Fantasy Baseball: Position Prep - 3B

Catching Rankings - 1B Rankings - 2B Rankings

These rankings will be based on the player’s value compared to their ADP

To give an idea of my thought process, a first-round pick should be putting up stats that make them a difference-maker, especially compared to players you can get in mid-rounds or later. Late-round picks who have the potential to outperform their ADP significantly are also a key focus here.

On to the Hot Corner!

I see this position being one you will want to target in the earlier part of your draft in most cases. There are some later-round guys I like a lot (Hello Alec Bohm, my #1 1B adp-value target) but in large part, you’re getting some big-time difference makers at 3B at the top of the draft.

1 - Austin Riley - 3B - ATL

After a tough 110 games and a broken wrist last year I see Riley returning to form this year. In the previous 3 seasons, he finished top-10 in MVP voting every year, won 2 SS, hit 108 HRs, 297 RBIs, scored 270 runs while hitting .286. I am positive he’ll find his stride again.

Riley’s average ADP is 36.4 with a high of 30 (Yahoo & NFBC).

I love him as a 3rd round pick in 12-team leagues and he’s actually going 56th on average on ESPN so even better value there.

His advanced batting metrics remained very strong in 2024. He does have a poor K rate but his contact numbers were elite even in a down year and his walk rate was barely below average keeping his OBP steady.

Typically that leads to players returning to that elite form.

He doesn't steal bases but it’s not a strong suit of the position at large. If he plays like he did from 2021-2023 I don’t think you’ll be missing the steals at all and will have gotten a player extremely capable of making his draft position look laughable.

2 - Jose Ramirez - 3B - CLE

Ramirez is #2 on this list because I don’t think he will finish top-5 this year like his ADP suggests. Ramirez’s ADP is 4.8 with a high of 4 (Yahoo). The other 4 sites all have him at 5.

He does do it all. Career high 39 HRs which he hit last year and in 2018. He can score well over 100 runs and can bring in well over 100 RBIs. He can steal steal 40 bags and he can hit .280 doing it all. He walks enough and doesn’t strike out much. He really does it all.

I didn’t expect him to be a guy who plays well above what his advanced metrics show. My main takeaway is it shows that having an elite eye is the real game-changer - pair it with mostly above-average hitting metrics and you have a star.

I’ve had Jose for the last 2 years in my 7/7 Cats league and I love having him. If I’m picking 4th or 5th I may just take him again. But I think taking one of the SSs ranked in the top 15 makes a little more sense even if it’s a bit of a reach as I see a much more drastic drop-off overall.

Ramirez can still have an awesome year I just feel that he’ll have a season closer to the previous two where he was still elite but slightly less so just enough that I’d lean towards one of these young stud SSs like Henderson or Elly to continue their development and have an absolutely massive season.

3 - Alec Bohm - 1B/3B - PHI

He was #1 in my 1B rankings already. Take a look at those for a bit more on why I like him. A quick overview is that I think his ADP of 141.8, high of 85 (ESPN), is criminally low for a guy with 97 RBIs each of the last two years, bats around .280, and is projected to hit 3rd behind Trea Turner, and Bryce Harper. I know he doesn’t have big HR numbers but his advanced metrics are fantastic and I think he brings enough elsewhere to have plenty of surplus value from that draft position.

4 - Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - 1B/3B - TOR

He was ranked 2nd for the 1B rankings already as well. Guerrero is an elite hitter but his HR numbers are lower than you’d like to see. In general, I do like that he’s going at the R1/R2 turn as I think he feels really good to pair with someone in that range. He has the potential of course to finish above his ADP of 13.2, high of 9 (ESPN), but he’ll need to find that 40 HR stroke again.

5 - Manny Machado - 3B - SDP

Manny is quite a steady player - seems basically locked In for close to 30 HRs, 100 RBIs and to hit around .275. He can give you 10 or so steals as well. Amazingly Manny is still just turning 33 in July although this will be the 14th season he’ll have played MLB games.

His advanced metrics are well above average to elite in a few spots (Exit velo, hard hit% & bat speed) and he manages to stay right around league average for Ks and walks.

His ADP of 31.8, high of 29 (ESPN & Yahoo), is likely right around where he finishes, I could certainly see him finishing slightly higher though - more in the 15-20 range.

He’s a steady pick I would feel really safe about grabbing him at that price tag.

Obviously, I would pick Riley over him if I had the choice in that spot for the upside I see but wouldn’t blame anyone if they perceived this as a potentially safer route.

Typically I add 3 more players here in a Best of the Rest section - Because I had two guys above that I previously covered I’m going to add 2 into this section.

6 - Rafael Devers - 3B - BOS

Going just before Machado and being on average the 3rd 3B off the board I don’t love Devers there. Especially with Bregman in BOS now - Not that I see that taking playing time away, because it wont. Moreso the perceived slight and Devers response I could see it being a distraction.

Numbers-wise wise Deveres is very comparable to the players going even just slightly later than him so I don’t see much reason to take him earlier. He does have MVP votes each of the last 4 years so I’m sure he does very well again and isn’t someone to avoid but just maybe slightly overvalued.

ADP - 28.8 - High of 26 (ESPN)

7 - Jordan Westburg - 2B/3B - BAL

I left him off my 2B list mostly because I want to see more, he’s played a full season’s worth of games over his first 2 years now. His underlying numbers are fantastic. He is projected to hit 4th in Baltimore’s lineup and has plenty of talent surrounding him. At 3B I like him a fair bit more just with a much bigger drop-off in talent I think beyond the top 150 or so. Especially with the versatility he could be a guy I am undervaluing here.

ADP - 104.2 - High of 81 (RTS)

8 - Matt Vientos - 3B - NYM

Going right around the same spot as Westberg I could see these picks going either way. Vientos is a great supplementary piece to a very deep roster on paper for the Mets. Fangraphs projects him batting 5th in the order, I could see him moving into the 4th spot as they currently have Nimmo there. Personally, I would want the power Vientos brings to that spot over Nimmo’s average. His advanced metrics were very strong but he did carry with him a very poor K and walk rate, improvement there would be a great boost to his overall game.

ADP - 105.4 - High of 79 (Yahoo)

9 - Royce Lewis - 3B - MIN

The best ability is availability and Lewis sure has not been available much. The 1st overall pick in 2017 shows exactly why he was selected there most of the time he’s actually been on the field. But he just cannot stay there. Talks of now moving him from 3B to 1B to try and keep him on the field have begun after he was already moved from SS to 3B. If Royce gets a full year in I have no doubt he would smash his ADP but him staying healthy is asking a lot.

ADP - 119.6 - High of 73 (Yahoo)

10 - Eugenio Suarez - 3B - ARI

If you’re punting average and want a later-round guy then look no further. If he hits .250 like last year again I think you’re laughing. Should hit 30 HRs and bring in close to 100 RBIs. He’s projected to hit 6th in Arizona’s lineup, you’d always want him a spot or two higher to really get the most out of him. They’re a respectable team that should give him plenty of opportunity to surpass his ADP.

ADP - 158.8 - High of 132 (FT)