Check out our latest fantasy baseball draft primer. This article dives into the third base position. Here’s a rundown of the top third basemen in fantasy baseball, including fantasy baseball rankings, tiers and player notes to help guide your fantasy baseball drafts.
- 2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit
- Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings
- Fantasy Baseball Research & Advice
- Fantasy Baseball Average Draft Position (ADP)
Fantasy Baseball Third Basemen Primer: Rankings & Tiers
The third base position has vacillated between being shallow and deep over the last few seasons. The position is fairly strong at the top with decent depth this season, but it has massive drop-offs.
There are a lot of good strategies for drafting third basemen this year. The top of the pool is good but there are several names worth targeting late, which may be more enticing, so you can grab shallower positions at the top of the draft.
Here are my third base tiers for 2025.
Tier 1 & Notes
I think there should be an argument for Jose Ramirez to not only be the top third baseman, but the top overall player in fantasy. He was a home run short of a 40/40 season and has recorded at least 23 home runs and 20 stolen bases in every season since 2017. He is a reliable five-category stud and is easily a top-three player in my fantasy baseball rankings.
Tier 2 & Notes
- Austin Riley (3B – ATL)
- Manny Machado (3B, DH – SD)
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. (3B, OF – NYY)
- Rafael Devers (3B – BOS)
Austin Riley is coming off of a down season, but there isn’t much in the profile that makes me think it wasn’t just a fluke. He is a good in-zone and power hitter in a lineup that should rebound overall. I have faith Riley will bounce back to being the 30+ homer guy we have always known him to be.
You don’t get much safer than Manny Machado. He has hit at least 28 home runs in every season since 2015 and has never had a batting average below .256. He is just an extremely stable asset that will not disappoint you.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. has the highest upside of any third baseman in the game. Last season was the first season of his career where he was able to log 600+ plate appearances. His average draft position (ADP) is being pushed up pretty high, but there is a risk that last season’s health was a fluke and he busts.
Despite a year in which he struggled with nagging injuries, Rafael Devers put up another solid season. He has had four straight years of at least 27 home runs and no worse than a .271 average. I worry a little about the shoulder injury from last season, but he is about as stable as they come.
Tier 3 & Notes
- Mark Vientos (3B – NYM)
- Royce Lewis (3B, DH – MIN)
- Jake Burger (1B, 3B, DH – TEX)
- Alex Bregman (3B – BOS)
Not many hitters in the game have as much power in the bat as Mark Vientos. The problem is he is not a very good in-zone hitter, which leads to a massive strikeout rate and a lot of batting average downside. That said, the Mets seem committed to him as a full-time player. While there is risk, the upside is 40+ home runs.
There may not be a player with more upside and risk than Royce Lewis. In 605 career plate appearances, he has hit .268/.327/.497 with 33 home runs and six stolen bases, but he has yet to even reach 350 plate appearances in a single Major League season due to injury. If he can stay healthy, he is a monster of a player, but the chances of that happening seem slim.
Jake Burger is very similar to Vientos in that he is a top-tier power asset, but he doesn’t have quite the upside or as low of a floor. His move from Miami to Texas should help him as he will be playing in a better park and on a better team. Burger is one of my favorite mid-draft targets.
Alex Bregman is a very high floor player, but he has a limited ceiling. The move to Boston is pretty lateral for him in terms of team and park, but the chance he could pick up second base eligibility makes him very interesting.
Tier 4 & Notes
- Matt Chapman (3B – SF)
- Eugenio Suarez (3B – ARI)
- Luis Rengifo (2B, 3B – LAA)
- Junior Caminero (3B – TB)
- Alec Bohm (1B, 3B – PHI)
I don’t expect Matt Chapman to steal double-digit bases again, but he is a pretty safe accumulator with power on a team that will always bat him high in the lineup.
Eugenio Suarez is about as underrated as players get. He has hit 30 home runs in six of his last seven seasons and is coming off of a season with his best strikeout rate since 2018. He hits in the middle of a fantastic lineup and goes way too late in drafts.
Luis Rengifo has some risk because he has struggled with playing time due to injuries and the organization not giving him a real chance. He should have the role at second base locked down this season and is a 30-stolen-base threat with some power and a decent hit tool.
Junior Caminero is shooting up ADP and for good reason. He is a top-tier prospect who is just 21 years old with a ton of power and a great hit tool. However, he has struggled to elevate the ball and while he definitely could break out, you are paying for that before it has happened. I want to believe this will be a huge year for him, but the cost is just too expensive for the risk.
Alec Bohm is a perfectly boring accumulator. He will play every day and give you some power with a decent average, but he has never been able to elevate the ball the way he needs to for him to take that next step. At this point, it is hard to believe he ever will.
Tier 5 & Notes
- Nolan Arenado (3B – STL)
- Maikel Garcia (2B, 3B – KC)
- Max Muncy (3B – LAD)
- Isaac Paredes (1B, 3B – HOU
- Jordan Westburg (2B, 3B – BAL)
- Josh Jung (3B – TEX)
Nolan Arenado is clearly past his prime but is a bit underrated. He is going to play every day in St Louis and there is still some upside in a rebound for him. At worst, he is an accumulator, but the upside is returning to 25-30 bombs.
Maikel Garica gets a bad rap that he isn’t very good, but that is more about people having higher expectations for him that were unrealized. He was unlucky in the batting average department and while there isn’t much power, there is a ton of speed and the team around him is getting better.
Max Muncy missed a lot of the season last year recovering from injury, but when he was on the field, he was the high-power, low-average hitter we have always known. If you need cheap power or are in an on-base percentage (OBP) league, he is exactly what you want for your team.
Isaac Paredes is being overlooked. He struggled when he moved to Chicago last season, but his move to Houston is exactly what he needs to rebound. The dimensions of Houston’s park are perfect for Paredes’ pull-happy approach. His expected home runs (xHR) in Houston last season would have been 26. He should have a nice year hitting in a good spot in the Astros’ lineup.
Jordan Westburg is shooting up draft boards. It has to do with a nice rookie season and the Orioles moving in the left-field fence. That said, he is more of an accumulator. While there is nothing wrong with that, his current price is paying up for a player with limited upside.
Josh Jung still has the talent that made him a top-50 prospect at one point, but he has struggled with staying healthy for years. If he can stay healthy this season, he could be a 25-30 home run hitter in a great lineup, but it is hard to bet on that until we see it.
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