The third base position is going to cause a lot of trouble for fantasy managers this season. Outside of receiver, this is the weakest position group, as there are no more than seven players the coaching staff should be excited about.
Drafters have a tough choice to make when dealing with third base. Some managers may insist on filling the position early, even if it means they need to acquire some draft picks in the early rounds. The opposite approach is also possible – a manager could wait until the late rounds of the draft, knowing that every third baseman ranked eighth or lower at the position carries significant risk.
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There’s also a lack of skill variety at third base, which will be a problem for Roto managers. With the exception of Jose Caballero, every third baseman drafted over 100 in most leagues has limited velocity, so all of his value comes from power and/or batting average categories.
Optimists will see an opportunity to gain ground at third base. After all, the lack of depth in this group means managers who correctly identify late sleepers will gain a huge advantage over their competitors.
Here are some players to target or avoid.
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active choice
Mike Garcia, Kansas City Royals (Yahoo ADP 83.0)
Garcia’s breakout season in 2025 will be bolstered by technological advancements. His strikeout rate (12.6%) and walk rate (9.3%) both hit career highs by a wide margin. His average exit velocity (91.3 mph) and barrel rate (5.6 percent) also improved. The Venezuela native retains much of his skill set and could be even more effective this year thanks to changes to the outfield wall at Kauffman Stadium. His steal total has room to rebound after dropping 14 last year.
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Colson Montgomery, Chicago White Sox (Yahoo ADP 160.4)
Montgomery hit 21 home runs in 71 games during his rookie season, showing exciting power potential. Of course, he’s unlikely to maintain that 45-homer pace in his first full season in the majors, but he could regress significantly and still justify his current ADP. Montgomery can hit a lot of fly balls, which should allow him to continue hitting home runs while trying to lower his 29.2% strikeout rate in his rookie year.
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Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians (Yahoo ADP 7.2)
This pick is controversial because Ramirez has been selected as early as fifth overall in some drafts. I want to be clear that I have no doubts about the 33-year-old’s skills. He’s a true superstar, although I expect him to take a step back after two consecutive 40-steal seasons. My main issue with picking Ramirez is that I’m absolutely disgusted with the Guardians’ roster, which ranked 28th in scoring last year and failed to provide significant help this offseason. I want my first-round hitters to be part of an above-average offense.
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Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants (Yahoo ADP 144.5)
While Chapman could be a solid multi-base hitter at his position, he offers little more than the third baseman behind him in ADP. The career .240 hitter will likely put a dent in his batting average. His home run and RBI totals are more likely to be respectable than great as he attempts to overcome the power-suppressing nature of his hometown park. Although Chapman stole 24 bases over the past two seasons, he had stolen a total of 11 bases in the previous seven seasons and therefore could not be considered a reliable base stealer in his age-33 season. There are more exciting options at other positions within his ADP range.
Addison Bugg, Toronto Blue Jays (Yahoo ADP 190.7)
Bugg was one of the best stories of October, hitting .367 with a 1.025 OPS as Toronto surged toward the brink of a World Series title. Unfortunately, the longer sample size of the regular season paints a less than exciting picture. Bugger struggled in the second half (.679 OPS) and the southpaw has struggled against lefties all season (.607 OPS). In Toronto’s lineup, he’s likely to be a platoon player who disappoints fantasy managers.
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sleeper
Jorge Polanco, New York Mets (Yahoo ADP 191.8)
Want to wait for the third baseman? This is your guy. Polanco eventually stayed healthy, which revitalized his skills at the plate and hit .265 with 26 homers and 78 RBIs last year. But a bounce-back season isn’t the biggest reason the 32-year-old ranks high on my list of sleepers. By signing a two-year deal with the Mets, Polanco is suddenly locked into one of the best lineups 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)
Weatherholt is one of the most exciting prospects in baseball, and he has an excellent chance to make the Opening Day roster for the rebuilding Cardinals. After hitting .306 with 17 home runs and 23 steals in 109 minor league games last season, the seventh overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft has proven to have the versatility that fantasy managers can only dream of. Weatherholt is already a favorite for the National League Rookie of the Year award and could become one of this year’s most valuable rookies with a 20-20 record in his first season.
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Jose Caballero, New York Yankees (Yahoo ADP 201.5)
In the standard Yahoo Roto league, Caballero is an especially good choice. After all, the waiver wire is typically productive in these games, meaning head coaches can complete the draft with players of significant immediate value. That’s the case for Caballero, who should be the Yankees’ starting shortstop until Anthony Volpe returns from the season opener at Illinois. The speedster led the majors with 49 steals last season in just 314 at-bats, and he could single-handedly give Fantasy the lead in hits while assuming a starting role in April.
Carlos Correa, Houston Astros (Yahoo ADP 198.4)
During his best season, Correa was often on my “fade out” list. After all, he was highly coveted in the draft despite spending a lot of time on the IL, stealing zero bases and making decent but not huge contributions in other categories. But the hatred for the 31-year-old has gone too far, and despite possessing rebounding skills similar to those in his prime and a role in solid lineups, he’s now undrafted in most leagues. As a late-round underdog, Correa could hold the line early in the season while his manager searched for breakout players on the waiver wire.
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Jose Ramirez, “Guardians”
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Sir 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.
