Michael Simione’s Third Base Rankings
Michael Simione’s Third Base Rankings
| Rank | Player | Team | Position(s) | ADP | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jose Ramirez | CLE | 3B | 3.67 | Ramirez is going top three in drafts and he certainly deserves it. He is a lock for 20/20 and has 30/30 upside. Can’t beat that at a shallow position. |
| 2 | Rafael Devers | BOS | 3B | 14.6 | Devers is a stud in every category possible except for steals but he does give you a handful. At just age 25, we haven’t even seen him at his best yet. |
| 3 | Manny Machado | SD | 3B | 23.8 | A power bat who puts up double-digit steals and a ton of plate appearances, yes please. |
| 4 | Austin Riley | ATL | 3B | 55.07 | The Riley breakout finally happened and I was lucky enough to have a few shares. The power and average should stick, he just won’t give you any speed. |
| 5 | Nolan Arenado | STL | 3B | 73.87 | Well, Arenado did what we all thought he would do outside of Coors. Still hit for power but his average took a hit. |
| 6 | Kris Bryant | N/A | 3B, OF | 103.07 | His 25 home runs and 10 steals last season made him valuable. We saw a nice step forward from 2020 and Bryant should perform just fine in 2022. |
| 7 | Alex Bregman | HOU | 3B | 89.6 | Bregman has fallen in drafts due to his injuries and poor performance in 2021. Let’s not forget though, between 2018 and 2019 he had 72 home runs with over 440 R+RBI while hitting for .291. |
| 8 | Anthony Rendon | LAA | 3B | 112.8 | A solid batting average floor with 20 home run potential but the injuries are worrisome. The latest was that he is hoping to be ready for the start of the season. |
| 9 | Adalberto Mondesi | KC | 3B | 54.87 | A high injury risk player with an insane amount of talent on the bases. If he somehow stays healthy he could be a league winner. That’s a huge if though. |
| 10 | DJ LeMahieu | NYY | 1B, 2B, 3B | 118.27 | After the season we found out that LeMahieu played the entire season injured. A bounceback is likely. |
| 11 | Justin Turner | LAD | 3B | 160.33 | When Turner is on the field the dude can hit. In his last five seasons, he is averaging a whopping 139 wRC+. |
| 12 | Ke’Bryan Hayes | PIT | 3B | 139.67 | Hayes has tantalizing speed and 15/15 potential. Let’s see what the young hitter can do if he can stay healthy. |
| 13 | Luis Urias | MLW | 2B, 3B, SS | 173.4 | I am a big Luis Urias fan and I think his breakout could continue. In the second half, he hit for a 123 wRC+, .850 OPS, and .217 ISO |
| 14 | Josh Donaldson | NYY | 3B | 207.07 | I have touted Josh Donaldson all off-season. As you CI or UT you can’t go wrong because Donaldson was top five in EV/FB and MaxEV amongst all third basemen last season. |
| 15 | Yoan Moncada | CWS | 3B | 167.47 | It’s now or never buddy. |
| 16 | Ryan McMahon | COL | 2B, 3B | 172.33 | McMahon should have 20 home run power once again and finds himself in the middle of that Rockies lineup. The problem is the Coors effect and he’s tough to start on the road. |
| 17 | Eugenio Suarez | CIN | 3B, SS | 202.93 | I’m hoping the addition of the DH means Suarez won’t be on the field anymore. It would only benefit him and every single Reds pitcher. |
| 18 | Eduardo Escobar | NYM | 2B, 3B | 209.2 | The Mets are a bit crowded but I think he will find plenty of playing time. I don’t think we see 28 home runs again but 25 is certainly possible. |
| 19 | Jeimer Candelario | DET | 3B | 265.93 | The candyman should see over 600 PAs again. There seems to be more power potential there, in the second half he hit 11 home runs with a 139 wRC+ and .242 ISO. |
| 20 | Matt Chapman | OAK | 3B | 204.2 | Chapman has officially become an empty power source. He no longer hits for average and is essentially Joey Gallo. Trying to make up for his poor batting average will only hurt you. |
| 21 | Gio Urshela | MIN | 3B, SS | 320 | He took a major step back in terms of offensive production with his wRC+ dipping below 100. Maybe the new scenery can help him out but for now, he is nothing more than a solid backup in deeper leagues. |
| 22 | Jonathan Villar | N/A | 3B, SS | 265.67 | Villar is an accumulator who can get you stolen bases, we have to see where he signs though. |
| 23 | Abraham Toro | SEA | 2B, 3B | 278.47 | 15 home runs and five stolen bases seem plausible here. |
| 24 | Alec Bohm | PHI | 3B | 298.4 | Alec Bohm was hit with a sophomore slump and he should be able to bounce back. He has the prospect pedigree and is worth taking a shot on this late in drafts. |
| 25 | Cavan Biggio | TOR | 3B | 307.73 | No power potential here at all, there never was, but hitting for 15 home runs and 15 steals is always possible. |
| 26 | Luis Arraez | MIN | 2B, 3B, OF | 335.67 | Think Madrigal but without the speed. |
| 27 | Patrick Wisdom | CHC | 3B | 338.6 | Hard to invest in someone who lead the league in K%. |
| 28 | Joey Wendle | MIA | 3B, SS | 352.4 | Joey Wendle should see consistent playing time and in my opinion, he is basically a twin of Rojas. |
| 29 | Mike Moustakas | CIN | 3B | 348.27 | Whether or not his injury has changed his power output for the rest of his career, we don’t know. But we will find out soon. |
| 30 | Hunter Dozier | KC | 3B, OF | 356.67 | Dozier had a nice second-half turnaround by improving his plate discipline and if it sticks he could be a solid late-round flier. |
| 31 | Yandy Diaz | TB | 1B, 3B | 355.6 | Diaz will continue to do what he does, hit the ball hard without giving you home runs. |
| 32 | Jose Miranda | MIN | 3B | 356.73 | Miranda mashed in AA and AAA last season putting up a wRC+ over 155 in both. We could see a call-up. |
| 33 | Evan Longoria | SF | 3B | 357.13 | Can the old man stay healthy? |
| 34 | Santiago Espinal | TOR | 3B | 358.6 | It’s hard to say how much time Espinal could see on the field and that limits his upside. |
| 35 | Wilmer Flores | SF | 1B, 2B, 3B | 359.07 | The Giants like to platoon him but he should still see a bunch of plate appearances. |
| 36 | Ha-Seong Kim 김하성 | SD | 2B, 3B, SS | 342.8 | Kim will once again battle to see PAs but the 10/10 potential makes him a decent bench bat. |
| 37 | Tyler Wade | LAA | 3B, SS, OF | 359.6 | As of right now, the speedster should be starting for the Angels and while it is empty speed you could be getting 20 steals from him. |
| 38 | J.D. Davis | NYM | 3B | 360 | Davis was a mess last year with injuries and the Mets not wanting to play him with his poor defense. Hopefully, he gets traded. |
| 39 | Rougned Odor | BAL | 2B, 3B | 424.24 | Odor will likely play every day if he performs. And if he does you could potentially get 15/10 out of him. |
| 40 | Carter Kieboom | WSH | 3B | 451.0 | It’s either Kieboom finally wakes up or it’s Maikel Franco time. |
Why is Justin Turner not expected to be ready for the start of the season? I haven’t heard anything about an injury since his hamstring in the NLCS, but he’s recovered from that.
yeah i’m a dodger fan who owns turner everywhere and follow him pretty closely and have no idea what that means. he was hitting off kershaw yesterday
It may be homerism on my part, but I’m not ready to put Chapman into the Gallo bucket just yet. He had a hip issue he tried to play through that then required surgery. He admitted his off-season recovery wasn’t as good as it could have been, and then you mix in the weird 2020 season. I think there’s still bounceback potential to get him back to his 2018/2019 levels.
Just traded to the Jays too… he might have earned himself a bump just on that alone.
I’ve been out of the fantasy game for a while now, but the 3B position seems loaded this season. Someone will get injured, and someone won’t play up to expectations, but I see 15 players that I think can be all-star caliber.
This content isn’t value added. I could get this from any free site. I don’t think these lists (and short form comments) work best at Fangraphs. We come here (or pay) for a deeper coverage.
Also…
Urshela’s comment is about NYY, while he was traded a few days ago.
A few guys don’t have hotlinks to their player page.
This article didn’t receive the best editing prior to release.
You know you’re reading about baseball, right.
yeah i have to second this. I know its a tough time to be a baseball site but i pay for the content here and its been a little light …. especially when you have guys like Justin Mason actively shilling for their patreon within fangraphs articles
If you didn’t pay for content, which is not really what the membership here is about, would your conclusion be any different? I’m thinking not.
My membership is to support the authors and the site, enabling them to provide quality content. Of course spending money changes my expectations, and of course you assumed you knew everything about me from one comment.
Sorry that it bothers me to see authors on a site I pay for ask me to pay more if i want the good stuff
If you want different content for your donation, the comment section for an article that an author put some time into is not the place to do it. Might as well complain that the prospect lists aren’t coming out fast enough, or that Eno isn’t back, etc. If one isn’t happy with the site, send concerns to the top brass directly.
you can’t be serious with this
at least you aren’t insulting me anymore
Of course I’m serious, give it a try. Complaining in a comment thread where the main managers of the site likely never read is useless. And yes, I’ve stopped insulting you. If you send a note to those who run this site with your concerns, I’ll even praise you.
This article not being edited (or being edited very poorly) is legitimate feedback.
Yes it is. But if there are editors for this site (and I’m not even sure there are) then concerns about the overall editing level of the article should be passed up the chain. It’s not the author’s fault that he doesn’t catch everything in a multi-page effort if there’s an editor here.
If the author himself or herself is the only editor, then sure, point out the typos and let them know to take a few moments to proofread before submitting (or even update the article, ideally). I just don’t think any of us will be typo-less if we attempted to write up the same thing, so another commenter’s zinger of this article being “phoned in” is uncalled for given the resources available.
Well, that’s what the other articles are for. These types are just fantasy baseball quick hits for those of us drafting and trying to get an overall picture. Now that the lockout is done, players are heading to teams, and teams are finally constructing themselves I imagine there’ll be more non-list articles out there. Criticism is fine, but you’ll find lists and typos on every baseball website you go to.
I appreciate the short form comments very much. That to me is value added — vs simply posting projections or rankings without comment. The Statcast data & player blurbs here on Fangraphs (and also in the Baseball Forecaster, in Rotoman’s Fantasy Baseball Guide mag, along with coverage at The Athletic) are great content. I also watch a lot of baseball and read news/beat writer articles to get the big fantasy picture.
Not all sites are created equal, and not all authors have the same amount of pay or time to put something together. If you prefer different articles, send a note to the editors/managers in charge, maybe they’ll change things. Heck, write some yourself. I, and others, don’t mind these articles while waiting for the better ones to come out. Let’s not complain so much, folks.
Right…I was trying to compliment the author and show appreciation for Fangraphs. I have been a reader and supporter for many years.
Ah you’re right, my bad NL Rules. If I could move my comment off of a reply to yours I would.
I’m sorry, but is this list from 2016? Odor hasn’t even stolen a single base since 2019, and you’re talking about him potentially stealing 15 or 20?
He’s not the best base stealer either… maybe he will squeak out 5.
I more so thought he would finally see 500 PAs which could lead to double-digit steals. Good call on him not being very successful though.
Does Bryant now move up with mountain high for 81 home games?
I’d guess he moves up a slot, maybe even 2.
Joey Wendle didn’t “sign with Miami”. This whole thing reads like you phoned it in.
Patrick Wisdom didn’t “let the league in K %”.
“As of right now, the speedster should be starting for the Angels “
You going to bench Rendon or Shohei after you start Tyler Wade for the Angels?
The argument is more so about Duffy who Roster Resource has as a starter. Wade is projected for more PA’s and could be used as a utility guy.
I’m curious where Bobby Witt would fit in on this list should he gain 3B eligibility. Could he sneak in ahead of Hayes at 12?
I would bet much higher