion, you cannot just stick anyone at first base who can swing a bat. In order to have a good infield you need someone who can cover first base.
First base is going to be a position to watch in 2017. Let’s start the countdown to the top first basemen in the NL East by first going to the City of Brotherly Love:
5. Tommy Joseph (PHI)
2016 stats: .257/.308/.505, 21 home runs, 47 RBI’s in 107 games
Last season, Joseph hit .257/.308/.505 with 21 home-runs and 47 RBIs in 107 games played. He also had a fielding percentage of 98.9 with seven errors.
It was hard to decide between the first two first basemen mentioned on this list. My choice was to go with the rookie out of Philadelphia as the fifth best in the NL East because of his inexperience. Many players go through sophomore slumps and struggle to readjust to MLB pitchers. Joseph’s future is bright but would like to see a larger body of work before expectations rise too high.
There were big shoes to fill with the absence of Ryan Howard, but the Phillies found their first baseman of the future. Tommy Joseph had a very impressive rookie campaign for the Phillies. He bombed 21 home runs and slugged a more than respectable .505. Joseph is entering his age 26 season and the hopes to make the lineup more potent in 2017 to match the rotation.
Joseph adjusted to major league pitching well when he hit .257 and only struck out 75 times in his first 107 games in the majors. There is always room for improvement and the 2017 season will be important for Joseph to prove that he can defensively handle first base and improve his on-base percentage.
It is often hard to predict the Phillies and their moves but Joseph could be an important piece moving forward.
4. Ryan Zimmerman (WSH)
2016 stats: .218/.272/.370, 15 home runs, 46 RBI’s in 115 games
Last season, Zimmerman hit .218/.272/.370 with 15 home-runs and 46 RBIs in 115 games played. He also had a fielding percentage of 99.6% with four errors.
It was another injury plagued campaign for Ryan Zimmerman in 2016. There were hopes before the season that the Washington Nationals would return to the playoffs because of Ryan Zimmerman but at times they succeed despite him.
2017 is another extremely important year for Zimmerman. He is entering the fourth year of his six year contract that he signed for the 2014-2019 seasons with a team option for 2020. His contract grants him 14 million dollars in 2017. Since signing this contract Zimmerman has not lived up to the expectations.
Despite having the worst offensive campaign of his career I decided to put Zimmerman fourth on this list for a couple reasons. The first is experience. 2017 will be Zimmerman’s 13th season putting on the Washington Nationals uniform. He has proven in the past that he can perform at all-star level. Zimmerman has also been more than solid on defense since moving across the diamond. He had an impressive .996 fielding percentage last year.
The last reason is more practical. With the emergence of Trea Turner, the return of Anthony Rendon and Jayson Werth, and the acquisition of Adam Eaton, the offensive pressure is relieved. Zimmerman will have plenty of opportunities further down in the lineup and will not have the pressure of hitting number three in a lineup anymore.
Zimmerman has his work cut out for him to break his recent trends. It will be interesting to watch him during spring training and April to see how healthy he is.
3. Justin Bour (MIA)
2016 stats: .264/.349/475, 15 home runs, 51 RBI’s in 90 games
Last season, Bour hit .264/.349/.475 with 15 home-runs and 51 RBIs in 90 games played. He also had a 99.5% fielding percentage with only three errors.
Justin Bour was drafted by the Cubs late in the 2009 draft. He did not find much success in the Cubs minor league system and was selected by the Marlins in the minor league phase of the rule 5 draft. In 2014, he made his debut for the Marlins and in 2015, he was their everyday first baseman.
2016 was an injury filled year for Bour where he missed almost half the season with ankle injuries. In 2017 he will look to return to the lineup healthy and fall back to his 2015 numbers. Where he hit .262/.321/.479 with 23 home-runs and 73 RBIs.
2017 will be Bour’s last season before hitting arbitration in 2018. He can expect a nice raise in 2018 if he can be healthy and productive. He will have many chances of doing so while hitting behind Dee Gordon, Martin Prado, Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, and Christian Yelich.
Justin Bour is entering his age 29 season and the Marlins hope that he can even exceed the performance of 2015. A healthy and productive Bour will land him in the middle of the pack in the NL East.
2. Lucas Duda (NYM)
2016 stats: .229/.302/.412, seven home runs, 23 RBI’s in 47 games
Last season, Lucas Duda hit .229/.302/.412 with seven home runs and 23 RBIs in 47 games. He also had a 99.1% fielding percentage with only three errors.
It was almost a toss up between Lucas Duda and Justin Bour, but I choose Duda over Bour for three reasons. The first is that the lineup of the Mets is better than the Marlins and Duda will have more opportunities for success than Bour. The second reason is Duda has much more power than Bour. Duda hit 64 home-runs in the past three seasons while Bour has hit 39 over that time. The last reason is ballpark. New York is much more hitter-friendly than Miami.
Duda is a home-grown Mets player who was drafted in 2007 and have been in the majors since 2010. He can play multiple positions, although entering his age 31 season and a crowded outfield so he will be at first base for 2017.
Duda missed most the 2016 season because of a stress fracture in his back but the Mets decided to tender him a contract for his last year of arbitration. In 2017 he will be in his last guaranteed year with the Mets and earn $7,250,000.
Duda has the ability to change the game with one swing. When he is healthy he slashed around .250/.350/.480 which is extremely impressive with the players he should be hitting behind in New York. He will also hit around 30 home-runs and 80 RBIs.
Since taking over first base from Ike Davis, Duda has not been as injury prone and has played in over 135 games in two of the past three years. Even with his injury filled 2016, his on-base percentage was over .300 and his slugging percentage was over .410.
I expect Duda to be an important part of the offense for the Mets in 2017 as their lineup tries to give run support to that great rotation. His high ceiling and recent success ranks him as the second best first baseman in the NL East.
1. Freddie Freeman (ATL)
2016 stats: .302/.400/.569, 34 home runs, 91 RBI’s, in 158 games
Last season, Freeman hit .302/.400/.569 with 34 home-runs and 91 RBIs and 43 doubles in 158 games played. He also had a 99.6% fielding percentage with five errors.
It should not be any surprise that Freddie Freeman is the number one first baseman in the NL East. Over the past three years he has been the most consistent first baseman in the East, if not one of the most consistent players in baseball.
Freeman was drafted by the Braves out of high school in 2007. It only took him three seasons before he was called up to the MLB and he never looked back. He was an All Star in 2012 and 2013. And has been a staple in Atlanta’s lineup.
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The Braves signed their super star to an eight year, $135 million contract in 2014 and he is set to make $20.5 million in 2017.
Freeman’s numbers are extremely impressive but even more so when you consider how much his team has struggled. He has often been the shining light in an otherwise struggling lineup.
This could begin to change in 2017. Freeman is joined by established veterans of Brandon Phillips and Matt Kemp, who will provide much needed protection. He will also have a young star in Dansby Swanson hitting with him too.
The Braves are hoping that Freeman carries his success to their new stadium for 2017 and I see no reason not to expect success. If Freeman can find a way to hit 34 home-runs and 43 doubles again in 2017 I would expect him to have much more than 91 RBI’s.
If you are a fan of any of the other teams in the East this guy is a thing of nightmares. The worst part is that he is only entering his age 27 season. In 2010, He made his debut days before his 21st birthday and have been ruining pitchers ERA’s since.
2017 is going to be a year of change for the Atlanta Braves as they move to a new stadium and try to end their recent history of losing. One thing that will probably not change is that Freddie Freeman will lead the way and be the best first baseman in the NL East.