First Team Fantasy: 2014 Third Basemen Profiles and Rankings

Third base in 2014 looks to be one of the deeper positions in fantasy baseball. The top players warrant early round selections, the middle will prove to be solid assets, and the bottom ranks offer opportunities for growth.

But beware, with the exception of a clear top tier (Cabrera and Adrian Beltre), the next few tiers are partially occupied by guys with injury concerns (Wright, Longoria) and low sample sizes (Carpenter, Donaldson). To break down a few of the players, I'll give a red light (don't draft), yellow light (draft with caution), and a green light (draft freely). Obviously, a green light doesn't necessarily mean draft in the first round, so do your research and seize opportunities as they arise.

Red Light

Photo: Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star

Brett Lawrie Projection: .288, 74 R, 18 HR, 65 RBI, 16 SB
Same story for Brett Lawrie. In the last two seasons, the Blue Jays' 3B played in 125 and 107 games, hitting 273 and .254 respectively. That's a lot of time on the DL for a shortened fantasy season, and that's below average contact hitting for a guy ranked in the top 10 for 3B. Don't let those tats intimidate you into picking him sooner than the last few rounds.

Yellow Light

David Wright Projection: .303, 88 R, 18 HR, 85 RBI, 18 SB

Ok, so I don't hate David Wright per se, but at 31, Wright has begun to show some signs of wear and tear. In 2013, Wright battled a nagging hamstring injury and appeared in just 112 games. In 2011, Wright only appeared in 102 games. Still, he's almost guaranteed to hit +.300 with decent power. and base-speed, and he'll be the top 3B in NL-only leagues. If you take him, wait until at least the 4th round, but don't overpay!

Aramis Ramirez Projection: .294, 76 R, 23 HR, 90 RBI, 4 SB

The 35 year-old slugger is clearly on the downside of his solid career. In his heyday from 2003-2008, Ramirez averaged .297 with 30 HR and 105 RBI. Since 2009, he's averaged .289 with 21 HR and 79 RBI. His SLG% took a nosedive last season, and his K% has been increasing in the last three years. If he stay's healthy this year, he could provide power and average, but that's a risk for the soon to be 36 year-old. Consider Ramirez a mid-late rounder at best.

Green Light

Adrian Beltre Projection: .314, 92 R, 35 HR, 102 RBI, 1 SB

It's easy to love Adrian Beltre, who would take over the top ESPN 3B ranking once Cabrera moves back to first. Mostly because the 35 year-old shows no signs of decline. His BA is trending upwards since 2005 while his K% has been declining since 2006. Moreover, Beltre proves durable (for now), having played in less than 130 games only 3 times in his 16 year career. If he can stay healthy, which he's proven that he can, he should be a top 10 overall hitter in 2014.

Matt Carpenter Projection: .299, 108 R, 12 HR, 79 RBI, 5 SB

In 2013, Carpenter hit .318 and led the majors in runs and doubles. Was it a fluke season, or is the 28 year-old destined to have a consistently +5 WAR? Carpenter has been compared to a Dustin Pedrioia with no speed or power. Sure, he won't get 20 HR or 20 SB, but with just enough speed to turn singles to doubles, his run totals will stay elevated, assuming the Cardinals can continue to hit with RISP. Carpenter will provide solid contact all year, his 27.3% line drive percentage was sixth in the majors last season. Plus, he's listed at 2B and 3B in ESPN leagues, providing extra flexibility for your infield.

Josh Donaldson Projection: .280, 89 R, 25 HR, 94 RBI, 8 SB

Donaldson's breakout 2013 featured a line of .301/.384/.499, 24 HR, 93 RBI. Don't expect the average to stay above .300, but the power stats are the real deal. He showed patience at the plate throughout the entire season, lowering his K% and raising his BB% as the season progressed. He's much more likely to play in +155 games than guys like Wright, Longoria, or Aramis Ramirez, eliminating the need to draft a better backup.

PROJECTED 2014 SEASON STATS

1. Miguel Cabrera, Det 3B	YEAR	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
	2013 Statistics	555	103	44	137	90	94	3	.348	.442	.636	1.078
	2014 Projections	595	103	44	127	85	99	3	.328	.413	.608	1.021

2. Adrian Beltre, Tex 3B	YEAR	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
	2013 Statistics	631	88	30	92	50	78	1	.315	.371	.509	.880
	2014 Projections	630	92	35	102	43	79	1	.314	.361	.540	.901

3. David Wright, NYM 3B	YEAR	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
	2013 Statistics	430	63	18	58	55	79	17	.307	.390	.514	.904
	2014 Projections	554	88	22	85	74	107	18	.303	.388	.502	.890

4. Evan Longoria, TB 3B	YEAR	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
	2013 Statistics	614	91	32	88	70	162	1	.269	.343	.498	.842
	2014 Projections	594	94	36	106	74	144	3	.274	.355	.527	.882

5. Josh Donaldson, Oak 3B	YEAR	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
	2013 Statistics	579	89	24	93	76	110	5	.301	.384	.499	.883
	2014 Projections	568	89	25	94	67	117	8	.280	.359	.479	.838

6. Ryan Zimmerman, Wsh 3B	YEAR	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
	2013 Statistics	568	84	26	79	60	133	6	.275	.344	.465	.809
	2014 Projections	582	86	27	88	58	127	6	.282	.347	.478	.825

7. Matt Carpenter, StL 2B, 3B	YEAR	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
	2013 Statistics	626	126	11	78	72	98	3	.318	.392	.481	.873
	2014 Projections	596	108	12	79	74	100	5	.299	.379	.461	.840

8. Kyle Seager, Sea 3B	YEAR	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
	2013 Statistics	615	79	22	69	68	122	9	.260	.338	.426	.764
	2014 Projections	605	77	25	84	62	118	11	.273	.345	.458	.802

9. Aramis Ramirez, Mil 3B	YEAR	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
	2013 Statistics	304	43	12	49	36	55	0	.283	.370	.461	.831
	2014 Projections	513	76	23	90	48	82	4	.294	.365	.505	.870

10. Pedro Alvarez, Pit 3B	YEAR	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
	2013 Statistics	558	70	36	100	48	186	2	.233	.296	.473	.770
	2014 Projections	560	70	35	98	54	185	2	.250	.317	.488	.805

11. Brett Lawrie, Tor 3B	YEAR	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
	2013 Statistics	401	41	11	46	30	68	9	.254	.315	.397	.712
	2014 Projections	529	74	18	65	42	98	16	.280	.340	.456	.796

12. Manny Machado, Bal 3B	YEAR	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
	2013 Statistics	667	88	14	71	29	113	6	.283	.314	.432	.746
	2014 Projections	615	84	17	76	36	113	9	.286	.327	.452	.779

13. Martin Prado, Ari 3B, 2B, OF	YEAR	AB	R	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
	2013 Statistics	609	70	14	82	47	53	3	.282	.333	.417	.750
	2014 Projections	648	80	12	82	50	61	7	.290	.339	.420	.759