Fantasy Third Base 18-25

Sep 24, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2) tosses his bat as he watches his two-run double against the Tampa Bay Rays during the fourth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

The number before each third baseman’s name represents their overall rank in the 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings.

18. #191 Pedro Alvarez Pittsburgh Pirates

Pedro Alvarez will be shifting to first base this year, but he still has third base eligibility and major power. Despite a down year in 2014, Alvarez did manage the best K/BB of his career with a .40. While Alvarez will always struggle to get on base, he is the cheapest option for big time power outside of Ryan Howard or Mark Teixeira.

19. #192 Xander Bogaerts Boston Red Sox (also SS eligible)

Bogaerts was certainly a disappointment from a fantasy standpoint in 2014, but he is only 22. While he may not be a strong fantasy option this year or even next year, he was a top prospect for a reason. I would probably look elsewhere for a 3B, but he has serious potential in a keeper league.

20. #217 Nick Castellanos Detroit Tigers

I think Castellanos could be ready for a fantasy breakout before Bogaerts because he is a year older, but both players are better reserved for very deep leagues or keepers. There is no doubt that both players have bright fantasy futures, and they need to be followed closely to see when the breakout happens.

21. #218 Brett Lawrie Oakland A’s (also 2B eligible)

I wrote about Brett Lawrie in the article called Fantasy Second Base 18-25.

22. #219 Trevor Plouffe Minnesota Twins

Trevor Plouffe will provide pretty average numbers across the board. He has decent power with 52 homers in his last three seasons. Even with his respectable power, Plouffe should just be used as a bench bat or a streaming option.

23. #257 Chase Headley New York Yankees

Headley has hit 13 homers in each of the last two seasons, but that number has a chance to go up for the switch hitter who will spend a full year in New Yankee Stadium. His BABIP was only .301 despite a 27.4% line drive rate, so I fully expect his average to be better than the .243 BA he had in 2014. While I am a little skeptical of Headley, some people think he could go 70/20/70/10/.260, which means he would be worth way more than my ranking of him.

24. Not ranked Mike Moustakas Kansas City Royals

Mike Moustakas single-handedly makes the case that Spring Training stats do not mean much. If Spring Training was a perfect indicator of the regular season, then Moustakas would be the first Mike drafted in fantasy baseball leagues.

25. Not ranked Lonnie Chisenhall Cleveland Indians

I think Chisenhall took advantage of being a full-time player with career bests in every fantasy category. His ceiling is still fairly limited, but he is a serviceable bench option if you really need a replacement 3B. I would guess that Lonnie Chisenhall ends up being a fairly common option for streams this year.