By John Zamora 
Everybody loves the long ball and this is a position known for sluggers. First base has been home to some of baseball’s greatest hitters and has also had its fair share of defensive stars. These are the 20 greatest first basemen in MLB history:
20. Gil Hodges
Gil Hodges’ career was interrupted as soon as it began. Hodges debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943, playing one game at the age of 19. Then, he missed the next two years while serving in WWII. Hodges briefly returned in ’47, but it wasn’t until the ’49 season that his career truly took off. From ’49 to ’59, Hodges notched over 1,600 hits, slugged 333 HR, drove in over 1,100 runs, earned eight All-Star nods, three Gold Gloves and received MVP votes eight times. A two-time champion, Hodges retired just shy of 2,000 hits and 400 HR.
19. Paul Goldschmidt
The first modern player of the list, Paul Goldschmidt will have an interesting Hall of Fame case when he hangs up his cleats. One of the most complete first basemen of his era, Goldschmidt has four Gold Gloves, five Silver Sluggers and seven All-Star nods to his name through the 2024 season. Goldy spent the first eight years of his career in Arizona where he was runner-up for the NL MVP twice and a third-place finisher once. As a 34-year-old in 2022, Goldy won the NL MVP in his fourth season with the St. Louis Cardinals. Through June 3, 2025, the star has 368 HR and is a career .290 hitter.
18. Fred McGriff
Big ups to Crime Dog — Fred McGriff deservedly entered the Hall of Fame in 2023 after a long, 19-year wait. McGriff starred for a handful of teams throughout his career, earning All-Star appearances while in San Diego, Atlanta and Tampa Bay, respectively. While he wasn’t named an All-Star in Toronto, however, he blossomed into a star while playing North of the border. In four seasons with the Blue Jays, McGriff hit 125 HR with a .920 OPS and earned MVP votes in his final three seasons. McGriff would go on to light up the league while with the Padres and Braves — earning three All-Star nods in Atlanta and winning the World Series in 1995. Over 19 years, McGriff slugged 493 HR, notched 2,490 hits, and knocked in 1,550 runs.
17. Willie Stargell
MVP, two-time World Series champ, WS MVP, seven-time All-Star, Hall of Famer, legend — Willie Stargell. A legend in Pittsburgh, Stargell spent the entirety of his 21-year career with the Pirates. The star debuted in 1962 and proceeded to receive MVP votes four times through the ’70 season. However, he truly became a superstar in ’71. Finishing runner-up for the NL MVP, Stargell hit .295 with a league-high 48 HR and won his first ring. Stargell would finish in the top-3 of MVP voting the next two seasons, as well. A few years later, as a 39-year-old in ’79, Stargell cemented his legacy. Across 126 games, Stargell slashed .281/.352/.552 with 32 HR and 82 RBI en route to winning NL MVP. In the postseason, the slugger launched five homers and hit .415 across 10 games to secure his second WS ring.
16. Rafael Palmeiro
One of a few stars from the steroid era, Rafael Palmeiro has been kept out of the Hall of Fame due to his PED suspension…not to mention his performance during a congressional hearing five months prior to the suspension. Over a 20-year career, Palmeiro was a four-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glover. He had 10 seasons with 37 or more homers en route to 569 overall. The controversial star also recorded 3,020 hits and had more walks than strikeouts.
15. Hank Greenberg
Hammerin’ Hank clocks in at No. 15. Like many players of his time, Greenberg’s career was interrupted by World War II. Prior to his three years of service, Greenberg put together a Hall of Fame career with the Detroit Tigers. In 1934, his second season, Greenberg led baseball with 63 doubles, slashed .339/.404/.600 and added 26 HR and 139 RBI. The Detroit icon won his first of two MVPs the following season after leading baseball with 36 HR and 168 RBI — and he was even better the next few years. Greenberg earned consecutive third-place finishes in ’37 and ’38. He led baseball with 184 RBI in ’37 and smacked a league-high 58 bombs in ’38. In ’40, Hammerin’ Hank won his second MVP after leading the league in doubles (50), homers (41), RBI (150), SLG (.670) and OPS (1.103). In his second season back from WWII, Greenberg led baseball with 44 HR and 127 RBI. Additionally, the legend helped guide Detroit to a second World Series in ’45 — his first season back after serving.
14. Joey Votto
Unfortunately, Joey Votto didn’t play for the Reds during a particularly good era for the club. The Canadian debuted for Cincinnati in 2007 and became a star in ’08 — his first full season. In ’10, Votto won the NL MVP behind a sensational season at the dish. In addition to hitting .324 with 37 HR and 113 RBI, Votto led the league with a .424 OBP, .600 SLG and 1.024 OPS. Votto led the league in walks on five occasions and finished first in OBP seven times. Five of his final six seasons were underwhelming, but Votto still finished his career with over 350 HR and a .294 BA.
13. Jim Thome
Thome was never known for his speed or defense, but he was a feared hitter by the time he was given his first real opportunity to play in Cleveland. In 1994, Thome hit 20 HR in just 98 games as a 23-year-old and he never looked back. From 1995-2010, Thome hit at least 23 homers in all but one season — he was limited to 59 games in ’05 — and amassed 559 dingers during that stretch. Overall, Thome hit 612 HR and knocked in 1,699 runs. A five-time All-Star, Thome finished in the top-7 of MVP voting four times.
12. Todd Helton
A Hall of Fame inductee in 2024, Helton often didn’t get the credit he deserved throughout his career with the Rockies. Because he played half of his games at Coors Field, many fans outside Colorado doubted his greatness. Helton received MVP votes six times and was a complete player — winning four Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves. In 2000, Helton put together a truly absurd season. In addition to posting a league-high 8.9 WAR, Helton led the league with 216 hits, 59 doubles, 147 RBI, a .372 BA, .463 OBP, .698 SLG, and 1.162 OPS — while also hitting 42 HR. A career .316 hitter, Helton hit above .300 10 years in a row, including nine seasons batting .315 or higher. For his career, Helton had 369 HR, over 2,500 hits and finished with more walks than strikeouts.
11. Willie McCovey
Barry Bonds and Willie Mays are the first two legends that come to mind when thinking of the San Francisco Giants, but McCovey deserves to be mentioned alongside those two. A teammate of Mays, McCovey suited up for the Giants for 19 years. At the age of 25 in 1963, McCovey led the NL with 44 HR and earned his first All-Star nod. The Hall of Famer enjoyed a sensational three-year stretch to end the decade, slugging 120 HR with a .300/.425/.603 slashline while posting three top-10 MVP finishes. The slugger finished third in ’68 despite leading the NL in HR (36) and RBI (105). The following season was all about McCovey, however. San Francisco’s star led the league with a 8.1 WAR, 45 HR, 126 RBI, a .453 OBP, .656 SLG, 1.108 OPS and won his lone MVP.
10. Mark McGwire
Due to his admitted steroid use, Mark McGwire’s career is overlooked by many. As a rookie in 1987, McGwire led the Majors with 49 HR and a .619 SLG — resulting in him winning Rookie of the Year and finishing sixth for MVP. After 12 years in Oakland, McGwire was traded to St. Louis where he produced a historic run. After hitting 24 HR in 51 games following the trade in 1997, Big Mac hit a then-record 70 HR in ’98. In ’99, he smacked 65 more. Injuries ruined the end of his career, but he still managed to put up absurd power numbers — 32 HR in 89 games in ’00, 29 HR in 97 games in ’01. The slugger retired with 583 HR, one Gold Glove, one World Series win and 12 All-Star nods.
9. Jeff Bagwell
Easily identifiable by his unique batting stance and strong goatee, Jeff Bagwell was an All-Star caliber player for nearly 15 years. The Hall of Famer produced a 4.8 WAR as a rookie in 1991 — he deservedly won Rookie of the Year — and went on to generate at least a 3.6 WAR each year through 2004. The ’94 season was his best as he led the league in WAR (8.2), runs (104), RBI (116), SLG (.750), and OPS (1.201) en route to wining the NL MVP. A career .297 hitter, Bagwell retired with 449 HR, 2,314 hits and over 1,500 runs and RBI.
8. Freddie Freeman
Freddie Freeman is capable of ranking a few spots higher on this list by the time his career comes to an end. Currently in his 16th season, Freeman is playing at an MVP level for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Through his first 15 seasons, Freeman slashed .300/387/.512 with 343 HR, over 500 doubles and more than 1,200 RBI. The future Hall of Famer won the NL MVP in 2020 with the Braves and piled up four additional top-10 finishes while in Atlanta. Since joining the Dodgers, Freeman has two top-4 finishes and won the World Series MVP in 2024 after hitting four HR including a walk-off grand slam in Game 1. Through his first 50 games in 2025, Freeman leads the NL in BA (.369), OBP (.435), OPS (1.060) and doubles (19).
7. Frank Thomas
In addition to having one of the greatest nicknames of all-time, Frank Thomas put together one hell of a career. The Big Hurt debuted with the White Sox in 1990 and wasted no time making an impact. In ’91, Thomas produced a 7.0 WAR and finished third for the AL MVP. Two years later, Thomas won his first of back-to-back MVPs. Thomas hit 79 HR, knocked in 229 runs and slashed .332/.453/.658 over his MVP seasons. Big Hurt played 19 seasons and left the sport with 521 HR and a .301 BA.
6. Eddie Murray
You simply cannot talk about iconic first basemen without mentioning Eddie Murray. A Los Angeles native, Murray was a third-round pick out of high school in 1973 and eventually debuted for the Baltimore Orioles in ’77. The Hall of Famer was an instant star for a contending Baltimore club. En route to winning Rookie of the Year, Murray hit .283 with 27 HR and 88 RBI. Over the first 15 years of his career — 13 years with the Orioles and two with the Dodgers — Murray slashed .294/.372/.494 with 379 HR and 2,352 hits. The eight-time All-Star won three Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers, as well. Murray entered Cooperstown with 3,255 hits, 504 HR and one ring — he hit two HR in Baltimore’s 4-1 triumph over Philadelphia in ’83.
5. Jimmie Foxx
Foxx made his MLB debut in 1925 at the age of 17. By the time he was 20, Foxx was receiving MVP votes. Playing for the Philadelphia Athletics, Foxx became one of the greatest hitters of all-time over the first 11 years of his career. Foxx won back-to-back MVPs while putting up numbers that have stood the test of time. In ’32, Foxx led the league with 151 runs, 58 HR, 169 RBI and a 1.218 OPS. To win his second trophy, Foxx also won the Triple Crown by smacking 48 HR, knocking in 163 runs, and hitting .356. The legend eventually joined the Red Sox and won a third MVP (50 HR, 175 RBI, .349 BA). At the end of his 20-year run, Foxx amassed 534 HR, over 1,900 RBI, and more than 2,600 hits.
4. Miguel Cabrera
Cabrera didn’t play first base until his sixth season in the Majors. Before making the move, the future Hall of Famer won a World Series with the Florida Marlins, hit 138 HR, slashed .313/.388/.542 and finished fifth for the NL MVP twice. Cabrera started playing first upon joining the Detroit Tigers in 2008 and soon entered his incredible peak. From 2008-2016, Cabrera hit .325 with over 300 HR and 1,000 RBI. The star won back-to-back MVPs in ’12 and ’13 and claimed the Triple Crown in ’12, as well. By the end of his career, Cabrera had played 1,196 of his 2,240 games at first.
3. Stan Musial
Musial played nearly 1,900 games in the outfield, but he also played over 1,000 games at first. For some fans, Musial remains the greatest player to suit up for the Cardinals. The Hall of Famer debuted for the Cards in 1941 and proceeded to play 22 seasons for the franchise. Musial won his first MVP in 1943 and claimed his second in ’46 on the heels of missing the entire ’45 season while serving in the military. Stan the Man won a third MVP two years later and went on to finish runner-up four times throughout the rest of his career. Overall, Musial hit .331 with 475 HR. In addition to his three MVPs, Musial won three World Series and seven Batting Titles.
2. Lou Gehrig
The Iron Horse is a true legend of the game. A two-time MVP and seven-time World Series champion with the New York Yankees, Gehrig put together one of the greatest careers in MLB history. Between 1925-1938, the icon averaged an 8.1 WAR per season and produced a truly incredible slashline of .340/.448/.634. Gehrig left the sport with a career .340 BA, 493 HR, 1,995 RBI, a 113.7 WAR, and 718 more walks than strikeouts. In ’27, Gehrig generated a career-high 11.9 WAR with 52 doubles, 18 triples, 47 HR, 173 RBI, a .373 BA and won his first MVP.
1. Albert Pujols
Some people may argue for Gehrig or Musial, but Pujols is the best first baseman of all-time. In his initial stint with the Cardinals, Pujols smacked 445 HR, hit .328, won two World Series titles, three MVPs and led the league in WAR six times. At his best, he was also one of the top defensive players at the position — earning two Gold Gloves. In total, Pujols hit 703 HR and notched 3,384 base hits.
Angel Atienza-Romero