Fantasy Baseball: Top 15 Third Basemen for 2011

Mar/11

Third base is one of the shallowest positions, as the rankings are littered with regression risks and question marks.

While there hasn’t been major movement in the third base rankings, there are still a few things to note as we approach the start of the season.

Let’s take a look at how our rankings currently look:

Thoughts:

Kevin Youkilis is not on these rankings, only because he will not be eligible at 3B on draft day. It’s not going to take long, however, so he obviously is worth considering. If he was eligible, he’d come in fifth, so draft him accordingly.
Michael Young’s spot on the rankings is tenuous, at best. He’s going to see time at 1B (Mitch Moreland), 3B (Adrian Beltre) and DH (Mike Napoli), but exactly how much time is anyone’s guess. Should he get traded, things would look significantly differently. At this point, however, I wouldn’t blame anyone for bypassing him altogether.
Can Mark Reynolds rediscover his old form in Baltimore? He’s likely going to be a great source of power, but he’s still going to bring a subpar average with him. To me, he’s a borderline option. Make sure to check out my projection for him by clicking here.
Part of me is still on the fence on who the No. 2 option should be, David Wright or Ryan Zimmerman. Wright’s speed gives him a slight edge, but people would be viewing Zimmerman a lot differently if he had not missed time due to injury in ’10. Don’t be surprised if he goes .300/30/100/100 in ’11.
Even with expected regressions from Jose Bautista and Adrian Beltre, they are still among the better options at the position. That says a lot about the depth and question marks filling these rankings, doesn’t it?
Are you a believer in Pablo Sandoval’s weight loss, helping to lead to a resurgence? Time will certainly tell.

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Kuzul