X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Nick Mariano's Early 2021 Fantasy Baseball Third Base Rankings

RotoBaller's early 2021 fantasy baseball third base rankings and analysis for 5x5 roto mixed leagues, featuring ranks from #1 accuracy expert Nick Mariano.

Hope springs eternal for the 2021 baseball season, but it's hard to imagine we'll be completely past COVID-19 by then. Plus, we could see opening salvos for the CBA debates to come. But for now, let's just close our eyes and dream of a perfect world and chat as if a 162-game season will come next spring. Join me for my position-by-position ranking series for the 2021 fantasy baseball season.

How much weight do we give 2020? How well can you erase notions such as the East, Central, and West divisions only playing each other? How about the DH in the National League. For now, I'm operating under the assumption of no NL DH moving forward. And it's clear that many familiar names may be frozen out of fair contracts as owners cry about lost revenue from the limited 2020 season. Pour one out for the poor, poor owners.

We've hit catchers, first base, and second base already, so now we head to the hot corner. Traditionally high power and little else, we've seen stars evolve into five-category studs though most beyond the top tier are still true to that mold. Let's round third as we prepare for what we hope will be a refreshing 2021 season.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Early 2021 Third Base Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Leagues

In case you missed it, our very own "Big Pick Nick" Mariano was named the #1 overall most accurate industry expert ranker for the 2018 season. Be sure to follow his updated rankings all season long!

Rank Tier Player Position
1 1 Jose Ramirez 3B
2 1 Manny Machado 3B
3 2 DJ LeMahieu 1B/2B/3B
4 2 Nolan Arenado 3B
5 2 Alex Bregman 3B
6 2 Anthony Rendon 3B
7 2 Rafael Devers 3B
8 3 Cavan Biggio 2B/3B/OF
9 3 Yoan Moncada 3B
10 3 Eugenio Suarez 3B
11 3 Jeff McNeil 2B/3B/OF
12 3 Max Muncy 1B/2B/3B
13 3 Alec Bohm 1B/3B
14 3 Matt Chapman 3B
15 3 Kris Bryant 3B
16 4 Ke'Bryan Hayes 3B
17 4 Tommy Edman 2B/3B/SS/OF
18 4 Gio Urshela 3B
19 4 Ha-Seong Kim SS/3B
20 4 Josh Donaldson 3B
21 5 Brian Anderson 3B
22 5 Jean Segura 2B/3B
23 5 Andres Gimenez 2B/3B/SS
24 5 J.D. Davis 3B/OF
25 5 Justin Turner 3B
26 5 David Fletcher 3B
27 5 Jeimer Candelario 1B/3B
28 5 Willi Castro 3B/SS
29 5 Austin Riley 3B
30 5 Ryan McMahon 1B/3B/2B
31 5 Kyle Seager 3B
32 6 Tommy La Stella 1B/2B/3B
33 6 Eduardo Escobar 2B/3B
34 6 Edwin Rios 1B/3B
35 6 Joey Wendle 2B/3B/SS
36 7 Ty France 2B/3B
37 7 Isiah Kiner-Falefa 3B
38 7 Maikel Franco 3B
39 7 Luis Urias 2B/3B
40 7 Yandy Diaz 3B
41 7 Evan Longoria 3B
42 7 Mike Brosseau 1B/2B/3B
43 7 Miguel Andujar 3B/OF
44 7 Carter Kieboom 3B
45 7 Donovan Solano 2B/3B
46 7 Marwin Gonzalez 1B/2B/3B/OF
47 7 Rio Ruiz 3B
48 7 Nico Hoerner 2B/3B/SS
49 7 Yoshi Tsutsugo 3B/OF
50 7 Isaac Paredes 3B
51 8 Travis Shaw 1B/3B
52 8 Asdrubal Cabrera 1B/3B
53 8 David Bote 3B
54 8 Pat Valaika 3B
55 8 Matt Carpenter 3B
56 8 Jedd Gyorko 3B
57 8 Abraham Toro 3B
58 8 Brad Miller 3B
59 8 Nolan Jones 3B
60 8 Jake Lamb 1B/3B
61 8 Josh Lowe 3B
62 8 Johan Camargo 2B/3B
63 8 Christian Arroyo 3B
64 8 Oneil Cruz 3B
65 8 Todd Frazier 1B/3B

 

Tier One

José Ramírez was a five-category stud and simply demands being the first 3B off the board. Playing in 58 games, JoRam hit 17 homers, swiped 10 bags, and hit .292 while collecting 91 R+RBI. When asked which player outside of my top three did I think had the best chance at finishing No. 1, he was my answer. While he'd miss Francisco Lindor if dealt, the tools offered at 3B here are too much to ignore. If you miss on him then most will be eyeing a resurgent Manny Machado after he slashed .304/.370/.580 with 16 dingers and six steals for Slam Diego, earning his spot as NL MVP finalist.

 

Tier Two

One of the better early values might be Rafael Devers, who just turned 24 and has three-plus seasons of experience under his belt. Boston missed Mookie Betts so I doubt Devers crosses the 700-PA threshold again as he did in ‘19, but his trajectory speaks to a 30-homer bat with a .300 average in the tank. Fenway Park remains a fantastic place to hit and if early contact indicators show him reverse the wild 10-percentage-point gain in K rate from last year (plus the subsequent seven-point dip in Z-Contact%) then you’ll be rolling in profits. A quiet question is does he start running again? Like Rendon and Bregman, Devers also didn’t attempt a steal in ‘20. Though he only went 8-for-16 on attempts in ‘19.

Then it’ll be a question of whether you’re buying low on Nolan Arenado and Alex Bregman. Arenado has been an early-round stalwart and had an obvious explanation for the struggles -- left AC joint inflammation and a left shoulder bone bruise will easily sap a swing. But the Rockies also tried different strategies to mitigate their poor hitting away from Coors, with Arenado’s resulting in lower whiffs but lesser contact. I trust both of these will get sorted with a full offseason, but Arenado’s mismanagement by the Rockies may lead to his leaving Coors -- and that would be crummy.

Bregman may be a lunkhead cheater, but his down 2020 may create a buying opportunity if he falls past pick No. 40. His hard-contact rate fell from 38% in ‘19 to 33.6% alongside a wOBA slip of .418 to .339 -- that’s sharp! But his lower barrel rate can still play with those danged Crawford Boxes in left field and I doubt he doesn’t attempt a single steal again in his age-27 season. Perhaps the hamstring injury was bigger than we knew. I hope Houston is playing in front of fans in ‘21 and they get dragged everywhere they go, but struggles in this short season can’t erase all the skills Bregman has begrudgingly shown thus far in the MLB.

Anthony Rendon remained an incredible hitter but the results were largely seen beyond our fantasy box score. Only nine homers, zero steals, and a .286 average while averaging roughly one R+RBI per game (60 in 52) doesn’t meet expectations. We can forgive R+RBI flukes -- those spikes will find great players who produce -- but this is a guy who hit above .300 in three straight seasons and chipped in five steals across ‘19. Perhaps his left wrist bothered him far more than he let on, but I’m still worried about his hitting in California compared to DC. Perhaps that led to him being more passive at the dish, racking up a career-best 16.4% walk rate and .418 OBP.

 

Tier Three

How about buy-low bats galore? Eugenio Suarez still cracked 15 homers but only hit .202 after undergoing shoulder surgery back in January 2020. Matt Chapman had 10 homers himself through just 39 games before requiring season-ending hip surgery. Yoán Moncada had COVID-19 and hit just .225 with six homers and zero steals over 52 games. Josh Donaldson was once again bitten by injuries and underperformed when active (6 HR, .222 BA in 28 games). Finally, Kris Bryant had back and wrist injuries while popping just four homers with 11 RBI and a .206 average in 34 games. This was a sad paragraph.

It’s no shocker that Bryant is at the bottom, with injuries and poor performance scaring me away in 2021. I acknowledge the fluky nature of RBI and won't harp on KB too much, but of all players with >140 PAs in 2020, only four others had fewer RBI: Kevin Newman (10), Isiah Kiner-Falefa (10), Shogo Akiyama (8), and Joe Panik (7). Ouch.

The clear question becomes “At what point are you okay with the risk?” and I look at Byron Buxton entering 2020 for that. Early NFBC ADPs of roughly 135 for Bryant compared to 200 for Donaldson have me thinking I'll be making it rain in 2021, but he comes later in Tier Four.

This is a fat grouping with some offering high power, others with high average, and even Biggio with 10-plus steal potential. You will have to decide if you’re okay paying up for less risk or if you’re comfortable playing chicken with other drafters and the medical bay for the Donaldson and Bryant types.

*Be sure to check if your league is resetting any IL spot changes that were implemented for 2020.

 

Tier Four

And now I can post this. Alex Fast neatly compiled all 37 of his 2019 homers within 2 mins before, a great reminder of JD's pop:

How much helium does Ke'Bryan Hayes’ stock take on throughout the winter? In 95 MLB plate appearances, Hayes popped five homers with a steal while batting .376. That’s how you stand out amongst a terrible Pittsburgh offense. I imagine distrust of Pittsburgh will limit his rise but the aforementioned risky players in Tier Three could get adventurous and drawn in by shiny-new-toy syndrome. 

The 24-game MLB sample was awesome, but he hit 10 homers in 110 games (480 PAs) at Triple-A in ‘19. Even growth at 23 years old doesn’t justify a sudden 25% HR/FB rate (or that .450 BABIP). Going in with a projection of 20-25 homers with a .270s average and 6-8 steals feels reasonable, but his contact skills give him the potential to run up high-BABIP sprees. Matching Kyle Lewis' WAR in less than half the short season is pretty, pretty impressive:

 

Tier Five

Those waiting even longer need to remember that the NL likely won’t have the DH to offer players such as Brad Miller or super-utility types like Tommy Edman. I’m happy to invest in Edman, Austin Riley, and Ryan McMahon types who will be shuffled around but should still find many starting lineups. It helps that each of them have multi-position eligibility and can be shuffled elsewhere in most formats.

Brian Anderson and David Fletcher tend to be grouped into this “boring-yet-solid” club where most expect a plus average and decent pop at best. We’ve seen Anderson bust out of this mold with more power of late -- namely 11 HRs in 59 games this past year -- with Miami’s overall progression helping boost his stats. Those walls coming in surely won't hurt in the long run.

While Corey Seager earned the spotlight, brother Kyle quietly popped nine homers with five steals for the Mariners. Those are Cavan Biggio numbers without paying up for the “he could grow into a superstar!” vibe that comes with younger players like Biggio. The boring-vet discount works with Seager, and it costs little to see if he stays hot in ‘21. It also happens to be a contract year for him if you're into that. The same can be said for Miami’s Brian Anderson, who benefited from the smaller park with 11 homers in just 229 PAs. A 25-homer season doesn’t mean what it used to, but it’s still valuable.

If needing to dig deeper then I’d go in with a set category to target. The best all-around player will likely be Jean Segura but we’ve seen his average and speed start to tail off and this is where you want to aim for upside. While he may compile his way to a decent season and my ranks have to reflect that, he’s unlikely to win a league.

 

Tiers Six & Seven

The best bets to pop here are a rebound from Eduardo Escobar and a growth spurt for Carter Kieboom. While expecting Escobar to enjoy 2019’s career-best production (35 HR, 118 RBI) was never the bar, his slipping to an icy .212/.270/.335 slash line with just four homers in 222 PAs was horrid. Each of his previous three seasons resulted in at least 20 homers and an average between .254 and .272 so call me skeptical about treating his short struggles in ‘20 as an overriding factor. Would you believe his xBA actually went up to a career-high .263? The damage can be seen in the .395 xSLG though, down from .473 in ‘19. I’m guessing he’ll be free in most drafts and makes for a great lotto ticket at only 31 years old.

And then there’s Kieboom, who was given plenty of playing time at 22 years old but failed to hit a homer or steal a base in 122 PAs (33 games). While he only hit .202 even with the .299 BABIP, a 13.9% walk rate gave him a serviceable .344 OBP. Let’s not forget he had a .303/.409/.493 line in 494 Triple-A PAs, putting up 16 homers and five steals with a similar 13.8% walk rate. He’s got a solid eye and the power should show up as he fills out his frame. Washington won’t give him forever to figure it out, but you want flyers with upside that you can cut for an early waiver gem if floundering anyway.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!




More 2020 Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Tyler Glasnow

Fans 11 in Seven No-Hit Innings Monday
Slade Cecconi

Takes No-Hitter Into Eighth Inning Monday
Max Muncy

Batting Cleanup in Return to Dodgers
New York Knicks

Ben Simmons Reportedly Declined Knicks' Contract Offer
Younghoe Koo

Falcons Auditioning Kickers, Could Replace Younghoe Koo
Denver Broncos

Sean Payton Says Broncos Need to be Better With Run-Pass Balance
Tank Bigsby

Eagles Acquiring Tank Bigsby From Jaguars on Monday
George Kittle

Likely Out 3-5 Weeks, Could Land on Injured Reserve
Chase Burns

to be Activated on Friday
Brock Purdy

Dealing With Multiple Injuries, Could Miss Week 2
Tyler Glasnow

Cleared to Start on Monday
Logan O'Hoppe

Placed on Concussion Injured List
Christian Yelich

Returning on Monday
Elias Pettersson

Feeling "Good" Ahead of Season
NHL

Alex Formenton Rejoins Swiss Team
NHL

Grigori Denisenko Heads Back Home
CAR

Kevin Labanc Joins Hurricanes for Tryout
Ross Colton

Healthy for Start of Season
Daniel Palencia

Cubs Place Daniel Palencia on Injured List With Shoulder Strain
Pete Crow-Armstrong

Returning on Monday
Sean Murphy

Done for the Year With Hip Labral Tear
Alec Bohm

Lands on Injured List With Cyst in his Shoulder
Trea Turner

Going on Injured List, Phillies Hope to Have him Back for Playoffs
Brock Bowers

Considered Day-to-Day With Knee Injury
Jonathan Taylor

is "Good" After Taking a Hit to his Neck in Week 1
Caio Borralho

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Kyle Stowers

Suffers Setback on Rehab Assignment?
Nassourdine Imavov

Extends Win Streak
Mauricio Ruffy

Gets Submitted
Benoît Saint Denis

Benoit Saint Denis Taps Out Mauricio Ruffy
Michael King

Expected to Return on Tuesday
Russell Wilson

Remains the Giants Starter
Trea Turner

Undergoing MRI Exam on Monday
Paul Craig

Retires After UFC Paris Loss
Denny Hamlin

Earns his First Cup Victory at Gateway
Kyle Larson

Damage Ruins Kyle Larson's Chance At a Top Finish at Gateway
Christopher Bell

Scores his Third Top-10 Finish at Gateway
Joey Logano

Maintains his Perfect Top-Five Streak at Gateway
Ryan Blaney

Struggles and Recovers for a Top-Five Finish at Gateway
Modestas Bukauskas

Scores First-Round Knockout
Bolaji Oki

Suffers Second-Round TKO Loss
Xavier Worthy

Week-to-Week with Dislocated Shoulder
Mason Jones

Scores Comeback Win
Rhys McKee

Suffers Third-Round TKO Loss
Axel Sola

Successful In His UFC Debut
Robert Ruchała

Robert Ruchala Unsuccessful In His UFC Debut
William Gomis

Bounces Back In The Win Column
Derrick Henry

Scores Twice but has Costly Fumble on Sunday
Lamar Jackson

Shines With Three Total Touchdowns in Loss to Bills
Keon Coleman

Leads the Team With 11 Targets on Sunday
Josh Allen

Totals Four Touchdowns in Win Over Ravens
Chase Elliott

Gets Lucky but Still Has Best Run at Gateway
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Wins Stage 2, but Was Let Down by Strategy
Tyler Reddick

Despite Bad Luck, Tyler Reddick Does What he Needed to Do
Chase Briscoe

Recovers from Incident with Daniel Suarez to Finish Second
William Byron

Late Caution Foils William Byron's Shot at Gateway Victory
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Dominates Targets in Seattle, Records 124 Receiving Yards in Week 1
Puka Nacua

Leads Rams in Targets, Catches, and Receiving Yards in Week 1
Logan O'Hoppe

Exits After Concussion Scare, Status Remains Unclear
Christian McCaffrey

Logs 31 Touches in Season Opener
Travis Etienne Jr.

Dominates Backfield Touches in Jacksonville, Posts Monster Day
Jayson Tatum

"Moving Around Way Better"
Russell Wilson

Giants Won't Commit to Russell Wilson as Week 2 Starter
Drake London

Day-to-Day with Shoulder Sprain
George Kittle

and Jauan Jennings to Undergo MRIs
Jake Moody

49ers to Evaluate Kicker Position After Jake Moody Struggles
Daniel Palencia

to Miss Time With Shoulder Injury
Byron Buxton

Exits Early With Knee Contusion
Trea Turner

Suffers Hamstring Strain
Ryan Blaney

Should Contend at Gateway
Denny Hamlin

Fastest in Qualifying, the Favorite to Win at Gateway
Christopher Bell

Looking for Redemption at Gateway
Joey Logano

Has Been Elite at Gateway
Austin Cindric

Should Be On Your Radar at Gateway
AJ Allmendinger

Could Be a Sleeper Again at Gateway
Tyler Reddick

Southern 500 Near-Miss Makes Tyler Reddick a Stronger Option for Gateway
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace a Likely Gateway Contender
Alex Bowman

a Long Shot to Advance in Playoffs
Austin Dillon

Richard Childress Racing Looks Slower at Gateway, Which Will Hurt Austin Dillon
Shane Van Gisbergen

Starts 18th in Gateway Debut
Bubba Chandler

to Make First Start on Sunday
Samuel Basallo

Exits Early with Hand Injury
Jeremy Swayman

Ready to Get Back on Track
Connor McDavid

Aiming for More Goals
NJ

Luke Glendening Signs Tryout Deal With Devils
Dylan Harper

Hoping to be Ready for the Opener Versus Dallas
EDM

Derek Ryan Retires From Hockey
Connor Zary

Agrees to Three-Year Deal With Flames
Carey Price

Canadiens Trade Carey Price to Sharks
Rasmus Hojgaard

Finishes Tied For Second at Omega European Masters
Tyrrell Hatton

Finishes Tied for 32nd at LIV Indianapolis
Matt Fitzpatrick

Finishes Fifth at Omega European Masters
Patrick Cantlay

Finishes Tied For Second in 2025 FedEx Cup Standings
Xander Schauffele

Finishes 42nd in 2025 FedEx Cup Standings
Caio Borralho

Set For A Title Eliminator Bout
Nassourdine Imavov

Looks To Earn A Title Shot
Mauricio Ruffy

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Benoît Saint Denis

Benoit Saint Denis Set For UFC Paris Co-Main Event
Modestas Bukauskas

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Paul Craig

In Dire Need Of Victory
Mason Jones

Set for Main-Card Bout
Bolaji Oki

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Rhys McKee

Set To Open Up UFC Paris Main Card
Jon Rahm

Looks to Prove His Importance on European Ryder Cup Team
Tommy Fleetwood

Among Leaders of European Ryder Cup Team
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Close to Triple-Double Versus Serbia
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Fills Box Score Against Turkey
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Shakes Off Minor Injury
E.J. Liddell

Inks Two-Way Deal With Nets
NBA

Ben Simmons Reportedly Considering Retirement
P.J. Washington

Agrees to Four-Year, $90 Million Extension
Sepp Straka

Gets Captain's Pick to Join Team Europe
PGA

Victor Hovland to Make Third Ryder Cup Appearance for Team Europe
J.J. Spaun

Set to Represent Team USA for First Time at Bethpage
Russell Henley

Makes First Ryder Cup Appearance at Bethpage
Harris English

Named to Ryder Cup Team for Second Time
Justin Thomas

Making Fourth Ryder Cup Team Appearance at Bethpage
Ben Griffin

Making First Career Ryder Cup Appearance at Bethpage
Bryson DeChambeau

Set to be Part of Team USA at Bethpage
Santi Aldama

Bags Double-Double in Losing Effort
Guerschon Yabusele

Erupts for 36 Points Against Poland
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Leads Slovenia Into Next Round at EuroBasket
San Antonio Spurs

Stanley Umude Signs Training Camp Deal With Spurs
Reece Beekman

Joins Magic for Training Camp
Justin Minaya

Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Magic

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP