2023 Dynasty Fantasy Positional Rankings: Third Base

Over the last few years, the hot corner has seen perennial sluggers such as Josh Donaldson, Anthony Rendon and Nolan Arenado replaced at the top of the rankings by Rafael Devers and Austin Riley. With the exception of only a handful of names, third basemen who provide production in the stolen base category are few and far between. Instead the list is mostly populated by the traditional corner infield profile: power and RBIs, with the elite names adding batting average and on-base percentage.

Our rankings are targeted specifically for dynasty leagues, with a focus on balancing a variety of scoring formats. To achieve this we focused on wRC+ as our primary measure. While wRC+ by its nature is OBP-slanted, we took into consideration high and low batting averages when ranking players. The goal of these positional rankings is to provide the best possible order based on a value of three to five years, which means older, productive veterans are discounted and may be ranked alongside or even behind prodigious talents yet to debut.

Keep all of this in mind when considering your team’s needs and the context of your league. If you are trying to compete in 2023, you should prefer Anthony Rendon to Junior Caminero (who we have ranked back-to-back)—but some of your league mates, especially those not competing, would likely prefer Caminero in a trade.

At the bottom of the list, we leaned toward players who may contribute in 2023 (and potentially not have a regular role in 2024) over prospects who would not contribute for a year or more.

1. Jose Ramirez, CLE

2. Rafael Devers, BOS

3. Austin Riley, ATL

4. Bobby Witt Jr., KCR

5. Gunnar Henderson, BAL

6. Manny Machado, SDP

7. Alex Bregman, HOU

8. Nolan Arenado, STL

9. Jordan Walker, STL

10. Miguel Vargas, LAD

11. Curtis Mead, TBR

12. Matt Chapman, TOR

13. Brett Baty, NYM

14. Eugenio Suarez, SEA

15. Noelvi Marte, CIN

16. Josh Jung, TEX

GP’s Target: After a few injury-plagued seasons, Jung finally made his MLB debut in 2022. However, his once strong approach all but disappeared upon his return from injury. It seemed clear that the injuries and time away had taken a toll on Jung’s comfort at the plate. With a full, healthy offseason and his first taste of facing MLB-caliber pitching now in the books, I anticipate a resurgence from Jung. Long celebrated for his heady approach to the game, Jung made swing adjustments over the 2020 shutdown allowing him to get to his pull-side power in a way he hadn’t previously. A talented hitter with at least average bat-to-ball skills, approach and power, Jung might emerge early in 2023 as a dark horse rookie of the year candidate.

17. Ke’Bryan Hayes, PIT

GP’s Fade: After 1,000 career plate appearances the power has still not been actualized for the 26-year-old Hayes, leaving me to wonder if it will ever come. His approach, once a strength as a prospect, has ticked back significantly in the majors and his lack of plus contact or on-base skills leaves Hayes as a single category contributor. His 20 steals last season were useful, but not enough to boost his overall value and pique my interest in any scoring style or format. The lack of punch around him in the Pirates lineup also does Hayes no favors. There’s still hope for the talented Hayes to put things together, but for now he’s a defensive standout with little fantasy value.

18. Alec Bohm, PHI

19. Yandy Diaz, TBR

20. Luis Urias, MIL

21. Ryan McMahon, COL

22. Yoan Moncada, CHW

23. Cam Collier, CIN

24. Jose Miranda, MIN

25. Anthony Rendon, LAA

26. Junior Caminero, TBR

DW’s target: The former Guardians prospect already graces our Fantasy Top 100 list at No. 60, even though he’s still a teenager who has had fewer than 200 plate appearances in full-season ball. Boasting elite exit velocities, paired with an excellent approach—he had better contact and less chase than Jackson Chourio at the same age and level, on his current trajectory, Caminero could slug his way into the top 10 on prospect lists as soon as midseason.

27. Jordan Westburg, BAL

28. Coby Mayo, BAL

29. Isaac Paredes, TBR

30. Brandon Drury, LAA

DW’s Fade: After having a breakout year in his age-29 season—vastly improving nearly all of his metrics across the board—Drury signed a two-year deal with the Angels this offseason. Although he still projects to be better than an average MLB hitter and possesses multiple positional eligibility for 2023, Drury offers very little speed and doesn’t profile with enough power to be more than a second division regular as he enters his 30s.

31. Christian Encarnacion-Strand, CIN

32. Justin Turner, BOS

33. Addison Barger, TOR

34. Colt Keith, DET

GP’s Sleeper: Few prospects display the combination of above-average offensive skills the way Keith does. His ability to make contact at an average or better rate, with strong swing decisions and above-average power, have me buying him in all formats. A lack of positional talent in the Tigers organization put Keith in line for potential everyday opportunities in the coming years. A full, healthy campaign from Keith could vault him to the top of lists among third base prospects.

35. Deyvison De Los Santos, ARI

36. Casey Schmitt, SFG

37. Orelvis Martinez, TOR

38. Jonathan Aranda, TBR

39. Jhonkensy Noel, CLE

40. Jacob Berry, MIA

41. Bryan Ramos, CHW

DW’s Sleeper: Already tagged with an above-average hit tool and power, it’s the Cuban’s defense that has improved the most, projecting him to be able to be a starting regular at the hot corner. Perhaps not ready to unseat Yoan Moncada this year, Ramos’ aggressiveness may not lead to high OBPs, but his bat should give him 25 home runs with a league average batting average in the big leagues.

42. Spencer Steer, CIN

43. Zack Gelof, OAK

44. Ramon Urias, BAL

45. Warming Bernabel, COL

46. Elehuris Montero, COL

47. David Villar, SFG

48. Josh Donaldson, NYY

49. Jordan Groshans, MIA

50. Justyn-Henry Malloy, DET

The Next Prospects: who will be next to join the list?

1. Tyler Locklear, SEA (50/High)

2. Denzer Guzman, LAA (55/Extreme)