2020 Thirdbasemen

(Photo by Kyle Emery/Icon Sportswire)

by Doug Gruber

If you are looking for flashy names who may stuff all five categories, the 3rd base position is not that place. However, if you are seeking reliable power and batting effectiveness skills, BABS says third base is where several such options reside.

There are 16 full-time players who possess two or more assets, allowing every owner an opportunity to acquire at least one highly skilled 3rd baseman. Most significant is that nearly half of the 16 have ADPs outside the Top 100. If you follow BABS closely you should be able to acquire a quality 3Bman at a market discounted price.

Let’s take a closer look at the list of 2020 thirdbasemen:

ASSETS

LIABILITIES

ADP

3Bmen

Pos

Inj

$29

Ramirez,Jose

CLE

inj-

$33

Arenado,Nolan

COL

$28

Rendon,Anthony

LAA

168

Turner,Justin

135

$10

Edman,Tommy

STL

130

$10

Sano,Miguel

MIN

P+

INJ

999

$(10)

Green,Zach

P+

inj-

$18

Suarez,Eugenio

CIN

108

$12

Donaldson,Josh

MIN

$36

Bregman,Alex

HOU

$27

Devers,Rafael

BOS

$18

Bryant,Kris

5o97

CHC

inj-

$18

Machado,Manny

112

$12

Moustakas,Mike

CIN

117

$11

Escobar,Eduardo

ARI

250

Anderson,Brian

5o9

MIA

inj-

427

$(2)

Cabrera,Asdrubal

WAS

$17

Moncada,Yoan

CHW

inj-

$18

Guerrero Jr.,Vladimir

TOR

246

Urshela,Giovanny

NYY

inj-

$14

Chapman,Matt

OAK

182

Dozier,Hunter

5o9

354

Carpenter,Matt

STL

inj-

499

$(3)

Lamb,Jacob

ARI

219

Diaz,Yandy

TAM

INJ

493

$(3)

Bohm,Alec

PHI

511

$(3)

Moran,Colin

PIT

inj-

311

Seager,Kyle

SEA

INJ

449

$(2)

Longoria,Evan

inj-

318

Fletcher,David

546o7

LAA

-P

735

$(7)

Lugo,Dawel

DET

-P

459

$(2)

Franco,Maikel

528

$(4)

Candelario,Jeimer

DET

INJ

660

$(6)

Drury,Brandon

TOR

661

$(6)

Toro,Abraham

HOU

662

$(6)

Lowrie,Jed

NYM

INJ

735

$(7)

Gyorko,Jedd

MIL

INJ

578

$(5)

Frazier,Todd

TEX

-A

inj-

594

$(5)

Dalbec,Bobby

BOS

-A

ASSETS: PT (Playing time), Pw (Power), Sp (Speed), Av (Batting Effectiveness), * (OBP help), Pk (Park help), Rg (Regression help). LIABILITIES: Sk (Skills risk), Inj (Injury), Ex (Inexperience), Nw (New team), Pk (Park hurt), Ag (Age decline), Rg (Regression hurt)

Jose Ramirez (p,s,AV|inj-) is the sole member of the highest rated asset group for third basemen. His triple assets do not come cheap, as Ramirez is being taken at the end of the first round, despite coming off a season where he disappointed those who invested their first-round chip on him. BABS says he still holds across the board skills.

The only other triple asset member is the Card’s Tommy Edman (p,SB,a|EX), while being the lone 3rd baseman in the entire pool who possesses significant speed. In his rookie season, Edman delivered 11/36/.304 with 15 bags in only 342 PAs. BABS cautions about the lack of a track record, however owners can acquire Edman in the 9th round, making him an astute investment.

A trio of well-known names make up the (PW,AV) class. Over the past five seasons, Nolan Arenado (PW,AV) has averaged 40 home runs, 124 RBIs and hit at a .300 clip while logging more than 660 PAs each year (pictured). Once again, owners will likely need to spend a first-round pick for his services. Anthony Rendon (PW,AV), the LA Angels new free agent prize, boasts similar skills and is available in Round 2.

BABS says equal skills to these two stars can be acquired 10 rounds later. Justin Turner (PW,AV) may no longer carry the rare A+ BABS rating, but he still brings a pair of significant assets which the market is undervaluing.

The only full-time 3rd baseman who brings extreme power skills is Miguel Sano (P+|INJ). While Sano continues to be a significant injury liability, when he was on the field last year his prodigious power was evident, as he amassed 34 HRs in only 380 ABs. Sano is available in the 9th round.

Eugenio Suarez and Josh Donaldson comprise the (PW,a) asset group. Both players are coming off very successful and healthy 2019 seasons. The 28-year-old Suarez flashed his significant power skills to the tune of 49 home runs. Josh Donaldson parlayed a 37 HR season in Atlanta into four years and $84 million from the Twins. BABS sees Donaldson as the better market play as his current ADP is nearly 50 spots after Suarez, although we expect Suarez’s ADP to dwindle with the recent news of his shoulder injury and procedure.

In the (p,AV) group are Alex Bregman (p,AV) and Rafael Devers (p,AV), each coming off tremendous 2019 seasons which have pushed their current price into the 1st and 2nd rounds, respectively. BABS likes the skill sets but not at these price levels.

The (p,a) asset group contains six full-time players, interestingly all multi-position eligible, some of which are alluring candidates to leverage the market. The first two members Kris Bryant (p,a|inj-) and Manny Machado (p,a) have historically been over-drafted, although early 2020 drafts have this pair falling into the 4th round. BABS says there are other similarly skilled 3Bmen who are much cheaper.

Mike Moustakas (p,a) and Eduardo Escobar (p,a) each clubbed 35 home runs a season ago. Along with their liability-free profile, both make for desirable targets in the 8th round or later. BABS also includes the Marlin’s Brian Anderson (p.a|inj-) in this class. Anderson hit the ball harder and in-the-air more often last year before a broken finger prematurely ended his season. He is being overlooked and is generally available well past round 15.

Occupying the final double asset group is Yoan Moncada (p,s|inj-). Moncada is coming off a breakout year where he hit 27 HRs, stole 10 bases, and hit .315, which was nearly 80 points higher than his previous season. BABS is not convinced Moncada has the batting effectiveness skills, but says he makes for a nice power/speed combo which is scarce among 3Bmen.

In the end game, Asdrubal Cabrera (p.a) once again brings dual asset skills, however his playing time path is not yet clear. A reserved round pick on Cabrera could deliver a profit. Zach Green (P+|inj-,EX) is going undrafted in most early contests. BABS says Green possesses extreme power who may be worth a stash in deeper leagues for the rebuilding Giants.

One other interesting asset group is the (AV) class. BABS has identified Giovanny Urshela (AV|inj-,e) as having comparable skills to Vlad Guerrero Jr. (AV|e). Seems crazy? Well, a closer look at the underlying metrics shows that last year Urshela was superior to Vlad Jr. in expected batting average, contact rate and hard hit rate while also hitting fewer groundballs. Maybe it is not so crazy, and the best part is that Urshela can be obtained 200 picks after Vlad’s 5th round price.

NOTES: The chart above may vary slightly from the latest database update which was run after this analysis was written. To engage with other readers on this topic, head over to the Reader Forums. If you have a question that would be best answered by one of our experts and benefit everyone, submit it on our Contact Page and put MAILBAG in the Subject Line.