2008 Fantasy Rankings - Third Basemen

These rankings are preliminary. I reserve the right to change them based on new information or simply re-thinking old information. For a full explanation as to the methodology involved in producing these rankings, please see this post.

Due to popular demand, I will now be posting the positional rankings with full projections and Fantasy Value (FV) scores. This will enable you to get a better idea of why players rank where they do, as well as where the gaps in value exist.

I know I say this a lot, but I want to emphasize that these projections (and probably the rankings) will change. With that, here are your third basemen:



Notes:

• This is such a fun position because there are so many good players. There's a big drop-off after the Big Four, but even the next bunch of guys are plenty valuable.
• Ryan Braun is the source of much debate in the fantasy baseball world right now. You might be surprised to see him ranked ahead of Miguel Cabrera. I know I was. But I don't think my projections are unrealistic. Compare them to what Bill James is projecting: [158 G, 121 R, 46 HR, 122 RBI, 20 SB, .326 AVG] Using my valuation methodology, that would make him better than Alex Rodriguez. I'm not convinced he's going to keep up the pace he was on last year. I definitely think his batting average will take a dip as his line drive rate (16.3%) simply doesn't support the .324 average he posted last year. (That is, he got lucky.) I'm really looking forward to seeing what PECOTA projects for Braun.
• B.J. Upton may not qualify as a third baseman in all leagues.
• Ryan Zimmerman has a real shot at posting David Wright-like numbers, minus the steals. Remember, he's only 23 and he's heading to a more hitter-friendly ballpark (supposedly).
• Adrian Beltre gets overlooked so often. His only weakness is batting average. He's going to help your team in runs, homers, and RBI, and won't hurt you too badly in steals. If you miss out on the top couple tiers, grab Beltre in the mid-rounds.
• Evan Longoria is a great hitter, plain and simple. Last year's minor league stats: .299 AVG, 26 HR, 95 RBI in 136 games. I'd be shocked if he wasn't immediately placed in the heart of the Tampa order. On a side note, his alter-ego, Eva Longoria, is highly overrated. Don't believe the hype.
• The Fields-Encarnacion-Kouzmanoff-Reynolds quartet is enticing. It's not hard to imagine at least one of those four having a great season.