The third base position is going to give fantasy managers plenty of headaches this season. Outside of catcher, this is the weakest positional group, as there are no more than seven players who managers should be excited to have in their lineup.
Drafters will need to make tough choices when handling third base. Some managers may insist on filling the position early, even if that means that they need to reach a few picks during the initial rounds. The opposite approach is also viable — a manager could wait until the final rounds of their draft, knowing that there is plenty of risk in every third baseman who is ranked eighth or lower at the position.
There is also a lack of diversity within the skill sets at third base, which will be an issue for Roto managers. Aside from José Caballero, every third baseman who is being selected in the majority of leagues past pick 100 has limited speed and therefore draws all of his value from the power and/or batting average categories.
Optimists will see an opportunity to gain an advantage at third base. After all, the weak depth among this group means that managers who correctly determine a late-round sleeper will gain a massive advantage over their competitors.
Here are a few players to either target or avoid.
More positional previews
Proactive picks
Maikel Garcia, Kansas City Royals (Yahoo ADP 83.0)
Garcia’s 2025 breakout season was well-supported by skill improvements. His strikeout rate (12.6%) and walk rate (9.3%) were career-best marks by a wide margin. Both his average exit velocity (91.3 mph) and barrel rate (5.6%) improved as well. By keeping most of his skill gains, the native Venezuelan could be even more effective this year, thanks to the changes to the outfield walls at Kauffman Stadium. And there is room for his steals total to rebound after it dropped by 14 last year.
Colson Montgomery, Chicago White Sox (Yahoo ADP 160.4)
Montgomery showed exciting power potential when he homered 21 times in 71 games during his rookie year. Sure, he isn’t likely to maintain a 45-homer pace during his first full season in the Majors, but he could regress significantly and still justify his current ADP. Montgomery produces oodles of pulled fly balls, which should keep the homers coming while he works on lowering the 29.2% strikeout rate from his rookie year.
Fades
José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians (Yahoo ADP 7.2)
This pick is controversial, as Ramírez is being selected as early as fifth overall in some drafts. I want to be clear that I have no issues with the 33-year-old’s skill set. He’s a legitimate superstar, although I expect some pullback after two consecutive 40-steal seasons. My main issue with drafting Ramírez is my massive distaste for a Guardians lineup that finished 28th in runs scored last year and failed to add significant help in the offseason. I want my Round 1 hitter to be part of an above-average offense.
Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants (Yahoo ADP 144.5)
While Chapman can be a solid accumulator at his position, he offers little more than the third basemen who rank behind him in ADP. The career .240 hitter will likely be a drain on the batting average category. His homer and RBI totals are more likely to be respectable than great, as he tries to overcome the power-suppressing nature of his home park. And although Chapman has swiped 24 bases in the past two seasons, he tallied 11 swipes in his previous seven campaigns and therefore cannot be considered a reliable base stealer for his age-33 season. There are more exciting options at other positions in his ADP range.
Addison Barger, Toronto Blue Jays (Yahoo ADP 190.7)
Barger was one of October’s best stories when he hit .367 with a 1.025 OPS during Toronto’s run to the brink of a World Series title. Unfortunately, the longer sample size from the regular season paints a less-exciting picture. Barger slumped in the second half (.679 OPS), and the lefty slugger struggled against southpaws (.607 OPS) throughout the season. On a deep Toronto roster, he’s likely to be a platoon player who leaves fantasy managers disappointed.
Sleepers
Jorge Polanco, New York Mets (Yahoo ADP 191.8)
Want to wait for a third baseman? This is your guy. Polanco finally stayed healthy, which allowed him to rejuvenate his plate skills and hit .265 with 26 homers and 78 RBI last year. But a bounce-back season isn’t the biggest reason that the 32-year-old tops my sleepers list. By signing a two-year deal with the Mets, Polanco is suddenly locked into one of the best lineup spots in baseball, as his cleanup role behind Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Bo Bichette could lead to a 100-RBI season.
JJ Wetherholt, St. Louis Cardinals (Yahoo ADP 200.0)
One of baseball’s most exciting prospects, Wetherholt has an excellent chance to make the Opening Day roster for the rebuilding Cardinals. And after hitting .306 with 17 homers and 23 steals in 109 minor league games last season, the seventh overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft has proven to have the versatile skill set that fantasy managers covet. Wetherholt is already a favorite for the NL Rookie of the Year award and could be one of this year’s best value picks by producing a 20-20 debut season.
José Caballero, New York Yankees (Yahoo ADP 201.5)
Caballero is an especially good pick in standard Yahoo Roto leagues. After all, the waiver wire is usually fruitful in these contests, which means that managers can finish their drafts with players who have significant immediate value. Such is the case with Caballero, who should be the Yankees starting shortstop until Anthony Volpe returns from a season-opening IL stint. The speedster needed just 314 at-bats to lead the Majors with 49 steals last season, and he could single-handedly put fantasy teams ahead of the pack in swipes while holding a starting role in April.
Carlos Correa, Houston Astros (Yahoo ADP 198.4)
During his best seasons, Correa was often on my “fades” list. After all, he was highly coveted in drafts despite spending significant time on the IL, stealing zero bases and having good-but-not-great contributions in other categories. But the hate for the 31-year-old has gone too far, as he is now going undrafted in most leagues despite having similar plate skills to his prime years and holding a premium spot in a solid lineup. As a last-round pick at a weak position, Correa could hold down the fort early in the season while his manager looks for breakout players on the waiver wire.
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José Ramírez, Guardians
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Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees
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Colson Montgomery, White Sox
You can find our complete third baseman rankings for the 2026 fantasy baseball season here.
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