First Is The Worst, And Most Highly Paid.

It's no secret that, to play in the major leagues, you've got to be the best of the best. You've got to be able to not only hit pitches upwards of 90 miles per hour, or be able to field hard line drives efficiently, but you've got to be able to do all this better than everyone else, and more (stealing bases, calling plays, etc.). But let's face it: if there's any position on the diamond that's easier than the others, it would have to be first base. Sure, there are tons of highly-paid and highly-touted first basemen (and trust me, we're about to get into that), but the rest of the infield and outfield is where plays are made or broken. It all depends how quickly they can throw any advancing runners out, and seeing as the majority of runners have to go through first base before going anywhere else, a first baseman is basically the catcher of the outfield. It's rare that a first baseman makes a defensive play that's outrageous or has people talking. Again, this position isn't to be taken for granted, it's just that second basemen, shortstops, third basemen, even pitchers tend to have more impacts on how a play goes than the man at first.

Now, with that being said, if you take a look around the league, you'll see that most of the buzz (and money) goes to these players. And rightfully so: Albert Pujols, Mark Teixeira, Joey Votto, Adrian Gonzalez, and Prince Fielder, some of the most talked about players and some of the heaviest hitters in the game, all man the mild corner. They're all known much more for their offensive capabilities than defensive: they're all perennial winners or runners-up for Silver Slugger, and King Albert and Votto have won MVP awards for their efforts. But considering that they could, in actuality, be replaced by a tree with a glove glued to it (who would probably commit a similar number of errors), it seems like they're glorified DHs. Still, look at what they're paid: Votto signed a 3-year extension with the Reds worth $38 million, Teixeira plays for the Yankees, meaning he gets paid more than God, and Pujols is looking to give The Almighty a run for his money, with the majority of fans expecting him to pull down $300 million over the next decade for his talents. But with this kind of moolah being thrown at infield backstops, it just seems...well, a little gluttonous. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love all the first basemen I named. Their sheer presence makes a game fun to watch, simply because you just know they could hit a huge blast that will propel their team toward the win. I never said they don't make an impact; they just do it at the plate instead of in the field. But on most small-market teams with star first basemen, the majority of team payroll goes to keeping these boys happy and wealthy. And then if they get injured? You go from having a $14 million infielder to having a $14 million benchwarmer, while the rest of your infield gets paid a combined $10 mil a year and are losing games due to decreased run support.

So what can you do? It's a catch-22: you're shelling out tons of money for a player that won't make a humongous impact on the field, but will guarantee you 80-100 runs on his own. Considering the state of most teams' infields, that's a chance I'd be willing to take.