Fantasy Baseball 2015: Top 30 Third Base Rankings

I updated my Top100 outfielder rankings on New Years Day, and today, I am updating my third base rankings. I was asked why I didn't rank Carlos Santana and Chris Davis in my rankings published back on December 2nd, and frankly, they were an oversight on my part.

Since publishing those rankings, we have heard that the Diamondbacks are pondering trying recently signed Yasmany Tomas at third base in spring training in an attempt to see if he can handle the position. If not, they will have a brutal outfield with Tomas and Mark Trumbo flanking A.J. Pollock in center field. So, I have ranked Tomas in my recent Top 100 Outfielder Rankings, as well as my third base rankings.

Yasmany Tomas, Diamondbacks

Tomas has excellent power, but there are plenty of questions as to what kind of hitter he will be in the major leagues. I have read some reports indicating he will be a high power, low batting average type hitter, so fantasy owners are hoping those reports are inaccurate. Here is an excerpt from scouting report from FanGraphs' Kiley McDaniel back in late September before he signed with the Diamondbacks:

The carrying tool here is raw power, which draws anywhere from 60 to 70 grades on the 20-80 scale from scouts, but the question mark is how much he will hit.  Tomas has a short bat path for a power hitter and quick hands that move through the zone quickly.  The tools are here for at least an average hitter, but Tomas' plate discipline has been questioned and he can sometimes sell out for pull power in games (here's video of a particularly long homer in the WBC).  Some scouts think it's more of a 40-45 bat (.240 to .250 average) that may keep Tomas from getting to all of his raw power in games, while others see a soon-to-be-24-year-old with the tools to hit and think the hot streak of Cuban hitters in the big leagues will continue with him.

We will learn more about his hit tool in spring training. I ranked him right behind another power hitting third baseman with a questionable hit tool, Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez, as both appear to have similar fantasy profiles.

Chris Davis, Orioles

Orioles first baseman/third baseman Chris Davis was suspended for 25 games last season due to his use of Adderall, which he is now allowed to take due to a special exemption. Davis struggled at the plate in 2014, hitting just .196-.300-.404 with 26 home runs, 65 runs scored and 72 RBI in 525 plate appearances.

Davis saw his walk and strikeout rates rise to career highs, but his .242 batting average of balls in play was the lowest of his career, so I see a nice bounce back from him in 2015. I ranked him as my #10 fantasy third baseman for 2015, as his batting average should return to at least the .250 range, and with that the home runs should be in the 30-35 range.

Carlos Santana, Indians

Santana moved off of catcher in 2014 and put up his best power season since 2011. He hit .231-.365-.427 with 27 home runs, 65 runs scored and 85 RBI in 660 plate appearances. I ranked him as my #8 fantasy third baseman ahead of David Wright, as there is a chance he approaches 30 bombs in 2015. For that to happen, he would need to reduce his pop up rate, and increase his HR/FB percentage, which is in a two year up trend.

Chase Headley, Yankees

The Yankees signed Headley to a four year deal back in December, and I think we could see a nice bump in his power with the move out of Petco to Yankee Stadium. We won't see a return to the 30 home run level, but he has a real shot at 20+ home runs in 2015.

Now let's take a look at my updated Top 30 Third Base Rankings for 2015:

Other 2015 Rankings

If you are looking for my other 2015 position rankings, check out the links below:

Top 30 Catchers for 2015

Top 30 First Baseman for 2015

Top 30 Second Baseman for 2015

Top 30 Shortstops for 2015

Top 100 Outfielders for 2015

Top 100 Starting Pitchers for 2015

Fantasy Rundown

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