by 2012 Rankings: C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP | RP | 
Cheatsheet
2012 Fantasy Baseball Third Base Rankings Outlook:
What a difference a year a makes, third base was a shallow position last year and coming into this season it seems as it is stacked with talent. Cabrera and Hanley moving to third makes this position so deep and pairing them with Bautista and Longoria also makes them one of the most talented as well. One can argue that there is a solid 10 players in this position and that doesn’t even include the bounce back potential of Kevin Youkilis or the upside of guys like Moustakas, Morel, and Freese.
One guy we have to touch on is Brett Lawrie. He has been touted a great prospect for years and in 150 at bats last season he certainly lived up to the hype and he has fantasy owners drooling. We are big fans as well, however the sleeper or breakout star tag is getting too be a little out of control with Lawrie’s average draft position moving higher and higher with each passing day. If you can grab him at the right spot do it, however with the position so deep there is no reason to reach 2 to 4 rounds early than you need to secure a guy like Lawrie.
Draft-Day Advice: It really is amazing how much deeper this position got which means there is no reason to reach on getting this spot filled on your team. With that said there is also no reason to intentionally neglect drafting a third baseman and waiting till the end of your draft to grab one.
The following are our 2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, which are based on standard 5×5 scoring and take into account projected stats as well as upside and risk. Offensive categories include BA, HRs, Runs, RBIs, and SBs. Pitching categories are Wins, ERA, WHIP, Ks, and Saves. Although several players are eligible at multiple positions, they are listed at the position that they will most likely play the most in 2012. All leagues have different position eligibility requirements so be sure to check your settings before draft day.
| Rank | Tier | Player | Tm | AB | H | AVG | HR | R | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Miguel Cabrera | DET | 572 | 197 | 0.344 | 30 | 111 | 105 | 2 |
| 2 | 1 | Jose Bautista | TOR | 513 | 155 | 0.302 | 43 | 105 | 103 | 9 |
| 3 | 2 | Hanley Ramirez | FLA | 338 | 82 | 0.243 | 10 | 55 | 45 | 20 |
| 4 | 2 | Evan Longoria | TB | 483 | 118 | 0.244 | 31 | 78 | 99 | 3 |
| 5 | 2 | Pablo Sandoval | SF | 426 | 134 | 0.315 | 23 | 55 | 70 | 2 |
| 6 | 2 | David Wright | NYM | 389 | 99 | 0.254 | 14 | 60 | 61 | 13 |
| 7 | 2 | Alex Rodriguez | NYY | 373 | 103 | 0.276 | 16 | 67 | 62 | 4 |
| 8 | 3 | Adrian Beltre | TEX | 487 | 144 | 0.296 | 32 | 82 | 105 | 1 |
| 9 | 3 | Ryan Zimmerman | WAS | 395 | 114 | 0.289 | 12 | 52 | 49 | 3 |
| 10 | 3 | Brett Lawrie | TOR | 150 | 44 | 0.293 | 9 | 26 | 25 | 7 |
| 11 | 3 | Michael Young | TEX | 631 | 213 | 0.338 | 11 | 88 | 106 | 6 |
| 12 | 4 | Kevin Youkilis | BOS | 431 | 111 | 0.258 | 17 | 68 | 80 | 3 |
| 13 | 4 | Aramis Ramirez | MLW | 565 | 173 | 0.306 | 26 | 80 | 93 | 1 |
| 14 | 5 | Brent Morel | CWS | 413 | 101 | 0.245 | 10 | 44 | 41 | 5 |
| 15 | 5 | David Freese | STL | 333 | 99 | 0.297 | 10 | 41 | 55 | 1 |
| 16 | 5 | Mike Moustakas | KC | 338 | 89 | 0.263 | 5 | 26 | 30 | 2 |
| 17 | 5 | Mark Reynolds | BAL | 534 | 118 | 0.221 | 37 | 84 | 86 | 6 |
| 18 | 5 | Martin Prado | ATL | 551 | 143 | 0.260 | 13 | 66 | 57 | 4 |
| 19 | 5 | Edwin Encarnacion | TOR | 481 | 131 | 0.272 | 17 | 70 | 55 | 8 |
| 20 | 6 | Pedro Alvarez | PIT | 235 | 45 | 0.191 | 4 | 18 | 19 | 1 |
| 21 | 6 | Ryan Roberts | ARZ | 482 | 120 | 0.249 | 19 | 86 | 65 | 18 |
| 22 | 6 | Scott Sizemore | OAK | 368 | 90 | 0.245 | 11 | 50 | 56 | 5 |
| 23 | 6 | Chone Figgins | SEA | 288 | 54 | 0.188 | 1 | 24 | 15 | 11 |
| 24 | 6 | Chase Headley | SD | 381 | 110 | 0.289 | 4 | 43 | 44 | 13 |
| 25 | 6 | Juan Francisco | CIN | 93 | 24 | 0.258 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 1 |
If you have any questions for our fantasy experts, or you’re ready to start talking some baseball, sign up to join our free Fantasy Sports Forum.
