Top 15 Fantasy Third Baseman for 2010: An Early Look

Where do you place David Wright among third baseman heading into 2010 after going as high as No. 3 overall in 2009?  That is the biggest question, but it is far from the only one.  Let’s take a look at where he falls and all the rest in the extremely early going (keep in mind that these are going to be fluid throughout the offseason based on news, transactions and further research):

Tier One

1. Alex Rodriguez - New York Yankees

Tier Two

2. Evan Longoria - Tampa Bay Rays
3. Mark Reynolds - Arizona Diamondbacks
4. David Wright - New York Mets
5. Ryan Zimmerman - Washington Nationals
6. Kevin Youkilis - Boston Red Sox

Tier Three

7. Pablo Sandoval - San Francisco Giants
8. Aramis Ramirez - Chicago Cubs
9. Chone Figgins - Los Angeles Angels

Tier Four

10. Gordon Beckham - Chicago White Sox
11. Chipper Jones - Atlanta Braves
12. Michael Young - Texas Rangers
13. Mark DeRosa - St. Louis Cardinals
14. Jorge Cantu - Florida Marlins
15. Kevin Kouzmanoff - San Diego Padres

Thoughts:

• Evan Longoria may have struggled at times, but there is no arguing with his final numbers. It was hard to imagine him living up to the preseason hype, but he ultimately delivered and has the potential to take that next giant step forward in 2010. He’s a borderline first round pick (click here for an early look of the first round), but probably settles in to the first few picks of the second round.

• Mark Reynolds scares me. I talked about him a bit when we looked at the Top 15 First Baseman (click here to view), but the speed is just not something I can fully buy into. He’s never shown it before, so to take such a quantum leap is hard to declare easily repeatable. As for the power, we all know it’s there but a 26.0 percent HR/FB? He has regression written all over him, but that’s a story for another day. The truth is, while he belongs where he is in the rankings at this point, I’d be hard-pressed to select him as high as it will be required.

• David Wright or Ryan Zimmerman? The decision lies in which David Wright you think will show up. We’ll touch on this match-up later on in the offseason, but I have a hard time pulling the trigger on Zimmerman over Wright at this point.

• Third base is not a position that you generally look to for speed, and that’s the reason that Chone Figgins rarely gets the accolades he rightfully deserves. Being one of just six players to steal over 40 bases should change all that.

• Pablo Sandoval can hit. That’s something we know. Can he maintain his above average BABIP (.353) in the major leagues as well as his power stroke that some have questioned (HR/FB went from 7.7% to 14.0%). Those are the only things keeping him out of Tier Two. If he answers those decisively, this will be the last year you can get him at any type of a discount.

• It has been so long since Michael Young has shown the same type of power he did last season, does anyone really believe he’ll do it again? Honestly, I’d be upset if I got stuck drafting him as my starter. There’s going to be a lot of changes outside of the Top 12, but for now Kevin Kouzmanoff sneaks on here with his solid second half (.274, 41 RBI).  There’s more than half a dozen options, including Casey Blake, Jhonny Peralta, Ian Stewart, Mike Lowell, Brandon Inge, and Adrian Beltre, who could easily supplant him as the offseason progresses.

What are your thoughts on the early rankings?  Who is too high?  Who is too low?  Who was omitted that shouldn’t have been?

Previous Early Rankings:
Catchers
First Baseman
Second Baseman

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM