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Welcome officially to the 2022 fantasy baseball season! Now that an MLB deal is in place, a lot more fantasy drafts will be taking place -- and we're here as always to guide you through it. Once you reach the late rounds of drafts, everyone is looking to draft players with upside that can provide a great return on value. You can afford to start taking a risk or two on a variety of different players, including emerging prospects, overlooked veterans, players returning from injury, or even talented players who may have some playing time concerns. The early rounds are critical and the middle rounds shape the core of your starting squad, but the late rounds are where you have the opportunity to select hidden gems who can play a huge role for your fantasy team.
Today, we're looking at some late-round third basemen for you to consider drafting in your season-long leagues this season. Are their ADPs undervalued? Will they make significant fantasy contributions and become a late-round sleeper draft target that you're going to want to prioritize? Read on to see our take.
Our editors have hand-picked these specific MLB players for your draft prep enjoyment. Normally only available to Premium subscribers, the five outlooks below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2022 Draft Kit. Be sure to subscribe today and start reading all of our in-depth 2022 player outlooks, and many other premium articles and tools, available exclusively in our 2022 Draft Kit.
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Eugenio Suarez, Cincinnati Reds
The 2021 season was terrible for Eugenio Suarez, who hit just .198 in his 574 plate appearances and found himself in a platoon situation for much of the year. His strikeout rate stayed sky high (29.8%) and the walk rate (9.8%) was the worst he has posted since 2016. The two redeeming qualities of his 2021 season were the home runs (31 with a very strong 18.5 PA/HR rate), and his late-season surge (he slugged .808 with eight homers and an improved 25% K% in September/October). That gives Suarez hope for staying relevant in the fantasy game as a guy that can contribute to homers and RBI.
Jesse Winker along with Suarez was traded to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Justin Dunn, Brandon Williamson, and Jake Fraley during Spring Training. Suarez will be entrenched as Seattle's new starting third baseman and replace the recently retired Kyle Seager. He becomes a potentially attractive option in 2022 drafts for cheap. With the ADP plummeting to 210, the slow-footed 30-year-old can be drafted as a late-round HR/RBI specialist, but just be sure your team can withstand the massive blow he will deliver to your team's batting average.
-- Jon Anderson - RotoBaller
Jeimer Candelario, Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers' third baseman Jeimer Candelario may not be the most exciting draft pick in the world, but he is far from the worst selection to make on draft day. The 28-year-old switch hitter finished 2021 with a .271/.351/.443 slash line with 16 HR, 67 RBI, and 75 Runs. While again, that may not be eye-popping, there are some numbers from 2021 that are worth a look. He had 42 doubles last season, tied with Bryce Harper, J.D. Martinez, and Whit Merrifield for most in the league. From July 1st to the end of the season, he hit .280 with an even higher .301 expected batting average and 12 HRs. The 28-year-old also had a .373 WOBA and 138 WRC+, which put him at an elite level at that time. Obviously, we don't play half of a season, but Candelario has shown the ability to hit for average and get on base in the past (.297 BA and .369 OBP in 2020).
His current ADP of around 300 means you are drafting him assuming he's not going to repeat his second-half production for an entire season, but what if he does? ATC projects the Tigers' third baseman to slash .257/.342/.440 with 20 home runs, 69 RBI, 72 runs scored, and a stolen base over 607 plate appearances. Candelario should be an interesting potential sleeper at his ADP and minimally serve as a good source of batting average and on-base percentage. With an improved Tigers lineup seemingly on the way, there is definitely potential for a breakout.
--Vince DiSilvio - RotoBaller
Josh Rojas, Arizona Diamondbacks
Josh Rojas put together a solid season for the woeful Arizona Diamondbacks in 2021, slashing .264/.341/.411 with 11 HR and nine steals across 550 PAs. His 27.8 FB%, middling 11.3% HR/FB, and 4.8% rate of Brls/BBE suggest that Rojas offers little power upside for fantasy managers, but his legs could do more. He swiped 38 bases in 2018 between two minor league stops with a 73% success rate and 37 in 2019 across four stops with a 76% success rate. That said, more steals are not a given. Rojas's 27.6 ft./sec Statcast sprint speed was more good than great last season, and he might settle in the 10-20 SB range instead of the lofty totals he put up on the farm.
Even still, he projects to hit leadoff for a lineup that has nowhere to go but up, making Rojas a good source of runs. He also qualifies at 2B (55 games), SS (42), and OF (55) in all formats, with the possibility of 3B (14) depending on your league's settings. Rojas figures to be the club's everyday third baseman in 2022, so he'll earn eligibility there if he doesn't start with it. The ability to contribute a little of everything at multiple positions with a little upside makes Rojas a great target for your bench, especially considering his affordable ADP of 229.84.
-- Rick Lucks - RotoBaller
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