Washington Nationals: Ranking The First Basemen Of The 2017 NL East

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.