It’s now time to embrace the summer heat and wade into the hot corner midseason rankings here at RotoBaller. Third base has been a position of perennial power over the years, and this season is no different. 14 of the top 100 players (not just hitters, players) are 3B eligible, as well as 25 being housed within the top 200. That’s pretty darn good, but also makes it all the more important to have those folks at the top of the list. Assume a standard 5x5 redraft league when reading.

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2016 Fantasy Baseball Midseason Rankings Analysis: Third Base

Holy MVP candidates Batman! Four of our top six players can be found here, with those who employ Nolan Arenado, Josh Donaldson, Kris Bryant and Manny Machado on their squad sitting back with a big ol’ cigar. They are titans of the game right now, with their production living up to the draft-day price tag. Their high ceiling/high floor is due to their track record, stellar pedigree, and all four of them benefitting from a strong lineup and home-run park to call home. What more do you need?

Alright, so you didn’t land one of the core four, well it’s your lucky season because this talent pool is deep. Whether it’s Daniel Murphy and his incredible Major League-leading .348 average, Adrian Beltre and his reliably steady all-around production (46/12/55/.281), Todd Frazier and his loud 25 homers despite the fourth-lowest BABIP in recorded history, Kyle Seager and his career-high power and average paces (54/18/61/.287).

Of course, we have to address the recipient of RotoBaller’s NL Surprise Hitter of the Midseason Award, Jake Lamb. He generated quite a bit of preseason buzz thanks to a .404 average in the Spring, which has ramped up to a deafening roar ever since (even with southpaw struggles). The slugger owns a .200/.319/.450 triple slash vs. LHP against a robust .314/.385/.655 line against RHP, yet is still able to provide 3B1 numbers thanks to a hard-hit rate that has increased every month thus far (37.7%, 40.3%, 46.6%, 47.4%). Yeah, he’s good and getting better.

How about Eduardo? As a Yankee fan I’m happy to see him succeeding (and still losing his helmet on a regular basis), but boy this performance is beyond even the biggest optimist’s projection. He’s producing in all five categories with SS/3B eligibility, earning the love (but not necessarily the long-term trust) of fantasy owners everywhere. Pierre wrote a great piece on him here for those seeking wisdom.

Two preseason “sleeper” types have started to turn it around after slow starts, going by the names Maikel Franco and Justin Turner. Since May 22, Franco is hitting .297 with 11 homers, 25 runs and 29 RBIs – fueling a surge that brings his season line up to preseason expectations at the halfway mark. He will continue to suffer due to a subpar Phillies lineup surrounding him, but this is still extremely encouraging to see heading into the second half.

As for Turner, his last month of play has yielded a .318/.358/.636 triple slash with nine homers and 24 RBIs backed by an insane 48.9% hard-hit rate (sixth-best in the Major Leagues, two slots ahead of Mr. Donaldson). The power spike won’t last at this extreme level, but he’s much closer to the great hitter from last season rather than the cold one from the beginning of 2016.

Let’s dig a bit and check in another ex-Yankee, Yangervis Solarte. In his age-28 season he has increased his walk rate by 4.3% and his hard-hit rate by 7.1%, resulting in a nice bump in production across the board, batting .295 with eight homers and 35 RBIs through only 195 PAs. Now one shouldn’t over-invest, as much of this is sparked by a hot stretch over his last 20 games (.253 ISO), but he may be going ignored despite the recent success due to a dip in season numbers after missing a month and a half in the early going.

We must go deeper! The Royals are housing a sneaky 23-year-old hitter who is growing into some nice power in relief of the injured Mike Moustakas. Mr. Cheslor Cuthbert, Lord of the Manor, is hitting .282 with eight homers and 28 RBIs over 217 PAs (he hit seven homers in 107 Triple-A PAs prior to the call-up), so the pop is legit. I should’ve probably put him higher, sigh, back to the drawing board.

Midseason Third Base Tiered Fantasy Baseball Rankings

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