Top Third Base Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakouts and Stashes (2025)

March 25, 2025

Zach's top third base fantasy baseball prospect stashes, sleepers and breakout candidates for 2025. These 3B prospects have big upside if they get the opportunity.

The hot corner has some of this year's hottest prospects, and you'll definitely want to make sure to keep a close eye on some of the exciting young talent that is ready to break through this season. Some of these players will be fantasy studs for many years to come, so getting in on them this season in their rookie year could give your team a huge advantage.

The position as a whole has a few elite options before a big dropoff to the lower tier of everyday options. Some teams emphasize defense at the position while others focus on batting average or power production. Some even use it to get some speed into their lineup. The best options at the position offer a combination of multiple skill sets that can boost your roster in multiple categories, and some of the prospects have that kind of upside as well.

If you're in a redraft league, these five options are worth watching closely coming into the season. At this point, most are late picks or available on waiver wires. You can either watch or stash these players in the minors and try to snag them when they are called up mid-season. These five third-base fantasy baseball prospects are poised to make an impact on your fantasy redraft leagues in 2025. Be sure to also check out our 2025 fantasy baseball prospect rankings (redraft leagues) and longer-term fantasy baseball dynasty prospect rankings.

Cam Smith, 3B, Houston Astros

The Astros were in a tough spot with Kyle Tucker, who was in line for a monster contract that the team did not want to pay. Rather than lose him to free agency, they traded him to the Cubs in exchange for Smith. Smith was expected to still need some time in the minors, but the Astros are ready to move him all the way to the Opening Day roster after his scorching spring.

Cam Smith continues to mash everything in sight during the Grapefruit League 🔥

The @astros' No. 1 prospect ups his spring slash line to .419/.500/.871 with his fourth homer of camp: pic.twitter.com/CHscoL0kvF

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 20, 2025

Smith's rise to the MLB will be one of the fastest in history after making the team out of spring training. He was drafted less than a year ago with the No. 14 pick out of FSU and played just 32 games in the minor leagues. He hit .313 with seven homers and a .449 wOBA but only played five games at Double-A and none at Triple-A.

The Astros don't seem to mind that lack of experience at the upper levels, though, after Smith hit .342 (13-for-38) with four home runs and a .474 wOBA through his first 15 games in spring training.

Smith hasn't ever stolen a ton of bases, but his hit and power tools are both strong enough to make him worth a late-round grab in redraft leagues. Unlike several of the options below, he'll begin the season with a full-time job. He will have to move to RF to make that possible, which may sometimes be an adventure. However, as long as he keeps mashing, he should be serviceable enough to stay a regular in the order.

His ceiling is sky-high, but there is additional risk given how quickly the Astros are moving him to the MLB.

Matt Shaw, 3B/2B/SS, Chicago Cubs

Shaw isn't quite as fast a riser as Smith, but he should also have a full-time job to start the season. He did spend 2024 in Double-A and Triple-A, where he hit a combined .284 with 21 home runs and 31 stolen bases with a .203 ISO and .394 wOBA.

Coming into spring training, Shaw was considered the top prospect for fantasy at 3B, but he went 4-for-25 (.227) with no home runs and a .284 wOBA and also went just 1-for-9 in the Tokyo Series with four strikeouts.

Let's not overreact to such a small sample size, though. Shaw still has plenty of pop and better speed potential than Smith. He also plays great defense at 3B and should have a longer leash if he does struggle at the plate due to the other elements he brings to the table.

Matt Shaw can MOVE. 💨 pic.twitter.com/80Mbat5b8h

— North Side Territory (@NSideTerritory) March 19, 2025

It would be foolish to give up on Shaw after a quiet spring and only two games, and I still think he'll make a huge impact for the Cubs and fantasy teams this season. If he's at a discount after his Tokyo Series, he's a great late-round option at the position and brings multi-positional versatility in many leagues depending on position minimums.

Coby Mayo, 3B, Baltimore Orioles

Unlike Shaw and Smith, Mayo isn't starting the season in the majors, but he actually is ranked higher on many prospect lists since his long-term ceiling is higher. For redraft leagues, he can definitely be stashed for the early part of the season to see when Baltimore is ready to give him his chance to break through.

Mayo got his first taste of the majors last season, but it didn't go well. He hit just .098, picking up four hits in 46 plate appearances with no extra-base hits and 22 strikeouts in 17 games. This spring training, he fared a little better, hitting .190 with three doubles and just 13 strikeouts in 17 games. He was vocally frustrated by being sent to the minors, but his bat doesn't look quite ready for the MLB level yet.

His frustration is understandable on some level since he doesn't have much left to prove at Triple-A. He hit .293 in 89 games with the Norfolk Tides last season with 23 doubles, 22 home runs, and a .397 wOBA.

He seemed to find his stride in his last few games this spring training, and if he keeps tearing it up at Triple-A, the Orioles will have to find a way to get him onto the roster.

Coby Mayo was 1-for-23 over his 1st 9 Grapefruit League games.

The #Orioles' No. 2 prospect (@MLBPipeline's No. 14 overall) is now 4-for-9 over his past 5 games after this leadoff double in the 2nd.

(Mayo then scored on an RBI double by Nick Gordon.) pic.twitter.com/QYo64NdgFL

— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) March 13, 2025

Mayo has also been a popular trade rumor subject since he seems ready for MLB action but has no clear path to playing time in Baltimore. If he were to be moved and have an everyday role, he would climb this list and could end up a better redraft league contributor than either Shaw or Smith. He doesn't bring speed, so Shaw has him there, but Mayo's power potential makes him one of the elite 3B prospects to watch closely this season and stash if possible.

Jace Jung, 3B, Detroit Tigers

Another big-name prospect at 3B who will start the season in the minors is Tigers' lefty Jace Jung. Jung is the younger brother of Josh Jung of the Rangers and was hoping to claim the Tigers 3B job and join his brother in the MLB to start the season.

Unfortunately for Jung and the Tigers, things didn't quite go according to plan. He hit just .121 in his 14 spring training games and was optioned to Triple-A. He did have a couple of doubles and a home run but also struck out 10 times in 33 at-bats.

Jace Jung gets the Tigers on the board with a solo homer to deep right. It’s his first of the spring. pic.twitter.com/G8iExWW96x

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) March 11, 2025

Jung hit 14 home runs in 91 games at Triple-A last season while posting a .257 batting average, .198 ISO, and .372 wOBA. His strikeout rate was over 22% for the second straight season in the minors, though, and rose to over 30% in his 34 games in the majors.

Like Mayo, Jung appears to need some work at Triple-A to improve his consistency at the plate, but unlike Mayo, the Tigers don't have a clear option blocking his way. They'll mix together multiple players to keep the position warm for him, but Jung still appears to be part of their plan this season.

Hopefully, the mental reset of starting the season in Toledo will jump-start his bat, and he'll be ready to join the Tigers mid-season. I'm not as high on him as I am on Mayo long-term, so for now, I'm good with leaving him on waivers in most formats to start the season. I still like the upside, but I am not sure when we'll get to see it on the MLB stage.

Brady House, 3B, Washington Nationals

If you're looking for a longer shot to watch but one that brings some intriguing upside, one option I'm excited to see at some point this season is Nationals' prospect Brady House. The Nats have several exciting young bats in the mix to start the season, and by mid-season, House could be ready to join them.

House hasn't played in the MLB yet,  but he split last year between Double-A and Triple-A, much like Matt Shaw. While Shaw has a starting job, House will go back to Triple-A to start the season with the Rochester Red Wings. Last year in Rochester and Harrisburg, he hit .241 with 19 homers, six stolen bases, and a .316 wOBA.

House hit .364 (8-for-22) in his 26 plate appearances in spring training with a .406 wOBA.

Brady House doing Brady House type things pic.twitter.com/2bxuxEgYDk

— Rochester Red Wings (@RocRedWings) March 22, 2025

House will look to build on his momentum from spring training with a strong start to the season at Rochester. One key to watch is that last year, the 21-year-old struck out 68 times while walking only seven times in 54 games in Triple-A. This spring, he walked four times and only struck out four times, radically improving his plate discipline. Since being drafted out of high school in 2021, he has always brought plenty of power potential and will have a very high ceiling if he can continue to improve his plate approach.

Washington signed Paul DeJong to start the year at 3B with Amed Rosario or Jose Tena also mixing in. If House starts hot, though, he could be ready to roll at the hot corner for the Nationals this season and make a splash in redraft leagues when he arrives.

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