Fantasy Baseball 2017: Top 20 Third Base Rankings

Before I take a look at my early 2017 third base rankings, here are my early catcher, first base and second base rankings, along with early 2017 projections from Dave Morris:

2017 Top 20 Catcher Rankings

Projecting Gary Sanchez for 2017

2017 Top 20 First Base Rankings

Dave Morris' 2017 First Base Projections

2017 Top 20 Second Base Rankings

Dave Morris' 2017 Second Base Projections

Projecting Trea Turner for 2017

2017 Top 20 Shortstop Rankings

Quick Thoughts

Well, Nolan Arenado proved his 2015 breakout was no fluke....and how. I questioned whether he could duplicate his 40 home run production in 2016, but he silenced my critique by hitting .294 with 41 home runs, 116 runs scored and 133 RBI. He is my top fantasy third baseman for 2017 and I see no reason why he can't put up....at the very least.....a 30-35 home run, 100+ RBI, .290 BA season. Remember when he was still a prospect and we questioned how much power he would have. It shows we can't be too quick to place a ceiling on some hitters.

Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner came into the season with questions about the health of his knee, but all he did was go out and put up the best season of his career, and it appears he is getting better and better. A change in his swing has made him one of the best third baseman in the game. He makes a lot of hard contact and more and more of that is in the air, so the power appears to be real. As a Dodgers fan, I would love for the front office to sign him this offseason, as he is a free agent, but he turns 32 years of age around Thanksgiving, and I have a feeling the Dodgers won't overpay for him. That said, he was their best hitter in the playoffs and that could influence them to overpay on a shorter-term deal.

There are several third baseman who probably look to be ranked too low, Alex Bregman, Miguel Sano and maybe even Maikel Franco, but third base has become deep once again. Bregman hit 28 home runs across three levels in 2016, so he has more power than many projected when he was drafted. He should be a mainstay at third base for the Astros for the foreseeable future, but could get time in the outfield once again in 2017. I would not be surprised to see Bregman move into the top 6-8 fantasy third baseman this time next year.

Sano had a disappointing 2016 season from a batting average stand point, and he could improve upon the 25 home runs/66 RBI he put up this season, but that will only come if he can reduce the 36% strikeout rate. He is young enough to make the adjustments and I predict we see reports later in the offseason indicating he is working on tweaking his swing mechanics heading into 2017.

Franco had a solid, yet unspectacular, 2016 season, hitting .255 with 25 home runs and 88 RBI in his 630 plate appearances. One has to think that as the Phillies lineup improves in 2017-2018, his RBI totals should improve as well. Don't sleep on him in 2017 drafts.

One sleeper in these rankings, for me, is Pirates third baseman Jung-ho Kang. He did some bad things off the field during the season, but on the field, and specifically at the plate, he quietly had a very good season at the plate. In just under 400 plate appearances, he hit 21 home runs and drove in 62 runs. Could he be a 30 home run, 100 RBI hitter in 2017?

Early 2017 Third Base Rankings

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