"Hell yeah, I want to play every day," Eugenio Suarez told manager Bryan Price when he asked if Suarez would be willing to play third base, according to Reds.com. "I want to play in the big leagues every day, anywhere. I'm ready for an opportunity."

Editor's note: Be sure to check out our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings tool, which is already loaded up with lots of great articles. Aside from staff rankings and ADP analysis across all positions, we also dig into MLB prospect rankings, and dynasty/keeper rankings as well.

2015 In Review and 2016 Outlook

An opportunity has certainly emerged for Suarez to be an every day player in his third big league season. After filling in 97 games at shortstop for the injured Zack Cozart in 2015, Suarez has a chance to play third base now that the Cincinnati-beloved Todd Frazier has been traded to the Chicago White Sox. Suarez was called up from Triple-A early in June after Cozart tore ligaments and the biceps tendons in his right knee slipping on first trying to beat out a throw from short, ending his season. Known more for his glove than his bat, Cozart's injury left a giant hole in the infield.

Suarez filled it, quite admirably, considering he entered the starting lineup with only 85 games and 244 at-bats worth of experience playing for the Detroit Tigers in 2014. More so with the wood, though, as he wants to forget his 19 errors in the field as much as he wants to remember his .280 average, .446 slugging percentage, and 13 home runs at the plate. Despite the errors, Suarez displayed some range and arm strength and has already logged 10 games of experience at the hot corner as well. His defense is still in question, but it's certainly easier to make the transition from shortstop to third base than it is to make from third to short. Guys like Alex Rodriguez and Cal Ripken Jr. flourished in the change of position and it's definitely a good sign that Suarez is already at camp, taking grounders.

Suarez is currently working with Reds infield coordinator, Freddie Benavides, who is responsible for the continuously improving defense of Cozart, Frazier, and Joey Votto, and with special assistant to the general manager, Miguel Cairo, who bounced around the league in his career as a utility player and defensive replacement.

Under the unspoken pressure to fill the shoes of a fan favorite like Frazier, Suarez will look to build off of his positives from last season heading into the 2016 season. Now with a chance to play a full slate of games, it's safe to believe that we can see a boost in his production. First, Suarez will need to become a bit more of a patient hitter and improve his plate discipline after striking out 94 times in 2015. A ton of his outs came from pulling grounders to the left side of the infield. However, mainly all his singles, and 11 of his 13 home runs were to left field.

Suarez hit .289 against lefties and .277 against righties. He only batted under .278 in August, but it was in August that he collected the most at-bats, hit the most home runs, and drove in the most runs of any month (110 AB's, five home runs and 15 ribbies). His .301 home average, .326 average with runners on base, and .328 average in June, all boost his sleeper value for the upcoming fantasy baseball season.

Conclusion

Suarez has plenty of late round appeal in deeper mixed leagues of 12-plus teams. His power as a middle infielder, his natural position, is undeniable and hard to ignore. His exit velocity of speeds between 100 and 105 miles per hour led to an impressive 22 hits in 26 at-bats, seven of which left the yard. Our experts at RotoBaller have him ranked 12th among fantasy shortstops, and deserves to be rostered in whatever capacity. With his high ceiling, nothing has hinted at Suarez digressing in 2016, now with a full season looming for the 24 year old from Venezuela. His defense is good enough to keep his bat in the lineup, likely 6th or 7th in the order, and could improve in the field close to as much as he's expected to at the plate. It will be interesting to see how Suarez handles the shift to third. Keep an eye on his progress when spring training rolls around.

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