The Baseman's Lament

The era of the first baseman may be over:

These are not easy times to be a hitter in Major League Baseball. Pitchers throw harder than ever, and teams have cracked the code on defensive positioning. League-wide offense has been in the toilet for years and has remained there in 2024. But offense is really down among first basemen, who this year have posted a .729 on-base plus slugging percentage. That is the position’s worst OPS since 1968. It’s not a matter of a low offensive tide lowering all boats. Historically, first base is baseball’s most productive offensive position. But in 2024, first basemen are only hitting 2 percent better than the rest of the league, according to the era- and environment-adjusted “runs created” stat from FanGraphs. It is the position’s worst season relative to other MLB hitters since 1949, and it keeps with an extended decline. It’s a baseball bummer. A huge percentage of the greatest hitters in history played first base, and over decades, they built the position into something worth mythologizing. The thick-bodied, heavy-hitting first baseman is as classic a baseball archetype as the flamethrowing closer or the rangy center fielder. Quickly think up a list of the best hitters you’ve ever seen in your life, and you will invariably put lots of first basemen on the list. Just in this century, Votto, Albert Pujols, and Miguel Cabrera would make anyone’s top handful. Now, the best hitters play elsewhere, and first base is undergoing a devaluation.

From first base to last place...