Fantasy Baseball 2013 Head-to-Head Points League Rankings: Third Base

Last Thursday, I released my top 20 shortstops in Head-to-Head Points leagues. Today I do the same, giving you my top 20 third basemen. (Go here for my top 20 second basemen, here for my top 20 first basemen, and here for my top 20 catchers. For the rest of the week, I'll be releasing my top 50 outfielders and top 150 hitters overall.)

Miguel Cabrera ran away with the points' title at third base with 597 points, beating his next closest competitor, Adrian Beltre, by a whopping 106 points. But there's more: the Triple-Crown MVP led all hitters in 2012, edging out the second-place finisher (yet to be named) by 56 points. Cabrera's 106-point victory represented the biggest margin at any position.

Third base looks to be deep this year. You'll find the usual suspects at the top with Miggy, David Wright, Beltre and Evan Longoria, but there's talent to be found up and down the list, from Ryan Zimmerman at No. 6 to Mike Moustakas at No. 14. And Alex Rodriguez didn't even make my top 20!

As a reminder, scoring in points leagues is one point for every base, run, RBI, walk and stolen base, and minus-one point for every strikeout.

Here are my top 20 third basemen in H2H Points leagues:

Cabrera has averaged 579 points over the last three seasons. Enough said...Wright went 20/15 with 91 runs and 93 RBI in 2012. I think he clears 25/15 in 2013...Beltre, at age 33, is one of the league's most productive players. He's averaged 32 home runs and 103 RBI the last three years, and he's good for 30/100 more...Longoria is someone I probably won't be drafting. He has big potential, but there's obvious downside too. I'm not sure he hits more than 25 home runs if fully healthy...Aramis Ramirez hit 27 home runs with 103 RBI in 2012. He's legit if you didn't know...Zimmerman is close behind Ramirez. He hit 20 of his 25 home runs after July 1. Injury is the only concern...Hanley Ramirez was my No. 5 third baseman. Trends in his strikeout and walk rates are concerning...Headley broke out in a big way in 2012, but I'm certain he won't hit 30-plus home runs again...Sandoval scored 471 points when he hit 25 home runs with 79 runs and 90 RBI in 2009. I think he can hit those marks again...Prado, now with the Diamondbacks, does a little bit of everything, but I like him better as a second or third outfielder...Freese is not someone I'm high on. There's not a high ceiling there...Lawrie was a disappointment in 2012 for those expecting mini Ryan Braun. It may take awhile for the power to show, but 15/15 is a possibility...Machado is another guy I could see going 15/15, but it's a little less likely. His 4.5% walk rate should come up significantly...Moustakas hit 20 home runs in 2012, and I think he has a legit shot at 25 in 2013...Seager nearly went 20/15 with 20 home runs and 13 steals in 2012. I think 20 home runs is about right, but I expect his batting average to come up from .259...Frazier made an early case for NL Rookie of the Year in 2012. I think he hits about 18 home runs and drives in 75...Middlebrooks and Alvarez could both hit 30 home runs, but they strike out way too much for me...Youkilis hit .235 between the Red Sox and White Sox last year. I see him hitting .250 with close to 20 home runs in 2013...Young had an ISO of 0.93 in 2012. At age 36, he's in an obvious decline.

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