Third base is incredibly deep and incredibly young. Just over three quarters of the top-30 third baseman are under the age of 30, making it the second youngest position (only SS is younger).

But, just because they are young, does not mean they are not productive. Gunnar Henderson, Elly De La Cruz, Spencer Steer, Josh Jung and Royce Lewis had explosive rookie seasons, promising even more exciting times to come. Austin Riley, Jose Ramirez, Rafael Devers, Manny Machado, Alex Bregman and Nolan Arenado continued to pace the position, cementing their places as the elder statesman of the group.

That’s not to mention exciting youngsters like Noelvi Marte and Curtis Mead get more than a cup of coffee, and Brett Baty gets the chance to prove himself and earn a full season’s worth of at bats. Jake Burger and Maikel Garcia get locked in sophomore seasons and we haven’t even talked about the (potential) rookies. Junior Caminero is one of the top 3 prospects in all of baseball and will more than likely start the season in Tampa, while Colt Keith and Coby Mayo have a chance to break camp with the big league club after big spring showings. Plus veterans like Ha-seong Kim, Isaac Paredes, Jeimer Candelario, Wilmer Flores and Ke’Bryan Hayes are coming off of career years.

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Riley is basically the complete 3B package. He paced the position in both home runs and runs in 2023, while having the 5th highest RBI total and third highest average (amongst 3B with 300 or more plate appearances). The only thing he doesn’t do is steal bases, but only four third baseman hit 10 or more home runs and stole 10 or more bases in 2023, so that’s not really a problem at all. He hits in the heart of the best offense in baseball, doesn’t miss games and is incredibly consistent. There is zero reason to expect any kind of drop off, just know that when you grab Riley, you are grabbing a guy entering his prime, who will net you 35+ home runs, 180+ combined runs and RBI and will be a positive contributor in batting average. So, a stud.

Ramirez is one of only two players 30 years or older in the top 10 at 3B (Manny Machado is the other) and this will probably be his last season ranked in the top 3 (continued growth and experience from both Gunnar Henderson and Elly De La Cruz should move them up by mid-season). But, rejoice for now, because even a ‘down’ season from Jose Ramirez is a wonderful season. He has elite level plate skills, maintaining the best strikeout rate of all players who hit 20 or more home runs (10%; only two others were under 13%: Alex Bregman and Ronald Acuna), while also walking 10% of the time. He has the best combination of power and speed at the position, hitting 20 or more home runs and stealing 20 or more bases in 5 straight (non-Covid) seasons (and even in the Covid shortened 2020 season he hit 17 and stole 10). He had the second-best batting average for 3B last season (only Jon Berti was better) and, though the Guardians run-scoring was abysmal last season, is virtually a lock to combine for 165 or more runs plus RBI.

Henderson rode a wonderful season to Rookie of the Year honors and helped lead the Orioles to their first American League East division win in nine years. The Orioles hitting was a huge surprise in 2023, but they should repeat as a top 10 offense once again this season. Henderson will find himself batting in the upper third of the lineup, giving him ample opportunities to both score and drive in runs. There should be a bit more pop to come as Henderson matures and gains a bit more muscle, with a few mid-30s home run seasons at his peak, but there may never be more than 10-15 steals in any given season. He has only a decent hit tool, so the batting average may never really get higher than .265ish, but if that comes with 30 homers, 10 stolen bases and 170+ combined runs and RBI, you have your fantasy cornerstone for the next decade.

Elly De La Cruz, or EDLC for short, combines tremendous power and tremendous speed with a dubious hit tool, setting a low floor but the highest ceiling. After hitting moonshot after moonshot and electric displays on the basepaths in AAA last year, the Reds called EDLC up in June and he showcased his tantalizing talent, hitting three home runs and stealing nine bases in 95 June plate appearances (albeit with a BABIP over .400 and a 30% k-rate). From July 1st until the end of the season, though, EDLC only hit 10 home runs, stole 26 bases and hit .213, with a .303 BABIP and a 34% k-rate. EDLC has the ceiling to be the #1 fantasy player, much less 3B, but that ceiling depends on him working on his bat to ball skills and reducing his strikeout rate.

Devers turned 27 in October and already has 6 full seasons worth of plate appearances under his belt. He is a known commodity and a trusted bat, hitting 27 or more home runs over the last four full seasons, more often than not he will score 90 or more runs and drive in 100 or more, will have one of the highest batting averages amongst the power hitting corner infielders and will benefit from (hopeful) full seasons from Jarren Duran, Trevor Story, Vaughn Grissom and Tyler O’Neill. The Red Sox were the 11th highest scoring team in 2023 and the only “real” pieces they lost was Alex Verdugo and Justin Turner, while replacing them with the aforementioned O’Neill and Grissom (and full seasons from Duran and Story). You draft Devers and forget about the 3B position for the rest of the season.

Steer had a cup of coffee in 2022 and didn’t really stand out, but was given the reins to 3B to start the 2023 season. He took those reins and ran, hitting 23 home runs, stealing 15 bases, walking 10.2% of the time and playing five different positions. Though he spent the most time at 1B (73 games), he also spent plenty of time at 3B (47g) and LF (45g). Odds are this is his last year of 3B eligibility, as the Reds have already come out and stated he will be in LF to start the year, but with his position flexibility, it would not surprise me to see him pickup 20 games at the hot corner this year. 20 to 25 home runs, 10 or so stolen bases, a combined 150 runs and RBI to go along with a .260 batting average is a pretty nice sophomore line and very attainable for Steer this year.

Lewis would be higher on this list if he could be trusted to stay healthy for a full season. Between Covid and injuries, Lewis has a combined 498 plate appearances since the end of the 2019 season. 2020 and 2021 were completely wiped out and then most of ‘22 and ‘23 were as well. There is no questioning the upside, especially after the power display he put on while healthy in both the regular season, but he does need to answer whether he will ever get a chance to live up to it over the course of a full season. Guaranteed a full season of 600 plate appearances, I don’t see why he couldn’t hit 30 or more home runs, steal mid-teens bases and drive in over 100 runs.

Caminero is one of the three or four most excited and most hyped fantasy prospects. He has tremendous power that he started to showcase at A+ and AA, hitting 11 home runs in A+ (the same amount he hit across the complex and A levels combined in 2022) and 20 in AA, before getting a little seven game major league sample to end the year, hitting his first big league home run in the final regular season game. He could probably use a little bit more time in the minors, maybe in AAA facing higher level pitching and working on his plate discipline a bit, but he could win an MLB roster spot with a big spring training. With Wander Franco now (presumably) out of baseball, the Rays could use a fresh, new, young superstar face of the franchise and Caminero may just be the man for the job.

Machado has hit between 38 and 37 home runs every non-Covid season since 2015. He also had 600 or more plate appearances and played in 138 or more games in each one of those seasons (though 2023 did see the low point for both PA and games played). Though the Padres offense took a big hit with the trading of Juan Soto, they have to hope that a full season of Luis Campusano behind the plate and a (hopeful) bounce-back from Jake Cronenworth can keep them in the top half of big league offenses. I expect another season of 28 or more home runs and 600 or more plate appearances, as Machado ages gracefully into his 30s.

Only three 3B combine a double digit walk rate with a strikeout rate under 15%. One, we’ve already talked about (Jose Ramirez), another doesn’t really want to play a lot of baseball games (Anthony Rendon) and the third is #10 on my list, Alex Bregman. He had the second highest walk rate out of full time 3B (12.7%) and the second lowest strikeout rate out of full time 3B (12%). This led to him leading the position in on-base percentage and scoring the second most runs amongst 3B. Batting sandwiched between Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez means he will continue to have a ton of runs scored, while also driving in more than his fair share (he was 4th at the position in 2023), hitting mid-20’s home runs and batting a not-that-terrible-for-3B .265.

Last year was the first full, non-Covid season that Arenado did not hit 30 or more home runs during since 2014 (his second big league season). It coincided with the highest strikeout rate of his career, one of the worst walk rates of his career, one of the worst on-base percentages, worst slugging percentages, batting averages….you get my drift. Arenado had a no-good, very bad year and he turns 33 in April and he’s now 4 seasons out of Colorado and Coors field and maybe, just maybe, this was the beginning of his decline from 3B powerhouse to last 3B I feel comfortable starting in my 12 team league. I’d rather be a year early than a year late on a guy’s decline and 2023 feels like that will be my year early.

After a 2022 call up that overwhelmed him, Jung had a pretty solid rookie season in 2023, that would have looked a lot better had he not missed six late weeks to an injury. He’s got a lot of power in his bat and a decent hit tool, but a low walk rate and high strikeout rate will limit how high his ceiling can grow. He has enough power to get to 30 home runs in a season and, in a high-scoring lineup in Texas, should be able to drive in 100 runs, but his low on-base percentage will keep him from scoring more than 75 to 80 runs. Combine that together with a .255 to .260 batting average and you have a good, not great, option.

Mayo has a ton of power in his bat and above average hit tools, to go along with a pretty solid eye at the plate. He hit 29 home runs in 620 plate appearances across two levels in 2023, with a walk rate north of 14% and a strikeout rate south of 25% at both levels. He probably won’t start the year in the bigs, unless he has an absolute heater of a spring training, but it won’t be far into the season before Orioles fans and prospectors alike are asking the organization when he will get called up. He may not stick at the hot corner (the left side of the future in Baltimore is Gunnar Henderson at 3B and Jackson Holliday at SS afterall), but the glove is good enough for 1B and the bat is good enough it will keep him in the lineup somehow.

Kim had a heck of a second full season, improving upon just about every single statistical category from 2022. He showed off the power/speed combo he displayed in the KBO, raised his batting average and walk rates and showed improved bat to ball skills (moreso like the ones he had in Korea, less like he had displayed in MLB so far). He made more contact on less swings and swung and missed at less pitches in 2023. He did finish the season dreadfully (.176 BA and zero home runs over his last 104 plate appearances), but his production the rest of the season is tough to ignore. He might lose some stolen bases from last year, but I see his runs going up if he does spend the entire year leading off for a top 12 or so offense. (I know, this is cheating a little bit, since it was copied over from my 2B rankings.)

Paredes’ jump from 2022 to 2023 was very sweet to fantasy managers (and the real life Rays). You love to see a guy show great improvement from his first season to the next and Paredes had improvements in spades. Better batted ball luck resulted in a 45 point jump in batting average, more at bats led to more home runs (he had essentially the same HR/FB rate both seasons), more hits led to a higher on-base percentage, etc. It wasn’t all great, as he did have some regressions that came with teams having over 500 MLB plate appearances to go through and scout. His walk rate dropped a full percentage point (though it was still a tad better than guys like Freddie Freeman, Pete Alonso and Vlad Guerrero, Jr), he swung at 6% more pitches while making 3% less contact which led to his swinging strike rate rising 2% (and his strikeout rate rising a half percent) and his hard hit percent dropped a full 9%. What this tells me is that we have less than two full seasons worth of plate appearances to make sense of and we should keep an eye on the falling walk rate and rising strikeout rate (is it a trend or was he making adjustments?)(I know, I know, back to back copy and paste, but nothing I would say about Paredes changes at 3B.)

Burger really was a tale of two cities: in Chicago, he hit home runs and struck out (25 of his 63 hits were home runs); in Miami, his home run rate dropped, but he got on base at a far higher clip and struck out at a much lower rate (31.6% in Miami, 21.7% in Chicago). He had more batted ball luck in Miami, but he also had a different approach at the plate, swinging at fewer pitches outside the zone and more in the zone, while making much more contact with the ball. If he is more of a .265 BA instead of a .214 BA, then 30-35 homers over a full 600 plate appearances is more than fine (compared to the 45-50 he was pacing towards in Chicago).

Hayes supporters have been waiting for years for him to elevate the ball and hit more balls in the air than on the ground and in 2023 he finally started to make those changes. He set a new career high for launch angle (7.4 his debut season, 13.7 last year) and a career best GB:FB of 1.07. He also improved his barrels and hard hit rate, with an elite average exit velocity, top 15% in Max EV and hard hit rate, but struggled to translate those gains into top tier power, hitting only 15 home runs. Why is that? Though he raised his barrel rate he still struggles to barrel up the ball and get to his power — and he chases too many pitches. He may never get to that 30 home run power, but 15 to 18 homers with double digit stolen bases and an above average batting average is a pretty safe floor.

Marte is the present and the future of the position for the Reds. He and EDLC should hold down the left side of the infield for years to come. He has flashed above-average power and solid speed at every level, with great strikeout rates and solid walk rates as well. He’s probably more of a 20 to 25 home run hitter than the 30+ guy some were hoping he would be, but he’ll be adding mid-teens (or better) stolen bases with a solid average to go with the power. His counting stats are tied to a young and improving lineup, with his lineup spot probably shifting with his performance.

With the depth the Reds have at the corner infield positions, the odds of Candelario maintaining his 3B-eligibility past this season are kind of slim. He signed in the fall and is slated to bat in the heart of the order and play 1B (to the dismay of Christian Encarnacion-Strand managers everywhere). He has low 20s power, little speed, an okay batting average and counting stats dependent on the same variables as Noelvi Marte, just with a safer lineup position.

As of this writing, Chapman is still a free agent and, besides his defense, it’s easy to understand why. His plate discipline got worse last year, as he swung at more pitches, made less contact and had a higher swinging strike rate (which naturally led to a rise in strikeout rate and a slight drop in walk rate). His home runs dropped off the table, resulting in the only season he’s had 500 or more plate appearances and hit for less than 24 home runs (he only hit 17), with his home run to fly ball rate falling under 10% for the first time ever. It does seem as if it was a bit of poor batted ball luck, as he raised his EV, maxEV, launch angle, barrel rate and hard hit rate (some to a career high). I’d expect his power to rebound in 2024, as I don’t think he will be that unlucky with those types of hits, but his counting stats will be highly dependent on what lineup he will call home.

Suarez’s career can be split into pre-Covid season and Covid season forward. Pre-Covid, he never batted below .242 (in fact, he hit .260 or higher in four of his first six seasons). From 2020 until last year, he never hit higher than .236 in a season, batting .202, .198, .236, .232 in the last four seasons. There were a few constants over those 10 seasons though: big power (21 or more home home runs in 7 straight non-Covid seasons; he hit 15 in 231 Covid-season at bats, so still a ton of power), high strikeout rates (career 27.1%, though the last two seasons have been 30% or higher) and phenomenal defense (which keeps his poor batting average in the lineup). He moves on to his third MLB team this year, the Diamondbacks, and leaves behind the worst MLB park for hitters for one that is 16th best for hitters.

Bohm has a great hit tool, solid plate discipline and elite contact rates, but he has probably maxed out his power already. Plenty of people saw 30 home run power in his bat, but it seems he may just be more of a 20 to 23 home run kind of guy, albeit one who will hit for an above-average batting average. He will probably hit somewhere in the 5-7 spots, limiting his run scoring ability, but boosting his RBI totals. He’s not great, but there are a lot worse choices out there.

If you are in any type of league other than one that counts the traditional 5×5 categories, you can move Muncy up this list. He hits for above average power, the best walk rate amongst 3B, hits in one of the two best offenses in all of baseball and, so long as he is healthy, the Dodgers will make sure he gets as many plate appearances as he can handle. On the flip side, in traditional leagues, his batting average is absolutely dreadful and he doesn’t steal any bases. If his eye begins to falter at any time, his value will fall off a cliff.

Keith is a future staple of the Tigers batting order, and hopefully that future comes in April. He possesses easy 30 homer power, good to great bat to ball skills, a solid eye at the plate (I expect a below average K-rate for a 3B) but his defense is a little spotty. He’s played both 2B and 3B in the minors, with some chatter that he might get some OF experience as well. Regardless of where he ends up, his bat will guarantee a spot in the Tigers lineup for years to come.

Ryan McMahon is just a steady, boring, decent producer who benefits from calling Coors Field home. For his career, his BA is 52 points higher at home, he’s almost doubled his road home run total in only 106 more plate appearances at home and he’s also hit 20 more doubles at home than on the road. Kind of what we expect from hitters in Colorado. He’ll hit 20+ home runs and combine for 140-160 runs plus RBI, while hitting around .245. Blah, blah, blah.

Curtis Mead has a very solid hit tool, a very good eye at the plate, power he hasn’t really tapped into yet and a penchant for missing a lot of games. Mead has only had one pro season over 400 plate appearances and missed the mark last year (though some of that was due to being called up to the majors and the Rays just not playing him). He has okay defense at 3rd, with experience at 1B, 2B and SS as well. If the Rays (and his health) ever give him the opportunity to have a full time starting spot in the majors, his bat is good enough to keep him playing every day.

Garcia is a bit of an untraditional 3B, as he doesn’t hit for a ton of power nor does he cut an intimidating picture at the plate. But he does play wonderful defense, possesses a solid hit tool, won’t strike out much and has above average speed for the position. He won’t hit a lot of home runs, but he will be amongst the leaders at SS in steals and batting average. And, if the Royals bat in the upper third of the lineup, we could see him push for 80 or more runs, making him more than just a steals specialist at the hot corner.

Moncada has never really lived up to the prospect hype he once merited, other than maybe the 2019 season. Injuries have limited his production the last two seasons, though once he came back from injury in July last year he looked a lot like the guy we saw many seasons ago, hitting .281 with eight home runs, 22 runs, 28 rbi. If he can put the leg and back problems behind him, Moncada could be in for a very good full season.

If the Giants offense was more middle of the pack instead of bottom six, methinks Flores would have a higher ranking. He hit a career high 23 home runs last season, in his second most plate appearances at the big league level, due to barreling balls at a higher rate (same amount of barrels in 2023 as he did in 2022, but less plate appearances) and raising his launch angle. Combine that with elite strikeout and whiff rates and you have the potential for a great season, if he can get the volume.