LA Angels: Ranking the 5 AL West first basemen entering the 2023 season

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The Los Angeles Angels had what felt like their first baseman of the future in Jared Walsh heading into the 2022 season. Walsh was an all-star in 2021 and felt like a guy who could hit 25-30 home runs in his sleep. He's coming off of a disastrous 2022 campaign in which he dealt with an injury that required surgery that ended his season prematurely. Walsh should be healthy heading into Spring Training and the Angels need him to bounce back.

How does Walsh rank compared to the other first basemen in the AL West?

Ranking the AL West's first basemen heading into the 2023 season

5) Jesus Aguilar - Oakland Athletics

The Athletics just signed Jesus Aguilar to a one-year $3 million dollar deal last week. Aguilar should get the majority of the reps at first base for what will be an awful Athletics team.

Aguilar was at one point in time a feared hitter but last season he struggled mightily, slashing .235/.281/.379 with 16 home runs and 51 RBI. The Marlins were a team that desperately needed his bat and since he did not provide it, he was DFA'd in late August. He found his way to Baltimore and appeared in 16 games.

Will Aguilar bounce back in one of, if not the worst ballpark for hitters? Maybe, but I doubt it. I think it's pretty clear that the 32-year-old is the worst first baseman in this division.

4) Jared Walsh - Los Angeles Angels

Had Jared Walsh had a repeat of his 2021 season or really anything close to a repeat he'd probably be higher on this list. The reality is he struggled mightily for the Angels and saw his OPS drop by over 200 points from .850 to .642. I know Walsh dealt with the injury and that definitely contributed to his struggles, but they were too much to completely overlook.

Walsh is going to start a majority of the time at first base as he'll slot in against righties. Walsh has always struggled against southpaws, I'd expect to see either Gio Urshela, Brandon Drury, or Luis Rengifo play at first base against the left-handers.

Walsh should be given the opportunity to play on Opening Day against right-handed pitching. The potential for Walsh to bounce back is there, and I expect him to, but until he does it he's fourth on this list pretty comfortably.

3) Ty France - Seattle Mariners

Ty France got off to an unbelievable start, slashing .347/.420/.508 with seven home runs and 36 RBI in the first two months of the season. He struggled in the second half, but he did make the all-star team and had a 126 OPS+ last season.

France had an even better OPS+ of 128 in 2021 and has solidified his place in the middle of Seattle's lineup. France doesn't hit for as much power as other first basemen do, but he did hit 20 this past season which set a career high.

France is a guy the Angels did pretty well against last season holding to a .711 OPS, but he's turned into a really solid player for the Mariners and was one of their better hitters last season.

2) Jose Abreu - Houston Astros

The Astros lost Justin Verlander but didn't get too much worse because they added Jose Abreu on a three-year deal. Abreu replaces Yuli Gurriel as the Astros first baseman in 2023. Gurriel is coming off of an abysmal season, and Abreu is a former MVP.

His power is down as he hit just 15 home runs this past season but he slashed .304/.378/.446 with a 133 OPS+. Abreu hit 30+ home runs in his previous two full seasons before the 2022 campaign and he hit 19 in just 60 games in the shortened 2020 season.

Playing in as good of a hitters park like Minute Maid should help Abreu get his power numbers back up. It's frightening to see what their lineup will look like with this guy hitting sixth instead of Yuli Gurriel.

1) Nathaniel Lowe - Texas Rangers

Nathaniel Lowe might be the most underrated player in baseball. He broke out with a monstrous season for Texas which saw him slash .302/.358/.492 with 27 home runs and 76 RBI. Lowe won the Silver Slugger at first base which is quite an accomplishment.

Lowe tied for 12th among all hitters with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title with a 143 WRC+. He was tied with all-stars Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil at that number. That's how good Lowe was.

An argument could be made that Abreu should be first because of how long he's been good for but Lowe is coming off such a good year I felt like giving him the recognition he deserved. The Angels will

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