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. "He's got the power, and he's a great hitter, of course. But he's also one of the best baserunners," the scout said, referring to his efficiency, not speed. "And he's a great first baseman. He can do anything."

Goldschmidt reached base with a hit, walk or hit by pitch 312 times in the 2015 season, with 73 extra-base hits, 103 runs and a career-high 1.005 OPS. He also stole 21 bases and won his second Gold Glove.

In a position stacked with great players, he has become the gold standard.

2. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers

He started the season on time after having offseason ankle surgery, but a significant calf tear limited him to just 119 games, the lowest single-season total of his career. Even in a diminished season, however, Cabrera reminded everybody just how great he is as a hitter, winning the AL batting title with a .338 average -- remember, the guy doesn't run well and he's a right-handed batter, two natural disadvantages in achieving a high average -- and had a league-high .440 on-base percentage.

Rival evaluators also note that Cabrera is a better first baseman than he's perceived to be, with good instincts and good hands. But it's for his work at the plate that Cabrera will always be remembered, and in 2016, he has a chance to reach 2,500 hits and 1,500 RBIs … and he'll turn just 33 in April.

3. Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds

Before the MVP Award was announced last week, Votto was asked on live television whether 2015 was his best season, and the response was classic Votto: He was dead honest. Yes, he said in so many words, eschewing the usual empty and disingenuous lines uttered by players who are part of a struggling team -- and the Reds did have a terrible season, finishing last in the competitive NL Central.

But Votto has always seemed to understand that the best way for him to help his team is to produce opportunities for run production, and he excels at this: Last season, Votto reached base a staggering 319 times via hit, walk or hit by pitch, for a .459 on-base percentage. Only Harper and Trout rated higher in OPS+ than Votto, who overcame a knee injury in 2014 to play 158 games in 2015.

4. Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs

It was only four years ago that rival evaluators were concerned Rizzo would be overpowered in his career by inside fastballs, which were the cause of his .141 batting average and 46 strikeouts his first season with the San Diego Padres. But Cubs coach Eric Hinske suggested that Rizzo move closer to the plate and refuse to give ground, and this has helped him deal against left-handed pitchers, as well as fastballs. "If you aren't going to pitch him inside, he's going to kill you," said one rival evaluator. "And there aren't a lot of pitchers willing to pitch inside." Last season, Rizzo hit 31 homers with 72 extra-base hits, 78 walks and 94 runs, and he was a big reason why the Cubs made good on Rizzo's winter prediction of good things to come for this team.

5. Chris Davis, free agent (formerly Baltimore Orioles)

He has blasted 159 homers over the past four seasons, more than any other hitter, and soon he'll be paid (via free agency) for all of that power by the Orioles, Cardinals or some other team. Davis strikes out a ton -- he had 208 K's in 2015 -- and hit a pedestrian .262, but he has game-changing and season-changing power in an era in which big-time home run hitters are much more scarce.

Think about this: In 2000, a season now generally perceived to be at or near the height of the steroid era, 47 hitters mashed 30 or more homers; in 2015, there were 20. Davis, meanwhile, has 33 or more homers in three of the past four seasons.

6. Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals

Forget the week-long aberration we witnessed in the World Series and instead accept the judgment of many players and staffers with other teams: Hosmer is an excellent first baseman, with good hands and an exceptional ability to throw, and thanks to those skills, he just won his third consecutive Gold Glove Award. He'd be somewhere close to the top 10 based on his defense alone.

But Hosmer's offense continues to progress, with his slugging percentage growing to .459 last season. The Royals' coaching staff believes that as Hosmer gains experience and embraces the reality that he has the kind of power in which he can drive the ball out to any part of the park, his power numbers will grow. It's also worth remembering that few Kansas City players have ever put up huge power numbers at least partly because of the spacious dimensions of Kauffman Stadium.

7. Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox

As with just about everybody on the White Sox's roster, Abreu performed below expectations in 2015, with his OPS dropping more than 100 points, to .850. There are also growing concerns about his defense: He was among the lowest-ranked first basemen in defensive runs saved (DRS), a standing that is in line with how scouts assess him based on what they see.

But he is still regarded as a high-impact player, and if he's near the top of this list next year, that would surprise no one.

8. Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angeles Dodgers

Some evaluators trailing the Dodgers' matchup against the Mets in the National League Division Series thought that Gonzalez's age started to show against New York's collection of hard throwers, because there were moments in which he was overpowered. Of course, it should be noted that the Mets overpowered the Cubs' young hitters as well, and Gonzalez batted .316 in the series -- in other words, he did what he usually does. Gonzalez hit .275 for the Dodgers in 2015, with an .830 OPS that was slightly higher than in 2014, and he is now about 200 hits away from the 2,000-hit benchmark, and needs 10 more homers to get to 300.

9. Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves

The Braves continue to tell anyone who will listen that they aren't trading their first baseman, who is under contract for six more seasons for $118 million.

And finally, a tie at the last spot:

10. Mark Teixeira or Albert Pujols

Both aging first basemen demonstrated last summer that when healthy, they're both capable of major damage. Pujols hit 40 homers, and Teixeira 31. But Teixiera was out of commission for the last weeks in 2015, and Pujols is expected to miss the start of 2016 after undergoing foot surgery.

Toughest to leave off this list: Lucas Duda, who carried the Mets in stretches of last season, before they made trades to upgrade.

Bucs add a former prospect

The Pittsburgh Pirates bolstered some roster spots, including the addition of pitcher Allen Webster.

Whenever the Pirates, Cubs or Yankees add a fallen prospect like Webster, you can bet they have something specific in mind, some adjustment or suggestion. Webster's velocity has gone down markedly in the past couple of years, from 94.4 mph in 2013 to 91.5 mph last season, and you figure that the Pirates have some thought on how to reverse this trend.

The Pirates also signed Jake Goebbert, who could be a safety net for what's to come. The presumption among some rival evaluators is that the Pirates will cut either second baseman Neil Walker or first baseman Pedro Alvarez or both in the next week, because of budgetary concerns. Walker is projected to make $10.7 million in arbitration this winter, and Alvarez $8.1 million. If they kept both, their payroll would be something in the range of $110 million, according to Baseball-Reference.com. The Pirates opened the 2015 season with a payroll of $88 million.

Notables

• Jayson Stark writes about the hanging issues that loom with the next round of collective bargaining.

• Oakland traded for Jed Lowrie, and are likely to swap infielder Brett Lawrie, writes Susan Slusser.

• After trading Lowrie, the Astros have plenty of options at first base but also some questions. Lowrie's backgammon set goes with him, writes Evan Drellich, who adds that signing Chris Davis doesn't seem likely for the Astros.

• I wrote here a couple of weeks ago that the Cardinals want to sign Ben Zobrist. Apparently that's still the case.

• The Cubs picked up reliever Rex Brothers from the Rockies, for whom Brothers had a 5.59 ERA in 2014 and a 1.74 ERA in nine appearances last season. Brothers has a good fastball, but command has been a major concern.

• Dave Roberts has emerged as a leader everywhere he has gone. He inherits a team full of questions.

One of his great challenges will be to make the day-to-day work environment more enjoyable, instead of onerous, which is how it became for a lot of the folks in the clubhouse in the middle of last year.

• The White Sox signed veteran catcher Alex Avila.

Moves, deals and decisions

1. The Diamondbacks picked Dave Magadan to be their next hitting coach.

2. The Orioles brought back outfielder L.J. Hoes.

3. The Braves signed starting pitcher Bud Norris.

4. Former prospect Danny Hultzen cleared waivers.

5. The Angels rounded out their coaching staff.

NL West

• The Padres are interested in reliever Tommy Hunter.

NL Central

• Ryan Braun is progressing well after back surgery, Tom Haudricourt writes.

AL East

• Blue Jays fans are promising everything to David Price.

• The Orioles have expressed interest in starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo.

• Rays manager Kevin Cash is thankful for his daughter's mended heart, writes John Romano.

AL Central

• Paul Hoynes addresses some Indians-related questions.

AL West

• Derek Holland was not happy with how he performed at the end of the 2015 season.

Lastly

• Yankees GM Brian Cashman has learned a few things after sleeping a night on the street.

• Ex-major leaguer Otis Nixon was charged.

• Here's a chance to fill out a simulated Hall of Fame ballot.

• Vanderbilt lost in the finals of the Maui Classic. It's a dangerous team because the offense is so diversified, and as a group, it should get better as the season progresses.

And today will be better than yesterday.