This position is definitely top heavy and thins out quickly. Miguel Cabrera should be at the top of every draft board regardless of his position. However, the third base eligibility only adds more value. My number 2-5 third basemen are great picks at the end of the first round and second round. Zimmerman is a good option in the third or fourth round. Aramis Ramirez does not have big of a name but he provides great production. He can usually be selected between rounds 6-8. After Ramirez, there is no sure production. However, there are also a good number of players with upside that I like in the mid teens.
1. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers (2013: .348 AVG/ 103 R/ 44 HR/ 133 RBIs/ 3 SB)
Cabrera is the best hitter in the game. He is ridiculously consistent with eye popping statistics. Even though he was hurt at the end of last season, his final numbers are amazing. He is either the first or second pick overall in fantasy drafts. He is fully recovered from surgery and playing a less demanding position as the Tigers moved him to first base after trading Prince Fielder. He is as much of a sure thing there is in fantasy baseball and definitely the best fantasy third basemen. Enjoy the third base eligibility for one more season.
2. Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers (2013: .315 AVG/ 88 R/ 30 HR/ 92 RBIs/ 1 SB)
He was inconsistent in the early part of his career but he has been consistently great for the last four seasons since his only year with the Boston Red Sox in 2010. In his three years with the Texas Rangers, he has hit at least 30 homeruns each season. His batting average has also been excellent in the last four seasons. His lowest average in that span was .296 in 2011.
3. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays (2013: .269 AVG/ 91 R/ 32 HR/ 88 RBIs/ 1 SB)
Longoria is one of the best sluggers in the game when he is healthy. Unfortunately, he has had trouble staying on the field early in his career. Moreover, his average is not as high as Beltre’s and he is not in as good of a lineup as the revamped Rangers lineup. For these reasons, I have him at 3 instead of 2 on my list.
4. Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays (2013: .272 AVG/ 90 R/ 36 HR/ 104 RBIs/ 7 SB)
I had him as my fifth first basemen. He is also third basemen eligible and fourth on this list. His production is so significant that I will make the effort to list him twice.
5. David Wright, New York Mets (2013: .307 AVG/ 63 R/ 18 HR/ 58 RBIs/ 17 SB)
Wright was limited to only 112 games but still produced. He was definitely in line for a 20/20 or 25/25 season. It is also a shame that he is carrying a bad lineup right now so his runs and RBIs are lower than it would be in an average lineup. In addition, Citi Field limits his homerun upside.
6. Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals (2013: .275 AVG/ 84 R/ 26 HR/ 79 RBIs/ 6 SB)
Zimmerman has been an injury risk during his career but he is also a sure 25+ homeruns from a third basemen if he plays 145+ games. I like the consistency. I really like that he is part of the up and coming Nationals team that has a great, young lineup.
7. Aramis Ramirez, Milwaukee Brewers (2013: .283 AVG/ 43 R/ 12 HR/ 49 RBIs/ 0 SB)
Ramirez only played in 92 games last season. Injuries have been a problem in his career. However, he produces when he is on the field. In 124, 149, and 149 games from 2010-2012, he hit 25, 26, and 27 homeruns. Moreover, he usually provides a high batting average as a career .285 hitter. He is a great fallback option once all the top third basemen have been taken in earlier rounds.
8. Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants (2013: .278 AVG/ 52 R/ 14 HR/ 79 RBIs/ 0 SB)
I have never been a big fan of Kung Fu Panda. However, he has slimmed down going into the season. He is a career .298 hitter and has hit over 20 homeruns twice in his career. Although I will never draft him, I can understand why he has value.
9. Josh Donaldson, Oakland As (2013: .301 AVG/ 89 R/ 24 HR/ 93 RBIs/ 5 SB)
I want to see him do it again but the overall stats were very impressive last season. I am very weary that he could be this year’s Chase Headley and regress significantly after a career season. Reviewing his track record in the minor leagues, I am not able to support the 2013 numbers. I hope 2013 was a progression in his game rather than a flash in the pan.
10. Pedro Alvarez, Pittsburgh Pirates (2013: .233 AVG/ 70 R/ 36 HR/ 100 RBIs/ 2 SB)
Alvarez has immense power but he will also kill your batting average. I have been burned in the past drafting him. When a player is all or nothing like Alvarez, it is very difficult to draft him too high. While his power is enough to live with the atrocious average, there is always a chance his swing completely gets messed up in any given season.
Other Options
* Brett Lawrie, Toronto Blue Jays; Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners; David Freese, Los Angeles Angels; Chase Headley, San Diego Padres
I was very high on Lawrie a couple of seasons ago and was hoping he would develop into a budding superstar. It has yet to be realized. He is still only 24 so it is not too late. However, you only have so many years before you go from top prospect to bust. I would not reach too far for him. He is worth the flier in the mid teens if you need a third basemen. Seager is nothing spectacular. However, he produced 20 homeruns and 13 stolen bases in 2012 and duplicated the results with 22 homeruns and 9 stolen bases last season. You could do worse if you miss out on the big guns. Freese was traded to the Angels during the offseason. He is a former World Series MVP. He had very respectable stats batting .293 with 20 homeruns and 79 RBIs in 2012. He is another solid pick if you can get him in the mid teens. Headley had a career year in 2012 with 31 homeruns and 17 stolen bases. Outside of 2012, he has never approached those numbers and I do not expect him to hit them again. He is more of a 15/15 player.
Third base eligible
I mentioned that Encarnacion was eligible at third base. Some other players that also have the eligibility are Matt Carpenter, Martin Prado, Jedd Gyorko, Jurickson Profar, and Xander Bogaerts.
The Future
* Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles (.283 AVG/ 88 R/ 14 HR/ 71 RBIs/ 6 SB)
Machado was a doubles machine last year. Unfortunately, he suffered a horrific torn ACL injury at the end of last season. Accordingly, expectations need to be tempered. It would have been interesting to see how many of the doubles he could have turned to homeruns this season but I am going to give him a pass this season. Long term, I think he has everything he needs to be a superstar.
* Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies (2013: .267 AVG/ 49 R/ 10 HR/ 52 RBIs/ 2 SB)
Arenado had a modest rookie year after being called up during the season. However, he has big expectations and put up big numbers in the minor leagues. Coors Field can certainly help his development. He is a great risk vs. reward pick as you can probably get him late.
About Pat Wong
Patrick is a contributor for Rookerville. He is an avid sports fan. Before joining Rookerville, he was part of a defunct New York Yankees message board, NYYankeefans, where he was its top poster and was inducted in its Hall of Fame for his contributions. Patrick is also a passionate fan of movies. He has enjoyed reading movie reviews over the years and is excited about the opportunity to review movies.