Three of the top four finishers in the National League Most Valuable Player Award voting announced last week were first basemen. The guy who is generally considered to be the best hitter on the planet is a first baseman. The pre-eminent home run hitter in the sport right now is a first baseman. And we are in an era in which the defense at first base is valued more highly than at any point in baseball history.

So there are a lot of good choices in ranking the top 10 first basemen in the majors, with the help of evaluators and players, in this, the third part of our ongoing top-10 series. (I ranked starting pitchers and relievers earlier this week.)

1. Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks

One scout made the case that Arizona's first baseman might be the best all-around player in the majors, even ahead of Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, because he plays a position with a higher degree of technical difficulty.