2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Third Base (3B)

As with our first base and second base fantasy baseball rankings, we've asked nine of our esteemed writers to submit their own rankings for third base in 2015, and we have calculated composite scores to showcase RotoBaller's site average. Rankings from one person represent just one opinion, so the goal of these composite fantasy baseball rankings is to give you a good sense of how we as a site view these players. We'll be releasing the rest of our positional rankings this week before updating them in February and finalizing them in March.  Enjoy!

Editor's Note: Check out all of RotoBaller's in-depth 2015 fantasy baseball rankings articles & tiered rankings, dynasty/keeper ranks & rankings analysis to prepare for your drafts. Let's win some leagues!
 

2015 Fantasy Baseball Third Base Rankings

Brad Johnson (Lead MLB Editor)

Kris Bryant might be the most highly anticipated prospect since Mike Trout and Bryce Harper were racing to the big leagues. He's expected to enter the league and mash baseballs. History has taught us that young players usually take time to adjust. Ranking Bryant 29th marks me as the most pessimistic of the crowd, but he'll play the first month or so in the minors and could struggle upon promotion. The upside is high, though the median projection is not.

Jeff Kahntroff (MLB Writer)

People are probably overestimating Ryan Zimmerman’s health risks and undervaluing his prior performance.  He will be 30 for most of the season and in a good lineup.  The move to first base should alleviate some of the injury risk.  And the numbers from his four healthy seasons out of the last six show he can mash:

If he can stay in one piece, you’d expect somewhere around .275/25/85/85, with room for upside, which makes him my 10th-ranked third baseman, and a bargain if you can draft him after Matt Carpenter or Pablo Sandoval.

Harris Yudin (MLB Writer and Editor)

Third base is a position on the rise, with young players such as Kris Bryant, Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Nolan Arenado and Jedd Gyorko set to join the big-name stars at the top of the list. It's hard to call an MVP candidate like Josh Donaldson a sleeper, but there is reason to believe his numbers will only improve now that his name will be sharing a lineup card with Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Reyes. I also expect to see a resurgence from the newest member of the Red Sox Pablo Sandoval, whose power numbers have been down for the past three years but should rise with the move from AT&T Park to Fenway.

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Kyle Bishop (MLB Writer and Editor)

I get where Brad is coming from with Kris Bryant, but that didn't stop me from ranking Bryant 11th. The way I figure it, even if he doesn't make the team out of camp and/or has some early growing pains, he's still got enough talent to be relevant in shallower leagues. Remember, we just saw that exact scenario play out with George Springer last season. We're talking about a kid who put up a .325/.438/.661 line across two levels, mashed 43 homers, and swiped 15 bags for good measure. I'm aware of the floor, but I'll take a shot at the ceiling.

Justin Berglund (MLB Writer)

Kyle Braver (MLB Writer)

I would caution owners already predicting a Rookie of the Year finish for Kris Bryant to remember what Xander Bogaerts taught us last year: even elite prospects can struggle. My #26 at third base, I ranked Bryant eight spots behind the consensus #18 ranking because as promising a career as he might have, Bryant has still never taken a swing at the major league level.

Were I looking for upside at the hot corner, I'd much rather roll the dice on Brett Lawrie. After four years in the majors, it's easy to forget that Lawrie is still only 24 years old, and he has a nice mix of power and speed to go along with an above-average bat. So far what's been missing has been health, but perhaps getting away from Toronto and its AstroTurf will be just what the doctor ordered. It's certainly enough to have me interested.

Josh Leonard (MLB Writer)

The first thing that jumps off the page is Manny Machado, with a mixed bag of rankings from #6 all the way up to #18. I think people forget what kind of special talent he is. Steamer is projecting an almost identical statistical performance to his 2013 season-- the one that ended in the gruesome knee injury. If that had never happened, Machado would have been drafted in the top 50 in 2014. If he stays healthy, he can outperform his first full season and live up to all the hype.

Oh, and I've gotta give props to Alex R (@TheRotoMechanic) for putting Aramis Ramirez at #13. A-ram gets no respect these days. After all, he has 369 career HR. From 2010-2012 he averaged 26 HR and 93 RBI per season. The problem is, though, that he’s hit a total of 27 HR and 90 RBI over the last TWO seasons, and he is on the wrong side of 36. I’m not betting on a rebound year, unless he starts taking some ROIDS!

Alex Roberts (RotoBaller Co-Founder)

What do Chris Carter, Dee Gordon and Todd Frazier have in common aside from being my highlights at 1B, 2B, and 3B respectively? Upside. Upside being ignored by my fellow rankers, that is. So let's review: Frazier flashed some power upside in 2013, and with a solid 6'3'' 220-lb. frame, he always had big potential for power. He realized that potential last year with a monster fantasy slash line of 273-29-80-88-20 in 597 AB. It's unlikely Frazier reaches the same heights, but even with a slight drop off, he has potential to return positive value if he goes later than the fifth round.

At a relatively weak 3B position without too many bankable players, Frazier's power upside makes him an attractive 3B option. I'll project Frazier at 270-27-80-75-10, with potential for more counting stats since a healthy Jay Bruce and Joey Votto will be helping him out more this year.  I'll be targeting Rendon, Donaldson or Beltre in the third round, but will gladly draft Frazier ahead of Evan Longoria, Nolan Arenado, David Wright and Carlos Santana if I miss out on those top guys.

(Rankers are: BJ = Brad Johnson, AR = Alex Roberts, KBr = Kyle Braver, KBi = Kyle Bishop, AI = Alex Isherwood, JL = Josh Leonard, JK = Jeff Kahntroff, HY = Harris Yudin, JB = Justin Berglund)

2015 RotoBaller Fantasy Baseball Third Base (3B) Rankings