Third Base H2H Points Rankings - March Update

We are getting closer and closer to the first pitch of the 2018 MLB season. Spring training is in full swing which means we are right in the thick of draft season.

If you have a draft coming up soon, make sure to use our rankings for all league types. Regardless of the platform or scoring, we have every set of rankings you would need to draft a championship team.

In this article, I will be discussing the updates to our third base rankings for points leagues. We have had some movement after late free agency signings and trades. Third base is one of the deepest positions in baseball this year. Whether you decide to take a third baseman early on or wait until later in the draft, you will find some great value this year.

Updated Head-to-Head Points League Rankings: Third Base

Tier 1

Nolan Arenado, Kris Bryant

Only two players make it into our top tier for third baseman. You could argue at least one more, if not two, should be up here. In points leagues though, I give the nod to Nolan Arenado who I had four spots ahead of Kris Bryant. I love Bryant and think he is one of the best players in baseball, but you can’t really argue against Arenado and his spectacular numbers. Arenado out did Bryant in most major categories outside of runs and stolen bases. One more reason to take Arenado? Coors field.

Tier 2

Manny Machado, Freddie Freeman, Josh Donaldson, Jose Ramirez

This tier is one of the most interesting to me. Mostly because of Freddie Freeman who sneaks in with an extra position of eligibility thanks to Matt Adams hot bat last year. After Freeman came back from injury, Adams was hitting too well just to head to the bench. The Braves decided to get both in the lineup by playing Freeman at third 16 games. Depending on your league settings, he may have carried that over. Make sure to check your league and see if Freeman could offer that extra flexibility for you.

The more I look at his stats, the more I love Jose Ramirez. Unfortunately, I do not have any shares of Ramirez yet. He should honestly be in the top tier of third baseman though based on the numbers alone. Ramirez was tied with Giancarlo Stanton for the MLB lead with 91 extra base-hits last season. The only thing keeping him from hitting that next tier is his RBI total. 83 RBIs are nothing to scoff at though though. If those numbers were not enough to convince you, he also added 17 stolen bases and adds second base eligibility. You should be jumping on this guy earlier than the rankings say.

Tier 3

Alex Bregman, Anthony Rendon, Justin Turner, Travis Shaw, Adrian Beltre

Anthony Rendon has always been one of my favorite players. His biggest issue has always been staying healthy. He played in 147 games last year and had career highs in doubles, home runs, RBIs and batting average. One of my favorite things about Rendon though? He had more walks than strikeouts last season.

If I had to find a comparison for Rendon, it would be Alex Bregman. I believe they both profile to be the same player. Bregman will probably offer more stolen bases than Rendon, but if you miss on one, grab the other. Bregman may offer you shortstop eligibility as well.

The ageless wonder Adrian Beltre still sneaks into the third tier at 38 years old. An injury-shortened season hurt his value last year and this could be good for owners who decide to wait on third base in their draft. His value his hurt because you add injury shortened season to his age and you get the perception of a player in decline. Even if the power numbers don’t come back, he should creep up to a .300 batting average and 30 plus doubles.

Tier 4

Mike Moustakas, Matt Carpenter, Miguel Sano, Jake Lamb, Kyle Seager, Rafael Devers, Nick Castellanos, Evan Longoria, Joey Gallo

I’ve been positive with all my player information so far. That’s great, because you want to hear how good a player is going to be. I may not be as positive in this tier though. I will tell you I am a huge fan of Matt Carpenter, Kyle Seager and Nick Castellanos in this tier. Now for some negative takes.

Mike Moustakas gets a quick bump from me after inking a new deal to stay with the Royals, but I am not buying into what he did last season. His career high in home runs was 22 prior to 2017, so excuse me if I don’t believe he is capable of hitting 38 home runs again. I have a feeling some Major League teams also believe that because Moustakas did not get many offers as a free agent this offseason. Don’t draft Moose hoping for 40 home runs.

After a very productive 2016, Jake Lamb took another step in 2017. He’s not going to hit for a high average and he’s going to strike out a ton. You may be willing to buy into players like that as long as they have 30 home runs and 105 RBI. The problem is Arizona will now keep balls in a humidor. There is a lot of speculation as to how that will affect hitters and Paul Goldschmidt is the only one I’m willing to bet on. I am steering clear on Lamb for this season until I know how hitters fare with the changes. If Lamb can’t hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 RBI, he loses a lot of value.

You always have a couple players on your do-not-draft list every season. Doesn’t matter what you hear or what others say, these players will not be on your team at the end of your draft. Gallo hit 41 home runs last year, but struck out 196 times and only hit .209. Let’s compare Gallo to former power-hitting, strikeout king Ryan Howard. Howard reached 180 strikeouts in four straight seasons, but was still able to maintain a batting average of .250 or higher each of those seasons and an on-base percentage of at least .339 as well. Howard still walked a lot and was able to find the open field when he wasn’t striking out or hitting the ball over the fence. Gallo didn’t even have 100 hits last season.

Tier 5

Scooter Gennett, Marwin Gonzalez, Eugenio Suarez, Eduardo Nunez, Ryan McMahon

One of the most underrated players at third base in Eugenio Suarez, who very quietly hit 26 home runs last season. Suarez isn’t a guy I would want to draft to be my starting third baseman, but he is a guy I would love to have on my team in case of injury or to fill in. With Joey Votto hitting in front of him, Suarez has an opportunity to hit with someone on base every at bat.

If you are not aboard the Ryan McMahon train yet, you better get on in a hurry. Even though the Rockies have re-signed Mark Reynolds, they have said they want McMahon to step in and win the first base job. McMahon didn’t do much in his short stint with the Rockies last season, but between AA and AAA last season, he hit .355 with 20 home runs. Late in the draft and need a bench guy who can cover two positions? McMahon is your guy. He already has 3B eligibility and would add 1B within 10 games. Plus, Coors Field. Always Coors Field.

Tier 6

Maikel Franco, Ryon Healy, Todd Frazier, Miguel Andujar, Colin Moran, Yangervis Solarte, Jeimer Candelario, Jedd Gyorko, Logan forsythe, Asdrubel Cabrera

If Miguel Andujar can win the third base job for the Yankees this season, I expect him to be one of the breakout stars of 2018. The power will continue to develop, but Yankee Stadium can help any player develop their power (except Chase Headley apparently). Normally I would say not to set expectations too high for RBIs, because you typically don’t get a lot of chances hitting behind Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez, but this situation may be different. If Andujar wins the job and hits anywhere from seventh to ninth in the order, he may have Didi Gregorius and Aaron Hicks hitting in front of him. Having Gregorius hit at that spot could be like a reset to the lineup, offering a second leadoff man halfway through the lineup with more opportunities for RBIs.

If you would allow a moment for me to let my fandom show, I would appreciate it. See, as a Tigers fan, there isn’t a whole lot to be excited about in 2018. They will be bad. No sugar coating that. There is one bright spot I believe though, and that’s Jeimer Candelario. This kid's swing is as smooth as they come. Quiet, straight to the ball and the ability to drive to all fields. Anyone who hits in front of Miguel Cabrera has a chance to see some very good pitches. Now Cabrera isn’t what he used to be, but I haven’t given up hope yet. Candelario is a flyer in deeper leagues or ones in which you have to start a third baseman and corner infielder. The Tigers believe in Candelario enough to move Castellanos to the outfield, so they must believe he offers upside this year as well.

Tier 7

Jose Reyes, Nick Senzel, Hernan Perez, Adonis Garcia, David Freese, Brandon Drury, Matt Duffy, Chase Headley, Danny Valencia, Cheslor Cuthbert

When you get this late into the draft, you are not looking for starters anymore. You are looking for value and depth. In this tier, you can also grab a lot of flexibility. My favorite players to offer that flexibility are Jose Reyes and Brandon Drury, who have the opportunity to play multiple positions this year in a semi-full time role. They will get a few starts a week playing all over, spelling other full time players and could be a huge factor if someone goes down with an injury.

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