Fantasy Baseball 2012: Early Third Base Rankings

by Robert L. Bishop on Nov 14, 2011 9:01 AM EST in 2012 Fantasy Baseball Position Rankings

Fake Teams' early look at positional rankings continues this week with a look at third base. Check out the previous positional breakdowns:

Catcher: Initial, In-Depth with Profiles

First Base: Initial, In-Depth with Profiles

Second Base: Initial, In-Depth with Profiles

Third base was a very shallow position in 2011 and should continue to be so in 2012, but there is still value to be found in the back end of these ranks. One potential point of contention I see is my relatively low ranking of Brett Lawrie at #9. As I'll explain tomorrow, when the more in-depth version of this article is published, second year players that put up a good showing at the end of a previous year will almost always be overvalued in drafts. Lawrie looks like the real deal, but he represents a risk, so I've placed him behind several more established players.

Feel free to air grievances, lavish praises, or ask questions in the comment section, and I'll reply to them as best as I can. Early third base ranks are after the jump.

1. Jose Bautista, TOR

2. Evan Longoria, TB

3. Adrian Beltre, TEX

4. Ryan Zimmerman, WAS

5. David Wright, NYM

6. Aramis Ramirez, FA

7. Alex Rodriguez, NYY

8. Kevin Youkilis, BOS

9. Brett Lawrie, TOR

10. Pablo Sandoval, SF

11. Michael Young, TEX

12. Mark Reynolds, BAL

13. Ryan Roberts, ARI

14. Mike Moustakas, KC

15. Chipper Jones, ATL

16. David Freese, STL

17. Chase Headley, SD

18. Martin Prado, ATL

19. Edwin Encarnacion, TOR

20. Daniel Murphy, NYM

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Comments

Thoughts on Chisenhall.

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by Jeff Zimmerman on Nov 14, 2011 10:34 AM EST reply actions

I had him at 21

Like Lawrie and Moustakas, I bumped him down for his second-year status. He really struggled to hit for power against righties and that BB/K (0.16) is awful. That’s not to say he won’t turn it around, but I’m not betting on it. Even if he does, he doesn’t have the ceiling of the other two.

It wouldn’t bother me if somebody ranked him in the 17-20 range. I’m just not there right now.

Coming Home Newcastle
Fake Teams

by Robert L. Bishop on Nov 14, 2011 11:17 AM EST up reply actions

I am not sure

I would rank them any differently. 3-5 are interchangeable as are 6-10.

Stories of ARod starting workouts earlier than usual will spur some to rank him higher, but I think his ranking is about right. ARam could drop depending on where he signs.
Wright is a big question mark as we won’t know how he returns from the back injury.

Lawrie has a good shot at jumping into the top 5-6 in 2012, but I have no issue with being conservative here.

Ray Guilfoyle
www.faketeams.com
www.minorleagueball.com
www.mlbdailydish.com

by Ray Guilfoyle on Nov 14, 2011 12:46 PM EST reply actions

Thanks, Ray

I agree that 3-5 are interchangeable. I’m very high on Zimmerman and thought about putting him at 3. Ramirez’s ranking will almost certainly change when he signs with somebody. Best case scenario for him is a park that amplifies power for right-handed pull hitters.

Coming Home Newcastle
Fake Teams

by Robert L. Bishop on Nov 14, 2011 1:00 PM EST up reply actions

ARam

agreed….if Colorado decides they are done with the Ian Stewart project and adds the power hitter they need behind Tulo and CarGo, he could move up to 4 in my opinion.

Ray Guilfoyle
www.faketeams.com
www.minorleagueball.com
www.mlbdailydish.com

by Ray Guilfoyle on Nov 14, 2011 1:12 PM EST up reply actions

Little low on Lawrie for my tastes

Would slot him in just ahead of Wright. The people in front of him currently have basically the same upside. The downside is there with Lawrie but it is also there with Rodriguez, Wright, Youkilis, and Ramirez, seeing as they are all injury prone or just extremely old. Lawrie is a hell of a talent.

by dudedudedude on Nov 14, 2011 1:28 PM EST reply actions