Fantasy Baseball Draftable Third Basemen: One Superstar and a Lot of Upside
A look at the third basemen who should be drafted based on ESPN's points ADP.
There are fewer third basemen in the Hall of Fame than any other position (not counting DH). That lack of greatness doesn't always extend to fantasy, where enough guys can hit for power to keep the position afloat, but there aren't a lot of great options, leaving us to look for value and upside.
Let's look at the draftable fantasy third basemen according to preseason ADP numbers. This is similar to ranking players in tiers, but instead of my own rankings, we are using expected draft slots as our guide.
The number listed in front of each player is his ESPN ranking in points leagues among all players, and those rankings are accurate as of March 14. Most stats are from MLB.com.
Check out draftables at other positons at the respective links:
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The Top Dog
- 5. Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians
Ramirez is a true star and well worth the first-round draft stock. We don't need to spend a lot of time here; consider Ramirez at any spot outside of the top pick (Shohei Ohtani is still that guy).
The Second Tier
- 18. Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays
- 23. Manny Machado, San Diego Padres
- 25. Alex Bregman, Chicago Cubs
Just 800 at-bats into his career, Caminero is projected as a star, and for good reason. In his first full season last year, he finished with 159 hits, 28 doubles, 45 home runs, 93 runs, and 110 RBI. He strikes out too much, but the 22-year-old is likely to keep improving. He is a strong pick, particularly if he falls to the third round.
Machado just keeps producing, finishing with 33 doubles, 27 homers, 91 runs, and 95 RBI last season. Each number was slightly above his career average. Caminero might have a higher ceiling, but Machado is probably the safer player with a better floor if you want to minimize risk.
Bregman played just 114 games last year, but it's only the second season in which he missed significant time with injury. In his other six full seasons (not counting his debut or the COVID year), Bregman averaged 155 games, finishing with at least 30 doubles and over 20 home runs in all but one year apiece. His numbers have dipped a little after a scorching start to his career, meaning there might be more value further down the board.
Risk-Reward Guys
- 62. Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves
- 68. Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees
After missing no more than three games in any season from 2021-23, Riley played just 110 games then 102 the past two years. His counting numbers predictably dropped, but his slash numbers all took a major dive as well. Injuries may have hampered him, but it's a concerning trend. If you think he can find his old form, this is a good spot to draft him; if you're worried about injuries, this might be a little too rich.
Chisholm will mostly play second base this season, but he is eligible to slot in at both 2B and 3B in fantasy, giving him a nice boost. Chisholm shows power (which is amplified in Yankee stadium) and has stolen 71 bases the past two seasons, though his career batting average is below .250, and he strikes out a lot. I like Chisholm in the seventh or eighth round due to his multi-position eligibility.
Other Fantasy Starters
- 100. Maikel Garcia, Kansas City Royals
- 109. Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants
- 117. Eugenio Suarez, Cincinnati Reds
- 131. Isaac Paredes, Houston Astros
Garcia made a huge jump last season from 2024. In just 20 more at-bats, he added 37 hits, 12 doubles, nine home runs, and 20 walks while cutting 19 strikeouts. He also lost 14 stolen bases, but Garcia's slash numbers all took significant jumps. There's a chance he could regress, but the 26-year-old seems to be on the way up.
Chapman had 39 doubles and 27 homers in 2024 for the Giants, but injuries kept him to 128 games and 454 at-bats last year. He still had 23 doubles and 21 home runs; there's plenty of power here, though he is in a pitcher's park.
Suarez will probably DH while defensive whiz Ke'Bryan Hayes handles third, but Suarez can still slot into the position in fantasy, and he is coming off a huge season in which he had 28 doubles and socked 49 home runs. He generally hits for a lower average and struck out nearly 200 times last year, but Suarez will slug the ball when he makes contact.
Paredes isn't listed as the starter at any position on Houston's unofficial depth chart, but he can back up every infield position aside from shortstop, and he will probably get some DH at-bats as well. Jeremy Pena might miss the beginning of the season, which would move Carlos Correa to short and open third base for Paredes. He has some pop, averaging just under 25 doubles and homers per 500 at-bats, but his playing time is uncertain.
Fantasy Bench/Depth Guys
- 183. Caleb Durbin, Boston Red Sox
- 194. Noelvi Marte, Cincinnati Reds
- 195. Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies
- 205. Royce Lewis, Minnesota Twins
- 208. Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays
- 211. Max Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers
- 212. Kazuma Okamoto, Toronto Blue Jays
At least one or two guys from this group will likely be a fantasy starter by the end of the year, but they all have issues that could pop up and hold them back. This is more about weighing upside and downside while getting a little lucky along the way.
Durbin had a decent debut season, notching 25 doubles, 11 home runs, and 18 stolen bases in 445 at-bats while hitting over .250. He now moves from a pitcher's park in Milwaukee to a right-handed hitter's haven in Boston, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him improve in his second season.
Marte is another Red eligible at third base who will play elsewhere more often, slotting into right field. That dual-position availability helps his fantasy value, and in a little over one season's worth of games and at-bats in his career, Marte has 21 homers, 33 doubles, and 25 stolen bases. There's some intrigue here.
Two IL stints limited Bohm to 120 games last season, which hurt his counting numbers, but his slash line was consistent with his career numbers. He saw a big drop in doubles, hitting one every 25.8 at-bats after having one every 17.2 at-bats the previous three years, but his home run rate stayed on pace, so he could easily bounce back.
The first overall pick in 2017, Lewis has seen his big-league career interrupted by injuries. He set career highs with 106 games and 376 at-bats last year and finished with 18 doubles and 13 homers (a pace of 24 and 17 per 500 at-bats). A full season could see him blossom, but there's a lot of risk; that's a reasonable pick near the end of your draft.
Clement is one of our multi-position dynamos this year, eligible at 2B, 3B, and SS in many leagues. He set career highs across the board last season, and though he is likely to see some regression, that malleability will help from your bench early in the season while your roster comes together.
Muncy has never reached 500 at-bats in a season, and he only once hit .250, but he has some pop. While he's a fine late-round pick, I'd prefer to look elsewhere, particularly for a multi-position guy like Clement.
In his first year over from Japan, Okamoto is slotted to play third base for the Blue Jays. There are questions about whether his defense will hold up, and he can't move to first with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. there, but Okamoto will get a chance to hold down third base and could hit. There's obvious risk but also some upside (the same can be said for Munetaka Murakami of the White Sox).
