9 Players Experts Draft: Third Basemen (2024 Fantasy Baseball)

When preparing for your fantasy baseball drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy baseball rankings compared to average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. Let’s dive into a few notable players below.

2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Advice

Rank	Player	Team	Positions	Best	Worst	Avg	Std Dev	ADP	vs. ADP
48	Royce Lewis	MIN	3B	39	80	52.6	9.2	56	8
102	Josh Jung	TEX	3B	78	161	105.6	20.6	113	11
151	Alec Bohm	PHI	1B,3B	102	235	154.9	22.5	157	6
167	Ke’Bryan Hayes	PIT	3B	114	236	167.7	25.7	179	12
192	Jeimer Candelario	CIN	1B,3B	147	246	195	17.9	207	15
214	Matt Chapman	SF	3B	157	282	216.2	23.3	267	53
221	Maikel Garcia	KC	3B	150	265	223.1	23.1	248	27
222	Ryan McMahon	COL	2B,3B	177	278	224.3	21.8	229	7
248	Eugenio Suarez	ARI	3B	174	289	247.8	25.6	254	6

What is Fantasy Baseball?

Fantasy baseball is an online game where participants act as managers of virtual baseball teams based on real-life Major League Baseball (MLB) players. The performance of these players in actual games determines the results in the fantasy league. It’s a blend of skill, strategy, and a little bit of luck, akin to the real-world decisions team managers must make.

Basic Strategy for Fantasy Baseball Success

1. Understand Your League’s Format and Scoring

Before drafting your team, it’s essential to understand the scoring system and rules of your specific league, as this will influence your drafting and management strategy. Knowing whether you’re in a points-based, category-based, or head-to-head league will guide you in selecting players whose strengths align with the scoring system.

2. Drafting Your Team Wisely

A solid draft is the foundation of a successful season. Here are a few tips for the drafting phase:

Balanced Team: Ensure you have a balanced team with a mix of power hitters, average hitters, speedsters, starting pitchers, and relievers.
Position Scarcity: Be aware of the depth of talent at each position. Some positions, like shortstop, may have fewer high-quality players, making it beneficial to draft a top player at that position early.
High-Floor Players: Early in the draft, focus on players with a proven track record of consistency.
Upside Picks: In the later rounds, look for “upside” players. These are athletes who have the potential to outperform their draft position.

3. In-Season Management

Stay Active: Constantly look for ways to improve your team through waivers, trades, and free-agent pickups.
Mind the Matchups: Pay attention to player matchups, platoon splits, and ballparks. Starting a pitcher in a hitter-friendly park, for example, can be risky.
Injury Management: Stay on top of player injuries and have backups ready for your key players.