Fantasy Baseball: Top-10 3rd Baseman for 2014

Article Written By: Julian Beck

This is part two to my fantasy baseball special. I will be ranking the Top 10 players in each position and giving you one sleeper you should draft. The rankings will help in any league format. If you missed out on Part I (Catchers) click HERE.

Pending any injuries, this should be an accurate list of rankings.

2014 3rd Base Ranking

10. Pedro Alvarez 

2013 Stats:  .233 BA, 70 R, 36 HR, 100 RBI, 2 SB (614 PA)

When you draft Alvarez, you get the good and the bad. The good is the home run and RBI potential, and the bad is his 30% strikeout rate. He is one of the league leaders in strikeouts year in and year out but looks to increase his contact rate for the 2014 season. If you can take the insane strikeout rate Alvarez has to offer with his amazing home run numbers, then you may look for a repeat of 2013 in 2014.

9. Josh Donaldson 

2013 Stats: .301 BA, 89 R, 24 HR, 93 RBI, 5 SB (668 PA)

Donaldson bursted into the season in 2013. The history of players having didn’t-see-that-coming breakout years with fewer than 100 career games in the majors under their belts isn’t necessarily all that uncommon. Doing it at age 27 though? Yeah, that’s hard to believe. He makes great contact, walks at a decent rate, and doesn’t strikeout on a regular basis. His numbers may take a dip in 2014 but still expect a top 10 finish.

8. Manny Machado

2013 Stats: .283 BA, 88 R, 14 HR, 71 RBI, 6 SB (710 PA)

Ranking Manny Machado this high coming off knee surgery is a risk—and a statement. The 21-year-old’s first full season came to a premature end when he crumpled to the ground after running through the first base bag last September. Rostering him to be your starter at the hot corner is taking a chance, but it’s taking a chance on a star-in-the-making who has the pedigree, profile, youth and skill set to get better by leaps and bounds, provided he’s healthy. Heck, Machado was already pretty darn productive from a fantasy standpoint in 2013, as the numbers above show. So take a chance on drafting him in the later rounds, but hold him on your bench until he gets fully healthy and rep the benefits of his stats.

7. Kyle Seager

2013 Stats: .260 BA, 79 R, 22 HR, 69 RBI, 9 SB (695 PA)

Kyle Seager has gained a foothold in the fantasy community after two very nice years in a row. In fact, his performance has many seeing further growth and production from him. Seager is a very solid third baseman. He makes contact and has the ability to slam the ball over the fence, but he doesn’t excel at any one category. The players ranked ahead of him have a higher upside, but still selecting Seager will give you great consistent numbers that you won’t have to worry about upgrading.

6. Pablo Sandoval

2013 Stats: .278 BA, 52 R, 14 HR, 79 RBI, 0 SB (584 PA)

Sandoval has always played at 120%. He gives it his all out there on the diamond. Panda was also able to produce great hitting numbers while being overweight. Now with a slimmer look for his contract year he looks to increase on those numbers. Panda just needs to stay healthy, which should be helped by better fitness. Sandoval’s skill set—lots of contact, high average, gap power and then some—is the same as it’s always been, which should once again make him a fantasy starter.

5. Ryan Zimmerman 

2013 Stats: .275 BA, 84 R, 26 HR, 79 RBI, 6 SB (633 PA)

Ryan Zimmerman does it every year. He starts off slow and/or injured before exploding in the second half, which was the story yet again in 2013. The 29-year-old typically loses some time to an ailment or two each year, as he did when he sat out 14 games last April with a hamstring strain, but he’s pretty much a lock for something like a .280 average, 25 homers, 80 RBI and 80 runs—with a very good chance for more, given his history and supporting cast.

4. Evan Longoria

2013 Stats:  .269 BA, 91 R, 32 HR, 88 RBI, 1 SB (693 PA)

There was some expectation that a fully healthy Longo was ready to bust out into a full-fledged fantasy MVP candidate last season, which didn’t quite happen. Still, it’s hard not to like what he showed in the runs, homers and RBI departments. While the homer total is more or less his ceiling, the possibility of a slight uptick in terms of average, runs and RBI for Longoria is conceivable, especially given that the Rays have a solid lineup that will feature Wil Myers all year long instead of merely three-plus months. Look for Longo to stay healthy for yet another and finish in the top 5 in 2014.

3. Adrian Beltre 

2013 Stats: .315 BA, 88 R, 30 HR, 92 RBI, 1 SB (690 PA)

Adrian Beltre is as consistent as they come, and he could be in the catbird seat this season. To the first point, over the past four seasons, the 34-year-old has hit exactly .315 or better three times (as well as a still-great .296 in 2011), smacked between 28 and 36 homers, scored between 82 and 95 runs and driven in exactly 102 or 105 runs (as well as a still-swell 92 RBI last year). His numbers will only increase in 2014 with another loaded lineup. Choo and Fielder are on base monsters and Beltre is an insane run producer. Look for Beltre to top 100 RBIs in 2014.

2. David Wright 

2013 Stats: .307 BA, 63 R, 18 HR, 58 RBI, 17 SB (492 PA)

Few at the position are more fantasy friendly when healthy, especially considering Wright remains more than just a contributor in all five categories. Still, his power and speed have started to wane some, as he’s merely a 20-20 threat now, as opposed to being the 30-30 threat he was in years past. He is ranked number 2 overall because his upside is unlike no others. Wright now has Granderson protecting him in the lineup and he will get well deserved days off so he can stay healthy for a full season. Look for a solid 2014 season from Wright and listen for his name to be in the conversation for Fantasy Baseball MVP.

1. Miguel Cabrera 

When it comes to Miguel Cabrera, the question isn’t whether he’s the No. 1 fantasy third baseman—it’s whether he’s still the No. 1 overall pick. After repeating as AL MVP—and nearly as the Triple Crown winner!—Cabrera is in a tier by himself at the hot corner. Even better for his fantasy value? He’ll once again have dual eligibility at third and first base, now that he’s shifting from the former back to the latter in the wake of the Prince Fielder trade. Miggy is not from this world. His numbers are Godly like and he looks to continue his tear throughout the MLB. He hits for average, power, drives in runs, walks at an insane rate, and has one of the lowest strikeout rates in all of baseball. Choosing Cabrera number 1 overall is one of the easiest decisions for the 2014 season.

Sleeper for 2014 Season 

David Freese 

Freese’s power evaporated last year, as his first long ball came on May 17, and he had only eight more in total for the rest of the year. Part of that likely can be attributed to a back strain that cost him the start of the season and lingered. Now in L.A., Freese could bounce back to something close to his 2012 line: .293 BA, 20 HR, 79 RBI—if he can stay healthy.