8 Third Basemen Experts Draft (2026 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 Third Basemen experts are targeting in drafts.

Fantasy Baseball Draft Targets Experts Love: Third Basemen

Here are players fantasy baseball experts rank well above their current consensus ADP.

RK	PLAYER NAME	TEAM	POS	BEST	WORST	AVG.	STD.DEV	ECR VS. ADP
52	Austin Riley	ATL	3B4	37	90	58	10	10
84	Eugenio Suarez	CIN	3B5	41	118	86.9	14.5	6
131	Matt Chapman	SF	3B7	88	198	134.4	23.5	10
184	Royce Lewis	MIN	3B9	153	256	194.7	22.9	27
189	Addison Barger	TOR	3B10	149	292	198.7	32	9
237	Alec Bohm	PHI	3B13	137	299	232.7	31.9	10
269	Brett Baty	NYM	3B16	177	341	263.9	34.6	47
282	Matt Shaw	CHC	3B18	172	568	287.1	81	14

If you’re looking for candidates for Comeback Player of the Year, Austin Riley should probably be on it. Riley’s age-28 season was cut short by an abdominal injury that cost him almost one-third of the season, sapped his power, and caused his strikeout rate to jump to 28.6%. It was his second injury-shortened year in a row, but the underlying metrics suggest the bounceback is coming. Riley still had an elite 15.2% barrel rate and 50.2% HardHit rate, and his xSLG was 30 points higher than actual. Assuming he is able to return to the player he was from 2021-2023, expect another 30 home runs and 90 runs/RBIs. He should be the fourth third baseman off the board, and you can get him much later than the other three, making him a borderline early-round sleeper candidate.

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.