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2018 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Third Basemen

Colorado Rockies Third Baseman, Nolan Arenado
Nolan Arenado is as reliable as any fantasy player gets. 30+ HR, 100+ RBI, 100+ runs and he plays in Colorado. What's not to like?... And expect Josh Donaldson to have a great year so long as he fends off the injury bug...
Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays' Third Baseman
Chicago Cubs' Third Baseman, Kris Bryant
Kris Bryant will also have a better year than last year. Look for Bryant to contend for the MVP again in 2018.
The fantasy third baseman rankings are tough to call in some ways. On one hand, you have some very obvious, can't-go-wrong picks like Nolan Arenado, Kris Bryant and Josh Donaldson. On the other hand, you can also sneak a few base stealers in here at third base, too - not the usual strategy for a fantasy draft when it comes to drafting third basemen. 

In our top 50 list, we have 9 guys who had double-digit stolen bases, and a few more who have the potential to get there. Also, the 9 third basemen who had 10+ steals also had double-digit home runs, which is what you're really looking for in a corner infielder. 

It has been a long-held strategy at The Brass that we recommend you get any guy you can who can get as close to a 30/30 season as possible. Now, some of these guys we're mentioning only hit 11-19 home runs, but how many times have you won home runs by 6 or 7, only to lose stolen bases by 1? Let alone losing the stolen base category 1-0? 

We're not necessarily recommending that you draft specifically for speed at the third base position, but don't be shy picking up a few freebie stolen bases in the later rounds out of a backup third baseman. Nevertheless, check out the Top 50 fantasy third basemen in our list, below...
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​Top 50 Third Baseman for 2018

RankPLAYERGABRH2B3BHRRBIBBKSBCSAVGSLGOBPOPS
1Arenado, Nolan159606100187437371306210632.309.586.373.959
2Bryant, Kris15154911116238429739512875.295.537.409.946
3Ramirez, Jose15258510718656629835269175.318.583.374.957
4Donaldson, Josh1134156511221033787611122.270.559.384.943
5Shaw, Travis144538841473413110160138100.273.513.349.862
6Rendon, Anthony1475088115341125100848272.301.533.403.937
7Machado, Manny1566308116333133955011594.259.471.310.782
8Nunez, Eduardo1144676014633012581854247.313.460.341.801
9Lamb, Jake14953689133304301058715264.248.487.357.844
10Bregman, Alex1555568815839519715597175.284.475.352.827
11Moustakas, Mike148555751512403885349400.272.521.314.835
12Castellanos, Nick157614731673610261014114245.272.490.320.811
13Turner, Justin130457721473202171595671.322.530.415.945
14Devers, Rafael5822234631401030185731.284.482.338.819
15Sano, Miguel1144247511215228775417300.264.507.352.859
16Suarez, Eugenio1565348713925226828414745.260.461.367.828
17Gallo, Joey145449859418341807519672.209.537.333.869
18Healy, Ryon1495766615629025782314201.271.451.302.754
19Beltre, Adrian94340471062211771395210.312.532.383.915
20Longoria, Evan1566137116036220864610961.261.424.313.737
21Seager, Kyle1545787214433127885811021.249.450.323.773
22Gyorko, Jedd1254265211621220674710562.272.472.341.813
23Harrison, Josh1284866613226216472890124.272.432.339.771
24Escobar, Eduardo129457621161652173339851.254.449.309.758
25Davidson, Matt118414439116126681916501.220.452.260.711
26Reyes, Jose1455017512325715585079246.246.413.315.728
27Franco, Maikel154575661322912476419500.230.409.281.690
28Chapman, Matt8429039682321440329203.234.472.313.785
29Frazier, Todd1474747410119127768312543.213.428.344.772
30Phillips, Brandon1445728116334113602173118.285.416.319.735
31Dietrich, Derek135406561012251353369801.249.424.334.758
32Cabrera, Asdrubal135479661343201459508332.280.434.351.785
33Schimpf, Ryan531652426201425277000.158.424.284.709
34Sanchez, Carlos1414846312919812593511189.267.413.319.732
35Headley, Chase1475127714030112616013292.273.406.352.758
36Flores, Wilmer11033642911711852175411.271.488.307.795
37Solarte, Yangervis128466491192101864376130.255.416.314.731
38Spangenberg, Cory12944457117182134634128113.264.401.322.723
39Perez, Hernan1354284711219314512078134.262.418.292.710
40Escobar, Yunel893504396201731295114.274.397.333.730
41Valbuena, Luis117347426915022654810602.199.432.294.727
42Rivera, T.J.73214276213152793210.290.430.330.760
43Camargo, Johan822413072212427125100.299.452.331.783
44Torreyes, Ronald1083153592151336114320.292.375.314.689
45Freese, David1304264411216010525811601.263.371.368.739
46Forsythe, Logan11936156811906366910932.224.327.351.678
47Diaz, Yandy48152244081012203320.263.329.351.680
48Garcia, Adonis5217319414051972340.237.347.273.620
49Marrero, Deven71171323690427126150.211.333.259.593
50Romine, Andrew1223134471172425216664.227.332.282.615


First off, we'll address the Jose Ramirez situation: he's awesome - draft him early, but draft him as your second baseman since that's a harder position to fill. There. Moving on to the Third Basemen...

Fantasy Value of Travis Shaw

We trued to tell you about Travis Shaw last year and the year before. He came up as a 25-year-old in Boston and had an immediate impact, but then he had a mediocre sophomore season. Naturally, the impatient Red Sox fans sent him packing, and he landed in Milwaukee. The Brewers had a somewhat surprisingly-potent lineup, but more importantly, Travis Shaw showed up with more power while hitting in a smaller ball park. More power + better hitter's park (for lefties, anyway) translated into deep fly ball outs in Fenway turning into home runs in Milwaukee. Also, Shaw managed to increase his walks from 43 in 2016 to 60 in 2017, too. All this translated into significantly more home runs, RBI, runs and a higher batting average. He also managed to get 76 more plate appearances once the Brewers committed to him being "the guy" at third base, so that also helped. Draft Shaw without fear, and - oh yeah - he also stole 10 bases, too. Sweet, huh?

Update on Justin Turner's Broken Wrist and Fantasy Value on Draft Day

Justin Turner broke his wrist - or we should say, had his wrist broken for him - by an inside fastball on March 19th during spring training. This injury happens every year to a handful of players, but this is a high-impact fantasy player. Justin Turner doesn't kill you in any one category, but he does something to fill up the box score in every game. On draft day, take Turner in the first 5-6 rounds. When he comes back, he'll be just fine, and the Dodgers' lineup is stacked from top to bottom. Remember that you're drafting guys for your playoff run. Turner is likely out until some time in May, so let him heal on your bench, then bring him in to break some fantasy-nerd hearts during your playoff run.

Anthony Rendon Over Manny Machado?

Yes, man! Anthony Rendon over Manny Machado. The stats don't lie, and you ain't drafting for defense, Broseph. Although - SIDE NOTE - there are rumors going around that Machado will be moving to shortstop. If that happens, that's a fantasy basebeall game changer for your lineup this year as well as your draft for next year... but for now, Anthony Rendon is better than Manny Machado almost across the board: better RBI, way more walks, way fewer strikeouts (hence the better RBI despite Machado's win in the HR category); the same number of runs despite Rendon playing in 9-fewer games; and Rendon is better across the board in the averages: batting average, slugging, on-base percentage and OPS. And for you Manny Machado die-hard fans out there, get over it - it's only one spot lower. Sheesh.

You Guys Sure About Eduardo Nunez at #8?

Predicting a Big, Breakout Year for Alex Bregman

To be honest with you, no - not really. But we just can't deny the numbers, the situation, the lineup around him, and the potential. Last season, Eduardo Nunez was on pace for 85 runs, 17 HR, 34 stolen bases, and 80+ RBI to go along with his .313 batting average. And don't forget, he played 76 games in the cold, cavernous chasm that is San Francisco with a horrible lineup around him. As proof, look at the statistical breakdown he had in San Francisco vs. Boston in 2017:

Eduardo Nunez Stats: 2017 (SF, BOS)

TeamGABRHHRRBISBBBSOAvg
SF763023793431181229.308
BOS3816523538276625.321
Eduardo Nunez played exactly twice as many games ​in San Francisco as he did in Boston, yet Nunez hit 8 HR in Boston vs. 4 in SF; he drive in 27 runs in 36 games in Boston to just 31 RBI in twice as many games in SF. On top of everything else, the stat that makes him legit is the fact that he was already hitting .308 in San Francisco (in that crappy lineup with no protection around him), then he went to Boston and hit even better (.321). He has legitimate potential to hit 20 HR with 20 stolen bases, as well as 80-100 runs and 80+ RBI. So, while maybe we aren't 100% sure about Eduardo Nunez being the 8th-best fantasy third baseman, at least now you can certainly see how we talked ourselves into it.
Astros' Third Baseman, Alex Bregman
His stats last season were not a fluke, and his performance in the World Series was not a fluke, either (see: David Freese). Alex Bregman turns 24 just before the start of the season, and he's surrounded by great hitters all up and down the Astros' lineup. Even if he ends up hitting 7th in that lineup, there will be someone on base for him to knock in. Likewise, if Bregman hits in the #2 spot, Lord knows there are bats to knock him in. Bregman is in a can't lose situation in Houston... and don't forget that he stole 17 bases last year all while only striking out 97 times in 155 games. Best of all, you can probably get Bregman a little bit under the radar after the big names go, and it wouldn't surprise us at all if Bregman outperforms Manny Machado overall in 2018 - and Machado is almost certainly going t get drafted ahead of Bregman by a few rounds.

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