Top 35 Third Basemen for 2020
by Paul Sporer
October 22, 2019
The hot corner definitely carries some depth with some major names checking in a lot lower than you might expect. There is a lot of multi-eligibility at the position, though, so you could feasibly roster several 3B and put them elsewhere on your roster.
Other 2020 Rankings:
Let me know what you think in the comments.
Top 35 3B for 2020
| Rk | Player | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nolan Arenado | I know he doesn’t run… who cares? He’s a 40 HR/120 RBI lock |
| 2 | Alex Bregman | A brilliant Arenado-esque season could yield an MVP next month |
| 3 | Anthony Rendon | One of the steadiest bats in the game could have a new home in ’20 |
| 4 | Jose Ramirez | Brutal start, elite 2H stunted by inj.; hard not to buyback at a discount |
| 5 | Rafael Devers | Slimmed down, cut K%, & blossomed; solid investment regardless of ball |
| 6 | Max Muncy | Backed breakout ’18 with another great season; bankable power stud |
| 7 | Eugenio Suárez | 5th straight yr of adding HRs to 49; capable 30-100 bat w/neutral ball |
| 8 | DJ LeMahieu | Even if the HR dip, he’s a strong AVG/R bet w/triple elig. (2B & 1B, too) |
| 9 | Jeff McNeil | Essentially an NL-LeMahieu right down to the triple eligibility (OF & 2B, too) |
| 10 | Kris Bryant | Remains a solid producer, but hasn’t reached even 80 RBI in last 3 yrs |
| 11 | Yoán Moncada | Used a more aggressive approach to breakout, but .406 BABIP won’t last |
| 12 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | Fell short of massive expectations, but .902 Jul-Aug OPS gave us a taste |
| 13 | Matt Chapman | Continues to cut a Donaldson profile meaning the MVP season is coming?? |
| 14 | Josh Donaldson | Health returned & so did .900 OPS; health will remain key driver to success |
| 15 | Manny Machado | Camden: .296/.353/.537; everywhere else: .267/.323/.449 |
| 16 | Justin Turner | Another solid injury-shortened yr; projections should live in 500 PA range |
| 17 | Tommy Edman | Elite speed drives this profile and AVG should remain strong, too |
| 18 | Eduardo Escobar | Likely won’t hit 35 HR again, but an ’18 repeat would work: 23 HR, 84 RBI |
| 19 | Mike Moustakas | A change in ball wouldn’t affect him much (32 HR per 600 PA in 2017-18) |
| 20 | Miguel Sanó | Premium power, poor AVG, and injuries are profile staples |
| 21 | Yuli Gurriel | No one will pay for huge ’19 primarily because of his age: 36 in 2020 |
| 22 | Scott Kingery | Useful pwr-spd bat avenged rookie flop w/19 HR & 15 SB in 500 PA |
| 23 | Ryan McMahon | Posted .811 OPS, 18 HR, 60 RBI, & 44 R in final 90 gms |
| 24 | Jon Berti | Top flight speed could make the 30 y/o utilityman a fantasy gem |
| 25 | Gio Urshela | Breakout wasn’t just the ball w/opportunity & real skill improvements |
| 26 | Tommy La Stella | Excellent plate skills make him a solid AVG bet even if pwr regresses |
| 27 | J.D. Davis | Blood red StatCast profile makes him a strong pwr bet w/any ball |
| 28 | Hunter Dozier | Profile improvements fueled breakout making him solid pwr bet for ’20 |
| 29 | Yandy Díaz | Hand, hamstring, and foot injuries curbed breakout; speculate in ’20 |
| 30 | Miguel Andújar | Torn labrum ate yr; should be 100% for ’20, but could have new position |
| 31 | Matt Carpenter | Foot & back issues drove worst season yet; will be 34 y/o in ’20 |
| 32 | Kyle Seager | Some health brought his bat back, though a 9 HR Aug. did a lot of work |
| 33 | Brian Anderson | Boring, solid production with added OF eligibility and gtd playing time |
| 34 | Starlin Castro | Final 80 games: .313/.344/.565, 17 HR, 53 RBI, 46 R |
| 35 | Renato Núñez | Continued to devastate lefties, but also had .202 ISO vR to aid breakout |
Honorable Mentions: Joey Wendle, Evan Longoria, David Fletcher, David Bote, Hanser Alberto, Asdrubal Cabrera, Jeimer Candelario, Travis Shaw, Marwin Gonzalez, and Ke’Bryan Hayes
Comically low on DJ
The guy he has ranked #8 who never hit more than 15 HR before this year?
You mean DJ Lemahieu ?? He almost won the batting title. Excellent hitter.
Comically? How so. I consider myself rather pro-DJLM, but let’s be realistic, his pwr will almost certainly drop with a neutral ball so are we really getting 26 HR in ’20, let alone another 100/100 R/RBI? So what is he next year? .300/17/95 R/80 RBI? That feels right at 8th.