Next in line are my 3B rankings. It’s a position that’s filled with elite options at the top, yet also has enough depth to accommodate a variety of draft strategies. For context there are currently 12 third basemen going inside the top 100, five of which are going in the first 50 picks. However as mentioned before, since four of those players are going in the first round, the distribution is not exactly even.
If you’ve checked out any of my other positional ranks this year you’ve noticed I’m trying out a new format. Instead of tiered commentary I’ve broken down my analysis into two sections; overall draft approach to the position and thoughts on individual players. Hope you enjoy the new setup and as always I’d love to hear your feedback.
Note: I’m using a combination of Yahoo and ESPN positional eligibility which cumulatively will be more lenient than some individual sites so a few players you see here may not actually be 3B eligible in your league. Additionally, I’m including players who are expected to gain 3B eligibility in-season.
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C | 1B | 2B| 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP
| Player | Rank | League | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nolan Arenado | 1 | NL | Rockies |
| Kris Bryant | 2 | NL | Cubs |
| Josh Donaldson | 3 | AL | Blue Jays |
| Manny Machado | 4 | AL | Orioles |
| Jonathan Villar | 5 | NL | Brewers |
| Kyle Seager | 6 | AL | Mariners |
| Adrian Beltre | 7 | AL | Rangers |
| Matt Carpenter | 8 | NL | Cardinals |
| Todd Frazier | 9 | AL | White Sox |
| Anthony Rendon | 10 | NL | Nationals |
| Alex Bregman | 11 | AL | Astros |
| Evan Longoria | 12 | AL | Rays |
| Justin Turner | 13 | NL | Dodgers |
| Maikel Franco | 14 | NL | Phillies |
| Jose Ramirez | 15 | AL | Indians |
| Miguel Sano | 16 | AL | Twins |
| Jake Lamb | 17 | NL | D'backs |
| Eduardo Nunez | 18 | NL | Giants |
| Ryon Healy | 19 | AL | A's |
| Mike Moustakas | 20 | AL | Royals |
| Javier Baez | 21 | NL | Cubs |
| Nick Castellanos | 22 | AL | Tigers |
| Yulieski Gurriel | 23 | AL | Astros |
| Jung-Ho Kang | 24 | NL | Pirates |
| Yangervis Solarte | 25 | NL | Padres |
| Eugenio Suarez | 26 | NL | Reds |
| Jedd Gyorko | 27 | NL | Cardinals |
| Travis Shaw | 28 | NL | Brewers |
| Brandon Drury | 29 | NL | D'backs |
| Jose Reyes | 30 | NL | Mets |
| Hernan Perez | 31 | NL | Brewers |
| Adonis Garcia | 32 | NL | Braves |
| Yoan Moncada | 33 | AL | White Sox |
| Danny Valencia | 34 | AL | Mariners |
| Pablo Sandoval | 35 | AL | Red Sox |
| Matt Duffy | 36 | AL | Rays |
| Martin Prado | 37 | NL | Marlins |
| Yunel Escobar | 38 | AL | Angels |
| Trevor Plouffe | 39 | AL | A's |
| Jhonny Peralta | 40 | NL | Cardinals |
Positional Strategy
- In standard drafts my approach is entirely contingent on where I’m picking.
- I’d love to grab one of the elite guys, specifically Arenado or Bryant.
- I’m willing to take either as high as #3 overall.
- I’m generally avoiding the second tier, which for me starts with Villar and ends with Carpenter.
- I don’t think these players are bad picks, but the next tier has comparable upside at a much lower price.
- I don’t think I’ve drafted anyone from the 14-18 range in my rankings.
- Sano and Lamb are decent options if you’re lacking power and Nunez is one of the only viable speed options at the position, but if I’ve waited this long I don’t mind holding off for a couple more rounds.
- The group starting with Healy and ending with Gurriel offers great value.
- All these guys are great options in only formats, but I also don’t mind targeting this area for my CI spot later in drafts.
Player Notes
- While he’s certainly in that tier, I’m not as bullish on Machado as I am on the other three elite 3B options.
- The boom or bust nature of Baltimore’s lineup concerns me in the sense that I don’t think Machado has the runs or RBI upside of Arenado, Bryant or Donaldson.
- SS eligibility is nice, but I’m almost always using my MI for speed and Machado’s days of stealing double digit bags appear to be over.
- I find myself owning a lot of Alex Bregman and Anthony Rendon.
- Both are currently going outside the top 80 and provide unique balance
- Even without 30 homer upside, there is a high batting average floor and the potential for 10-15 steals.
- Justin Turner could be the biggest bargain at the position.
- He’s currently going 111th overall as the 13th 3B off the board, but I could easily see him finishing in the top 7.
- His year-end line of .275/.339/.493 becomes far more impressive when you consider that he had on OPS of .677 and only 3 HR heading into June.
- Seeing as he was coming back from off-season microfracture surgery last year, I expect Turner to pick up where he left off.
- Seeing as he was coming back from off-season microfracture surgery last year, I expect Turner to pick up where he left off.
- Ryon Healy is my favorite late-round sleeper
- I know it’s a small sample (283 PA’s), but a .305 average with an .861 OPS are enough for me to take notice.
- He’s expected to be Oakland’s full-time DH and is currently slated to hit 3rd in the lineup.
