The best first basemen in baseball history

First base may not be the most celebrated defensive position on the diamond, but some of the greatest hitters in baseball history have been first basemen.

Here is our list of the top five first basemen in MLB history.

5. Miguel Cabrera

Immortalized by his 2012 Triple Crown win, Cabrera will walk into the Hall of Fame when all is said and done. The 11-time All-Star has led the majors in batting average three times, earned seven Silver Slugger Awards, and has two MVP Awards (2012 and 2013).

Cabrera is clearly slowing down at age 37, but his 477 home runs and 1,694 RBIs can’t be taken away.

4. Frank Thomas

One of the best ballplayers of the 1990s, Thomas tallied 521 home runs and 1,704 RBIs during his Hall of Fame career that stretched 19 seasons. “The Big Hurt” earned back-to-back AL MVP Awards in 1993 and 1994 as a member of the White Sox.

Although he was known as a power hitter, Thomas retired with a .301 batting average.

3. Albert Pujols

He hasn’t been the same since he left St. Louis, but Pujols is the best first baseman of this generation. He won three MVPs as a Cardinal and finished second four times in 11 seasons there,

Pujols paced the majors in total bases four times in that span and also led baseball in intentional walks four times. Pujols has 656 home runs, which puts him sixth on the all-time list. He is also fourth on the all-time RBIs list, with 2,075, only 222 behind Hank Aaron for first.

2. Jimmie Foxx

When Foxx was in his prime, he was nearly peerless. For 13 straight seasons, Foxx had at least 100 RBIs, including his three MVP campaigns, when he drove in 169, 163, and 175 runs.

Foxx led led the big leagues in home runs four times and retired with 534, good for 19th all-time.  He had a .325 lifetime batting average, and his .609 slugging percentage ranks fourth all-time.

1. Lou Gehrig

Few hitters at any position can rival Gehrig, which is why “The Iron Horse” is an easy choice for No. 1.

The two-time MVP led the majors in RBIs four times and home runs three times. His 1,995 RBIs are sixth all-time and his .632 slugging percentage is third, behind only Babe Ruth and Ted Williams.

Gehrig, who was robbed of at least a couple of productive years when he was forced to retire at age 36 because of ALS, had an incredible .340 lifetime batting average.

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