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RotoBaller's third base fantasy baseball draft sleepers for the later rounds of 2025 drafts. These are sneaky fantasy baseball 3B value picks with upside.
Welcome RotoBallers to today's third base fantasy baseball draft sleepers and later-round value picks for 2025 fantasy baseball drafts. It's an exciting time for baseball fans, as Opening Day is around the corner. RotoBaller continues to provide late-round draft picks that could pay off and provide league-winning upside, and we are back with more fantasy baseball draft sleepers. Today, we are focusing on third base.
Below are some late-round third basemen for you to consider drafting in your season-long leagues this season. Are their ADPs undervalued? Will they make significant fantasy contributions and become a priority late-round draft target? Read on to see our take.
Our editors have hand-picked these specific MLB players for your draft prep enjoyment. Usually only available to Premium subscribers, the five outlooks below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2025 Draft Kit. Be sure to subscribe today to start reading all of our in-depth 2025 player outlooks and many other premium articles and tools, including Team Sync, the Live Draft Sync assistant, Custom Rankings Service, and so much more – available exclusively in our 2025 Draft Kit.
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Maikel Garcia, Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia experienced a disappointing season in 2024 compared to his first full season in MLB in 2023. During the 2023 season, Garcia posted an impressive .272/.323/.358 slash line in 515 plate appearances and swiped 23 bases.
In 2024, however, Garcia's numbers dropped to a .231/.281/.332 line in 626 plate appearances, although he increased his stolen bases to 37. Despite being active on the basepaths, he moved from the top of the batting order to the bottom multiple times due to his struggles to get on base.
A 1-for-3 day won’t light up the box score…but Maikel Garcia has had a great game. 3/5 of the game’s hardest hits at 101.3, 100, 99.6 mph. think he tallies 10 HR, 40 SB this yr.
— Sam Fosberg (@discussbaseball) March 2, 2025
Garcia ranks in the 90th percentile or higher in baserunning value (99th), squared-up percentage (98th), chase percentage (92nd), and whiff percentage (92nd). He tends to swing at pitches early in the count, often hindering his ability to achieve a higher on-base percentage.
If Garcia can demonstrate more patience in 2025 while remaining active on the bases and improving his batting average, he could undoubtedly provide solid production for fantasy managers in both points and category leagues.
It's worth noting that Garcia underwent a minor procedure to remove bone chips from his right elbow in November, but he is expected to be ready for spring training. Fantasy managers looking for a young, high-upside infielder should target him at his 204.0 ADP on NFBC, which corresponds with his 230 overall ranking at RotoBaller.
-- Nicho Roessler - RotoBaller
Josh Jung, Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (wrist) missed most of the first four months of the season after fracturing his wrist in April. He had a follow-up procedure in October and will enter spring training with a clean bill of health. Jung started off the season hot, hitting .412 (7-for-19) with two homers and six RBI over four games before fracturing his wrist.
Overall, Jung slashed .264/.298/.421 with seven home runs, 16 RBI, and four stolen bases across 188 plate appearances in 2024. The 26-year-old can't stay healthy throughout his career and has been limited to just 168 games over the last two seasons. Jung is turning 27 this year and still carries plenty of upside.
His power is elite, evidenced by his 35 home runs over 192 games and a career 11.2 barrel percentage. He has an NFBC ADP of 215.51 overall as the 17th third baseman selected off draft boards. ATC projects Jung to hit 21 home runs and steal six bases over 122 games, making him a solid pick around that range.
The latest RotoBaller rankings rank him 210 overall, which aligns with his ADP. Jung's health is the biggest question mark, but the upside is worth the price tag.
-- Brad Camara - RotoBaller
Joey Ortiz, Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Joey Ortiz, who will be moving to shortstop this season, had a solid rookie year in 2024. He slashed .239/.329/.398 with 11 home runs, 60 RBI, 58 runs, and 11 stolen bases in 142 games.
I'm starting to really like Joey Ortiz as a sleeper MI in deeper leagues.
Moving to SS this year, which means more playing time, since teams are less likely to mix and match there.
.239-58-11-60-11 in 511 PA last year.
Good walk rate (11.0 BB%), strikeouts in check (20.2 K%).… pic.twitter.com/2BoN72SqnP
— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) February 11, 2025
Although he doesn't have exceptional power and speed, he has a good walk rate of 11% and plays solid defense, which should keep him in the lineup every day. ATC is projecting Ortiz to slash .248/.316/.391 with 12 home runs, 61 RBI, 63 runs, and 11 stolen bases in 550 plate appearances, but it's possible he could reach 15 homers and 15 steals.
It may seem like a boring skillset, but he can be a helpful bench bat in deeper leagues, especially since he will be able to fill in at CI and MI once he gains shortstop eligibility. He also gets an added boost in leagues that reward OBP, thanks to his good plate discipline.
-- Jeremy Heist - RotoBaller
Matt Shaw, Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs infield prospect Matt Shaw (oblique) has blazed through the minors and is knocking hard on the door to the majors. Between Double-A and Triple-A last season, the right-handed hitter put together a .284-21-71-78-31 stat line with a .394 wOBA and 146 wRC+ in 121 games (523 PA).
Combined with a low K% (17.3%) and high BB% (10.2%) in the minors, the University of Maryland product has the tools to be successful at the plate in the big leagues.
With the Cubs shipping third baseman Isaac Paredes to Houston, the 5-foot-11 infielder will have the chance to seize the starting job in the spring, with a very real chance he'll be the Cubs' starter there on Opening Day. However, the Cubs also signed veteran Justin Turner as a potential option at third base.
With a full season of at-bats, the former first-rounder would undoubtedly outperform his NFBC ADP of 334, as ATC projections give him a .253-16-56-58-17 forecast in only 430 AB. The 17 stolen bases alone would have been third-most for a third baseman last season, plus his added positional versatility on Yahoo (2B, SS, 3B) makes rostering him all the more appealing. RotoBaller ranks Shaw at 239 overall, making him a worthy pick at the end of most drafts.
Update 3/2/25: Shaw made his spring debut on Sunday after suffering an oblique injury during the beginning of spring training.
-- Jarod Rupp - RotoBaller
Deyvison De Los Santos, Miami Marlins
Miami Marlins third baseman Deyvison De Los Santos has one of the most interesting profiles in the minors. He is one of the hardest players to evaluate, as his profile and performance tell two different pictures.
On the one hand, De Los Santos slashed .293/.341/.569 with 40 home runs and 67 extra-base hits last season. It was one of the most impressive performances in 2024 of any minor leaguer and yet it is easy to sit and question- how did he do it?
MiLB players < 24 y/o with a HR/FB over 25%:
- Deyvison De Los Santos (MIA)
- Emil Morales (LAD)
- Eduardo Beltre (MIN)
- Henry Bolte (OAK)
- Johnathan Rodriguez (CLE)If they hit a fly ball, the chance of a home run is one in four or higher. Mini-thread 👇 pic.twitter.com/6TTtgBdOBI
— LouisAnalysis (@LouisAnalysis) February 5, 2025
It is impressive that De Los Santos continued to hit all year despite poor contact and extreme chase rates. In Double-A the contact rate sat at 62 percent. In Triple-A, the number did improve to near 65 percent, with a 77 percent in-zone contact. The chase rate was one of the worst in the minors, sitting around 45 percent.
On the flip side, De Los Santos had a 109 mph 90th percentile exit velocity, which was near the peak of all minor league hitters. His max exit velocity- an impressive 116 mph. Does the power enable him to get everyday playing time despite the concerning contact skills? That is to be determined. De Los Santos should see a lot of playing time with the Marlins and is worth a late-round flier in upcoming fantasy drafts.
-- Chris Clegg - RotoBaller
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