2020 Fantasy Baseball Third Base Rankings Top 40: Eduardo Escobar Brings Mid-Round Value

Third base is absolutely loaded with premium talent. We saw Rafael Devers breakout in a big way as one of the top overall fantasy bats last season. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is being valued highly coming into draft season, as he projects to be one of the next top young bats. Anthony Rendon is off in Los Angeles, but not much is projected to change hitting with the best player in baseball. We still have Alex Bregman, Jose Ramirez, and Nolan Arenado kicking off as the top fantasy options. There is a ton of value, and you will likely be grabbing a few names from the hot corner for your teams, whether they are in corner infield spots, or utility. I feel comfortable with most of the top ten, and even Kris Bryant has outfield eligibility.

Tier One (1-3)

Nolan Arenado had his feud with the Rockies organization over the offseason, and there were talks of a trade. That hasn’t happened, but his displeasure is still there with Colorado‘s motivation to win. Arenado is coming off another season over 40 home runs, and has been the top fantasy option at the hot corner for the last five years. He has been over 40 home runs in three of the last five, and fell short by a total of five in the other two seasons. He has had over 110 RBI in five straight seasons, and over 100 runs. Arenado is closer to a league average power hitter on the road, and has most of his success at home. A move away from Coors wouldn’t justify this ADP.

Alex Bregman has bursted into the fantasy scene over the last few seasons with big power numbers and a strong OBP. His stolen bases have dropped over the last three seasons, but he has slimmed down a bit. I am curious if he can get back in the double-digits, but it is fine if he doesn’t. Bregman projects for another big year, and hits in a strong Astros lineup. He is going late in the first round, and is a tier one fantasy bat.

The first half of Jose Ramirez‘s 2019 season was not good, and there was a lot of concern. He had a .308 OBP and .126 ISO. That changed in the second half with a .412 ISO and .365 OBP. Batted ball stats improved in the second half, especially just his luck overall. Ramirez projects for more 2018 numbers, where he projects for 30+ home runs and around 25 stolen bases. Ramirez is a second round name I would love to grab.

Tier Two (4-7)

You are splitting hairs in this tier, as Rafael Devers joined the top options among third baseman. He blasted 30+ home runs, and that wasn’t hitting one until May. Devers has strong opposite field numbers and can hit the ball all over. He is also not awful against left-handed pitching, with a .744 OPS. Finishing with 32 home runs, 129 runs, and 115 RBI, Devers asserted himself into the top tier of fantasy players at the position. Anthony Rendon is now in Los Angeles, hitting with Mike Trout and the rest of the Angels. He is coming off a tremendous season with a .319/.412/.598 slashing line. Rendon had a career high in just about everything. Moving to Los Angeles might hurt the power just a little bit, but nothing crazy. Smashed in between Trout and Ohtani, you couldn’t ask for a better spot.

Josh Donaldson‘s ADP sticks out like a sore thump at the position. We saw what the healthy Donaldson looks like again, as he crushed 37 home runs, and had a .379 OBP. Headed to Minnesota and the bats they have around him, this is an excellent chance for another big year. Look for Donaldson to out-perform where he is being drafted right now.

Kris Bryant came back in a big way in 2019, and still is a bit undervalued in my opinion for 2020. He had 30+ home runs and 108 RBI. Bryant also had a .382 OBP. Bryant is pegged for another strong year, and I love the upside he brings as well. He has a chance to crush in the runs department, and the power will be there as well. If I miss out on any of the top tier guys, Bryant will become a focus.

Tier Three (8-14)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is going to be a top fantasy third baseman for a very long time. He is being drafted for his upside right now, and that is fine. However, there are so many names at the position that have been consistent producers to where I have been looking their way instead. Could he hit that ceiling this year? Certainly, but that ceiling is still a Matt Chapman like season for 20-30 picks later. He is also overshadowing the potential Yoan Moncada ceiling year, which brings steals to where Vlad doesn’t. Moncada continues to impress, and 2019 was a strong year. He had 25 home runs and ten swipes. He also had a .367 OBP., although had a .406 BABIP. He is going about a round after Vlad.

Eduardo Escobar is coming off a breakout year, crushing 35 home runs and driving in 118. He projects to hit behind Starling and Ketel Marte, which will give him plenty of RBI chances right there. I expect more of the same for him, and going 100+ picks into a draft is absurd. He is one of my favorite fantasy options. Matt Chapman dropped 102 runs last year and had 36 home runs with 91 driven in. Oakland is a strong offense with Olsen and Semien working up there with him in the top of the order. Going near the 90th pick, he is another one I will keep an eye on if I missed out on that top tier.

Manny Machado moving to the NL West was going to depreciate some stats. He did hit 30+ home runs, but ranked 14th in runs and RBI among third baseman, and 18th in OBP. I’m not a fan of his ADP, and there are still better bargains to be had. Some of those are still right here. Both the Reds options have immense home run potential, although Suarez has a small red flag with the injury coming in.

Tier Four (15-23)

Miguel Sano could top 45 home runs this season, that is the type of upside he has. The low average and high strikeout rate is going to come with it, but in this lineup he could do some serious damage. Miguel Andujar missed most of the 2019 season, but this kid is a stud. We are getting a discount because of the missed season, and I am going to take advantage of it. He projects for 20+ home runs, and has always been a solid contact bat. Justin Turner continues to float around the middle of drafts, and is a reliable option. He had 27 home runs, 140 runs and RBI. Turner is another tremendous contact bat, and had a .372 OBP last season.

J.D. Davis projects for much more of the same from his 2019 numbers, which is valuable this late in drafts. Davis is a great hitter, and is going to be more of an outfielder with the Mets, but is also third base eligible. Hunter Dozier is in a similar boat in terms of being an outfielder who is also third base eligible. He has 20+ home run upside, and is going to be in a spot to drive in runs.

Brian Anderson is a value third base option, who gets overlooked because he plays for the Marlins. He hit 20 home runs last season, and had a .342 OBP. Gio Urshela isn’t the most notable Yankee, but was a productive one last season. Expect the average to drop a bit, but overall he has some decent power and the run and RBI production will be there. Yandy Diaz is set to get a big bump in at-bats. If Diaz can improve his launch angle a bit, there is some power upside.

Tier Five (24-30)

Matt Carpenter has fallen off a bit, as the strikeout rate came up with the power. However the power wasn’t there last year, and the career slip has certainly started. Carpenter could get back to 2017 type numbers, but that should be about it. Instead we will turn to a name who has some power upside, with Renato Nunez. He is coming off a 31 homer season with the Orioles, and had 90 RBI. The average won’t be there, but the rest of the categories will be there. Nunez will be hitting in the middle of an order. His teammate Hanser Alberto is set to leadoff, and isn’t a bad option as an infield guy late in the draft.

Kyle Seager has been somewhat unlucky in the BABIP department over the last few years, and that just seems tough to break. He isn’t a big strikeout guy, and he has over a .200 ISO in three of the last four seasons as well. Seager is good for 20+ home runs and 70+ RBI. Because this position is so deep, we are looking at him more of as AL Only guy or super deep league. Nick Solak is a young guy who has broken through a bit, and Texas is going use him enough to have some fantasy value. The Angels lineup scenario is somewhat jammed up a bit with Anthony Rendon now in the lineup. David Fletcher and Tommy La Stella are up in the air a bit for playing time.

Tier Six (31-34)

After hitting over 60 home runs in his first two years in Milwaukee, Travis Shaw struggled in the third year. His strikeout rate went up over 10%, and everything else suffered. He had a .281 OBP in 270 at-bats, which eventually gave way. Shaw is headed to Toronto, and has some sneaky value in deeper leagues. We should see the power come back a bit, and he has talked about a failed swing change as the reason for his struggling 2019 season. Colin Moran is a late round guy or NL Only league play. Moran drove in 80 runs last season which was a season high, and he has hit for a .277 average over the last two years. He should be hitting 5th or 6th in the order, which isn’t a bad spot.

Maikel Franco was once an up and coming power bat, and that just never came about. He has still flashed plenty of power, but is now in Kansas City. It is a bit of a downgrade as far as a home ballpark goes. The Royals have been able to get more out of a few bats over the last year or two, so it will be interesting to see what can happen with a change of scenery. Not a draftable name, but we need to keep an eye on him. Evan Longoria is still out in San Francisco, which doesn’t do him any favors. A move away from SF would have potentially given him late career fantasy value.

Tier Seven (35-40)

Asdrubal Cabrera has been a reliable middle infield option over the last few years, but the at-bats are going to be take a dip down with a new look Washington team. He is only a name to keep an eye on due to injuries which would give him more stable at-bats. Todd Frazier found himself in Texas after a few years with the Mets. He had 20+ home runs last year, and projects for much of the same. The OBP and average are going to be below average, but not the worst source of runs and RBI late in drafts.

Johan Camargo is likely headed for a split role, but still enough to have some value. Double-digit home runs, around 100 combined runs and RBI, and a decent average is there for the taking late in drafts. In a good Atlanta offense, he is going to have some value here. Wilmer Flores signed with the Giants, and he is going to be in the mix quite a bit. Flores has a good track record against left-handed pitching, and career wise he is average against righties. The Giants have a few ways they can go with their lineup, but Flores is a name to watch.