Fantasy Baseball Off-Season Report: Third Basemen

Published: 26^th Jan 12 11:33 pm

by Adam McGill
adammcgill

RANT It!

By Adam McGill

Third base had several big names change places this off-season, with Miguel Cabrera moving back to the hot corner in Detroit and Miami’s Hanley Ramirez moving over to third to open up a spot for the newly acquired, Jose Reyes. The 2012 season should bring some balance back to the fantasy infield, as there are now ten guys who have the ability to hit over 30 home runs this year. With the season right around the corner it is never too early to start looking rankings. With that being said, here is my off-season fantasy report for third basemen:

Early Top-Ten:

1. Evan Longoria, TB – Longoria has continued to dominate the position since arriving in the majors, by averaging a home run in one out of every five games (113 homers in 543 career games). The 26-year old has become much more patient at the plate, drawing more walks each year. The “Desperate Housewife” has yet to hit over .300, but he is a player to draft for his power numbers, not his opposite field hitting. Tamp Bay is looking better than ever, which will only help Longoria have a career year.

2. Miguel Cabrera, DET – With the Tigers’ signing free agent sensation Prince Fielder to a $214 million contract this week, Cabrera has elected to move back to his natural position. Cabrera’s value is skyrocketing with the addition of Fielder, as he now gives fantasy owners amazing flexibility by being able to play both first and third. He also will add some stability to the position as he has posted at least 34 homers in each of the last five years. He will easily be a first round pick and in auction leagues will deservingly yield one of the biggest price tags.

3. Hanley Ramirez, MIA – Ramirez is coming off an awful season in 2011 with career lows across the board. His .243 batting average and 10 home runs were way off from his career numbers, as the Dominican had the worst season of his professional career. On a positive side, he still offers above average speed and power not to mention that he now qualifies as a shortstop and third basemen. Ramirez will also have many more chances to drive runs in with Jose Reyes ahead of him in the batting order, so expect another 25 HR-90 RBI-25 SB season from Hanley.

4. David Wright, NYM – Last year Wright had a down year across the board and missed 60 games due to a back injury. However, the departure of shortstop Jose Reyes will cause Wright’s value to go up drastically. He will be the main offensive producer at Citi Field, ensuring fantasy owners that he will get more freedom to swing for the fences and be more aggressive on the base path. A 35 home run, 25 stolen base season is not unrealistic for the veteran, keeping him in the top four at the position.

5. Alex Rodriguez, NYY – A-Rod has really shown his age in recent years, as he has not played an entire season since 2005, including missing an unbearable 126 games in the last three years. Rodriguez can still drive the ball off the bat and when healthy is a natural leader in the Yankees’ offense. He will have a much better season than he did last year, which will only help his overall draft value. He is still a top-five option at the hot corner and will have the best run support in the game surrounding him in the batting order.

6. Mark Reynolds, BAL - Reynolds is the most underrated played at the position considering he led all third basemen last year in homers with 37. Camden Yards’ has an extremely short porch in right field that is only 318 feet, which helps right handed hitters like Reynolds crush the ball out of the ballpark on a regular basis.

7. Adrian Beltre, TEX – He batted just under .300 last year (.295), while still providing power with 32 homers and 105 RBI. Beltre was the only player at the position to drive in over 100 runs, making it the second time that he made it over the century mark in the last two seasons. Beltre will be batting in the middle of Texas’ heavy hitting sticks so expect similar numbers this year.

8. Kevin Youkilis, BOS – Youkilis had a down year in 2011, as did the entire Boston Red Sox organization. The 2007 Gold Glove winner is strong at getting on base with a 37.3% On Base Percentage and has deceptive bat speed for a guy who will be 33 at season’s start. Youkilis is a career .280 hitter and is bound to improve on his .258 batting average from last season, so owners’ should not shy away from the veteran come draft season. Expect him to hit around 20-25 home runs and to score over 90 runs in Boston’s dangerous offense.

9. Ryan Zimmerman, WSH – Zimmerman has missed 81 games in his last two years, making many owners very nervous about his availability throughout the year. “Zimm” looks healthy moving into the season and adds some pop to a very thin power position. He remains a strong contact hitter who can consistently follow through the strike-zone. At 27 years old, he is entering his prime so there will be very high expectations for him within the Nationals’ organization. However, he will likely fall in several drafts due to his injury concerns and will make for a great value pick this spring.

10. Pablo Sandoval, SF - Sandoval will only be entering his fourth season in the bigs and has already established himself as a top-ten option at the position. The “Sand-box” hit 23 dingers and 26 doubles in only 117 games last year, as he was quietly the most productive part of the San Fran offense. He is in the best shape of his life, which is laughably at 240 pounds and his better physique should help him play more than 120 games in 2012.

Preseason Predictions:

2012 MVP: Evan Longoria, TB

2012 Best Rookie: Lonnie Chisenhall, CLE

2012 Breakout Player: Brett Lawrie, TOR

2012 Bust: Casey McGehee, PIT

Best Source of Home Runs: Mark Reynolds, BAL

Best Source of Batting Average: Miguel Cabrera, DET

Best Source of Steals: Hanley Ramirez, MIA

Stock Rising: Mark Reynolds, BAL

Stock Falling: Aramis Ramirez, MIL