Top 10 Third Base Prospect Rankings for Fantasy Baseball (2025)

January 6, 2025

Eric Cross' top third base fantasy baseball prospects. Read his latest 2025 fantasy baseball 3B prospect rankings, including which players to target in dynasty.

The hot corner has been synonymous with hot production over the years. Outside of a fall-off several years ago, this position has been one of the best for fantasy year in and year out, especially in the power department.

I'm not expecting that to change any time soon either, with some of the names coming up through the minors at this position and others that move over from shortstop eventually once they outgrow that position. Headlining this position are two prospects in my Top 10 overall who are both Major League-ready.

For my entire Top 70 and additional writeups, check out my Patreon, where you can find the full Top 70 here. And make sure to continue checking RotoBaller, as I'm going to be going through all positions in the coming weeks!

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Third Base Prospect Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

Age and highest level in parenthesis

1. Matt Shaw, CHC (23/AAA)

After a slow start to the season where he had a .207/.339/.319 slash line through his first 40 games, Matt Shaw, went on a tear the rest of the season. In his final 81 games starting on May 25th, Shaw slashed .318/.398/.562 with 17 doubles, 18 home runs, 21 steals, a 10.4% walk rate, and a 16.2% strikeout rate.

Matt Shaw hits his first home run of Spring Training! pic.twitter.com/MdZjnH5WIb

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 8, 2024

Shaw is one of those prospects who sometimes gets undervalued as he lacks standout tools. However, he's above-average across the board offensively in contact, approach, power, and speed while playing both second base and third base, both of which are possible long-term defensive homes for Shaw. We could be looking at a 20/20 player from the third base position who also adds a solid AVG and OBP.

Let's also give a big thank you to the Cubs for trading Isaac Paredes to Houston, which opened up the hot corner for the Cubs when they were out of camp. That job should be Shaw's to lose.

2. Coby Mayo, BAL (23/MLB)

A tough Major League stint where he went 4/41 seems to have dropped the perceived value a bit for Coby Mayo. But if anything, this has created a solid buying opportunity. Mayo is a premier power bat who posted a 90.7 mph AVG EV, 41.2% hard-hit rate, and 13.6% barrel rate in Triple-A. However, the contact rate was around 71%.

Given that Mayo doesn't project to be more than a 3-5 steal threat, he's going to need to stand out with the bat. And while I believe he can in the power department, I'm not sure Mayo is more than a .260 hitter or so. But still, a .250-.260 hitter with more than 30 homers annually will still be plenty valuable for fantasy purposes and make him a Top-10 option at the position.

3. Charlie Condon, COL (21)

Given how poor his minor league stint was after being drafted (109 PA, .180/248/.270, 4/34 BB/K), the ranks and values of Charlie Condon are all over the place right now.

But I, for one, am not going to let a bad few weeks erase two dominant years at the University of Georgia, including the spring of 2024, where Condon slashed .433/.556/1.009 with 20 doubles, 37 home runs, and more walks than strikeouts in 60 games.

Condon possesses immense raw power and demonstrated a good feel for the barrel and strike zone at Georgia. The upside is still a middle-of-the-order force, and his bad 109 PAs in 2024 have opened up a nice buying opportunity in dynasty leagues. If he struggles again to open 2025, I'll become more concerned and drop him further down my rankings. But until then, I'm going to gobble up the lower price tag.

4. Brayden Taylor, TBR (22/AA)

For the first few months of the 2024 season, Brayden Taylor was rolling in Hi-A, slashing .269/.389/.513 with 25 doubles, 14 home runs, and 26 steals in 84 games. However, he slashed just .194/.290/.435 in 30 Double-A games, along with a 36.8% strikeout rate and 64% contact rate.

There's above-average speed and some power potential here, but how much average Taylor will hit for is the question mark right now. If he can just be a .250 caliber hitter, we could see him flirt with 20/25 annually. Hopefully, he can make strides in the contact/strikeout departments in 2025 to solidify his status as a Top-30 caliber fantasy prospect.

5. Cam Smith, HOU (21/AA)

After being selected 14th overall in the 2024 draft, Cam Smith tore up the Low-A Carolina League, smacking six homers in 15 games with a .313/.404/.771 slash line before spending his final 17 games in Hi-A and Double-A.

Hey, @astros fans, did you know Cam Smith homered in SIX STRAIGHT GAMES?

How's that to start your pro career 😏 pic.twitter.com/2CfuNmCvVa

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) December 13, 2024

Smith is a bat-first third baseman with above-average contact skills and above-average to plus power. He made contact 78% of the time after the draft and could wind up as a .260-.270 type of hitter with more than 20 home runs and even mixed in some steals as well.

I'm even more excited about him now that he's in Houston's system with the Crawford boxes awaiting him. Smith will likely move quickly through the Astros system, too, with a late-2025 debut not out of the question.

6. Cam Collier, CIN (20/A+)

Cam Collier has always been a polarizing prospect, as evaluators have been split on both his hit tool and power. I'm somewhere in the middle with my ranking and perceived value of him, as I believe Collier is an average hitter with above-average power. He made contact at a 73% clip in 2024 while slashing .248/.355/.443 with 21 doubles and 20 home runs in 119 games for Hi-A Dayton.

The Great American Ballpark BABIP boost will help, but Collier really needs the bat to pan out, as he's a below-average runner who won't provide many steals. In the long-term, we could be looking at a .260-.270 caliber hitter with a 25-homer upside type. With all this said, I believe Collier is a decent dynasty buy at the moment, as the perceived value probably isn't as high as it should be.

7. Brady House, WAS (21)

While he's still a Top-10 prospect at the third base position, I'm lukewarm in general on Brady House and probably lower than most. House is coming off a lackluster .241/.297/.402 slash line in 129 games between Double-A and Triple-A last season.

There's above-average raw power in the profile, but House is a below-average runner who doesn't walk much and made contact around 71% in both Double-A and Triple-A. Is he a Major Leaguer? Yes. A starter? Probably. An impact bat for fantasy? I'm not seeing it.

8. Shay Whitcomb, HOU (26/MLB)

Yes, he's a bit older for a top prospect at 26, but Shay Whitcomb has a fantasy-friendly profile and could show it off at the Major League level with Houston in 2025, especially if Alex Bregman doesn't resign. Whitcomb's contact rates are average or slightly below, but he improved both his walk and strikeout rates in 2024 while maintaining his above-average power and speed blend.

After posting a 23/30 season in 2021, 19/20 in 2022, and 35/20 in 2023, Whitcomb racked up 25 home runs and 26 steals in 2024 while playing just 108 games. And if you take the last four seasons and extrapolate them to a per-150-game basis, Whitcomb is averaging 33 home runs and 31 steals.

Even if he's a .250 type of hitter, Whitcomb has the upside to push 20/20 and could wind up with multi-positional eligibility as well at two or three infield positions.

9. Jace Jung, DET (24/MLB)

While the upside isn't incredibly high, Jace Jung grabs a spot in my Top-10 third base prospect rankings given his solid power potential, average hit tool, and the fact that he's already made his Major League debut. That doesn't sound enticing at all, does it? But not every prospect is flashy, and there's value in the guys who have actually made it to the Majors.

In the long term, Jung could be a .260 hitter with 15-20 home runs annually. He'll also play up in OBP formats, as he's always walked at a high clip. Just don't expect more than a few steals from him annually.

10. Eric Bitonti, MIL (19)

It was a tale of two seasons for Eric Bitonti in 2024. In 51 games at the Complex Level, Bitonti slashed .320/.451/.580 to earn a promotion to Low-A. However, he only slashed .221/.318/.487 in 28 games following his promotion to Low-A. I'm not putting much stock in the late-season struggles, though, as Bitonti is still barely 19 with plenty of upside.

Bitonti has a big 6-foot-4 frame with plus or better power, but how much average he hits for is the question moving forward. Bitonti's contact skills are below average, and I wouldn't expect him to continue running as much. There's 30-homer upside in the bat, but the hit tool still needs refinement.

If you enjoyed these rankings and want to see additional rankings, analysis, and more, check out Eric's Toolshed Fantasy Patreon.

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