Beyond our fantasy baseball content, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Baseball Tools as you prepare for your draft this season. From our free mock Draft Simulator – which allows you to mock draft against realistic opponents – to our Cheat Sheet Creator – which allows you to combine rankings from 100+ experts into one cheat sheet – we’ve got you covered this fantasy baseball draft season.
While the delay to the start of the MLB season is hard on everyone, it does allow for deeper dives into different aspects of fantasy baseball. You’ll notice that we’re doing this on a team-by-team and player-by-player basis with a pair of series we’ve put together. Additionally, we’re going to examine fantasy baseball on a round-by-round basis, covering 12 players per article and providing you a plethora of info specific to each fantasy baseball round.
We’ll get things started with Round 3. You can find the complete series here.
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Round 3 Player List
| Rank | Player | Team | Positions |
| 25 | Shane Bieber | CLE | SP |
| 26 | Javier Baez | CHC | SS |
| 27 | Xander Bogaerts | BOS | SS |
| 28 | Justin Verlander | HOU | SP |
| 29 | Stephen Strasburg | WSH | SP |
| 30 | Charlie Blackmon | COL | CF,RF |
| 31 | Yordan Alvarez | HOU | LF,DH |
| 32 | Jose Altuve | HOU | 2B |
| 33 | Pete Alonso | NYM | 1B |
| 34 | Austin Meadows | TB | LF,RF,DH |
| 35 | Ozzie Albies | ATL | 2B |
| 36 | Mike Clevinger | CLE | SP |
Expert Analysis*
| EXPERT | VALUE | RISK | STUDS | BUSTS | |
| Jarad Evans | @Jarad_Evans | 8 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
| Andrew Gould | @AndrewGould4 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Jon Anderson | @JonPGH | 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Mario Mergola | @MarioMergola | 9 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Carmen Maiorano | @carmsclubhouse | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Bobby Sylvester | @bobbyfantasypro | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Dan Harris | @danharris80 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
*Value: A total assigned to how the overall fantasy value of the round compares with other rounds relative to ADP/ECR (10 = most value : 1 = least value); Risk: A total assigned to how much potential risk exists compared with other rounds (10 = most risk : 1 = least risk); Studs: the number of potential league-winning players that can be found in the round; Busts: the number of potential busts that can be found in the round.
Q1. Who has the most league-winning potential of any Round 3 fantasy pick?
| EXPERT | PICK |
| Jarad Evans | Justin Verlander |
| Andrew Gould | Yordan Alvarez |
| Jon Anderson | Yordan Alvarez |
| Mario Mergola | Mike Clevinger |
| Carmen Maiorano | Charlie Blackmon |
| Bobby Sylvester | Yordan Alvarez |
| Dan Harris | Justin Verlander |
Q2. Who has the biggest bust potential of any Round 3 fantasy pick?
| EXPERT | PICK |
| Jarad Evans | Yordan Alvarez |
| Andrew Gould | Justin Verlander |
| Jon Anderson | Pete Alonso |
| Mario Mergola | Shane Bieber |
| Carmen Maiorano | Stephen Strasburg |
| Bobby Sylvester | Austin Meadows |
| Dan Harris | Austin Meadows |
Q3. What is your general strategy tip for Round 3?
By Round 3, it’s time to really consider roster construction because you don’t want to be chasing categories in the middle rounds, where value will be more apparent. If you need a starting pitcher, there are four great options available. If you need power or speed, grab it now. All these players contribute in multiple categories, and the ranking distribution is relatively even.
– Jarad Evans (@Jarad_Evans)
This is shaping up to be a strange round. I’m not in love with any of the hitters here, but the pitchers all come with major health question marks. Safety falls by the wayside rather quickly in this landscape, which is why I gravitate toward the middle infielders (Altuve, Bogaerts, Albies, and Baez, in that order) as my preferred targets.
– Andrew Gould (@AndrewGould4)
If you go hitter-hitter in the first two rounds, it’s pitcher time. Starting a pitching staff with a Bieber, Verlander, Strasburg, or Clevinger is a perfectly fine way to go after grabbing two super stud hitters. I would still like to play conservatively in this round, you won’t find me going Bogaerts, Altuve, Alonso, or Meadows in this round just because of the uncertainty. Give me one of these aces or a really high floor guy like Charlie Blackmon.
– Jon Anderson (@JonPGH)
Assuming you haven’t forced your hand in the third round — by already taking two pitchers or two hitters — then value is paramount here. There will be value. It’s just a matter of projecting ahead. Typically, at least two players worthy of a second-round pick have fallen, so consider them first. Otherwise, set your sights on the fourth round, and consider how your team could look if you aim for a specific category.
– Mario Mergola (@MarioMergola)
I have Charlie Blackmon ranked inside the top-15 overall, so I am taking him regardless of “need” in this round. If he’s not there, and I’ve gone hitter-hitter, I’ll take Verlander, Clevinger, or Bieber. If I took a pitcher in one of the first two rounds and Blackmon is gone, I’m looking at one of the elite shortstops here. While second base is scarce, I won’t reach for Albies here.
– Carmen Maiorano (@carmsclubhouse)
In almost all cases this season, I’ll be leaving Round 3 with one of Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, Clayton Kershaw, or Yordan Alvarez. While the other players are excellent, there is a big drop off between those four and the others unless Justin Verlander is back healthy before your draft date.
– Bobby Sylvester (@bobbyfantasypro)
The third round is where things start getting a little weird. There aren’t many players that you’re overly excited to take, but there isn’t much risk, either. If Verlander is there, you take him at this point, because he’ll likely be 100% by Opening Day. But otherwise, just continue to draft the best player in this round without worrying too much about position.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)
Complete Round-by-Round Fantasy Baseball Draft Analysis
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