Third Base Facts For The 2022 Season

The third base position seems to be the shallowest position of them all for 2022 (besides catcher which is always the most shallow). After consistent players Jose Ramirez, Rafael Devers, Manny Machado, and Austin Riley there seems to be a cliff where the third basemen left over, all have question marks. In my opinion, grabbing a third baseman early in drafts seems pertinent to having success for 2022.

The Powerful Josh Donaldson

We all know Josh Donaldson can’t stay on the field but he did see 543 plate appearances last season. And in 2021 he was top five at his position in wRC+, ISO, Barrel%, Max EV, and EV/FB. Essentially he is a fantastic power option.

Even with those impressive statistics, he is still going as the 20th third baseman off the board. Sure it is due to his injury history with the calf and hamstring but that still leaves Donaldson as your backup third baseman so there isn’t really a need to worry about his injury history.

Steamer seems to agree with what he did in 2021 projecting 606 plate appearances 30 home runs, 87 runs, 84 RBI, and has him hitting .249. This means if Donaldson only gets 500 plate appearances once again you will be attributing a four-category bat very late in drafts. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

The First Round Pick

Jose Ramirez is by far and away the best third baseman in the league (in terms of fantasy). Last season he had the most stolen bases, most runs, highest ISO, highest wRC+, and highest wOBA. He was flat-out amazing.

Jose Ramirez is going as a top-five pick in a lot of drafts for 2022. It stems from his above and beyond consistency over the years. He essentially is a lock for 25 home runs and 20 stolen bases with an upside of going 30/30 or even 40/30.

Another factor favoring Jose Ramirez is his health. In the last five full seasons, he has 636, 542, 698, 645, and 618 plate appearances. That’s very hard to find and any player who stays on the field that much with a skill-set like his is extremely beneficial to your fantasy team. Based on position scarcity Jose Ramirez would be my second overall pick behind Trea Turner.

Wonderful Wisdom

This title is a little misleading because Patrick Wisdom isn’t so wonderful. Here is the crazy part – he put up 28 home runs in just 375 plate appearances. That means if he saw 550 plate appearances he could have put up 41 home runs. Too bad the world doesn’t work like that.

Wisdom clearly faded as time went on. In August he hit nine home runs and in September he hit just three. In August he hit .226 and in September he hit just .150. His wRC+ went from 147 in June to just 60 in September. It all stems from plate discipline.

In 2021 he had a zone contact rate of just 71.7% while the league average was 84.6%. To boot his SwStr% of 19.1% was the second-highest in the league. This all leads to his league-high 40.8% strikeout rate. All of this screams a player who could easily be sent down or benched early into the season.

Now he does have power with an insane 16.1% barrel rate but his contact issues will continue to anchor him down.

Mr. Turner

At age 37 it is really to forget about Justin Turner. Last season he was able to put up 612 plate appearances and was also a four-category contributor. Injuries have been a small concern but he has never really missed significant time.

The fact of the matter is that Turner is good and always has been when he is in the box. Last season he hit for quality contact, displayed good plate discipline, and even had a little pop.

He currently is going as the 13th third baseman off the board behind players like Yoan Moncada and Ke’Bryan Hayes. Sure these two players are more exciting and have higher upside but sometimes the boring old guy is the better route to go.

Injury Risk

Evan Longoria

Longoria much like all of the veterans on the Giants saw a nice resurgence in performance. The issue with Longoria is he is 36 years old and approaching that ever so evil aging curve.

In 2021 he missed 83 days due to a shoulder and finger injury. In 2020 he missed some time with an oblique injury and he also missed some time in 2019 and 2018. Longoria is certainly an injury risk but his ADP calls for it.

J.D. Davis

J.D. Davis was a hot name coming into 2021 but he certainly let down a lot of fantasy baseball players. With the Mets new signings, he is not only an injury risk but also now a playing time risk. He will be utilized around the field but unless he is traded Davis could struggle to find playing time.

Ke’Bryan Hayes

Hayes is a young and exciting player who loves the game. Unfortunately, he comes with nagging hand issues. Throughout his minor league career, Hayes has had to deal with hand issues and it followed him to the MLB in 2021. He missed a total of 67 days with a wrist injury.

The big question here is, will the Pirates be reluctant to let him steal due to these hand issues? It’s tough to tell but we will find out soon enough. The positive here is that I spoke with Peyton Skinner (@PeytonSkinner12) who has talked to people involved with that organization and they all say Hayes is a gamer. He loves to be out there playing baseball and is more than willing to play injured. Could it affect his skills? Sure but at least he is more likely to push through it.