Third Base Prospects and Sleepers...
Not As Much Pop as Last Year, But Still Some Promise
One of last year's top prospects, Alex Gordon was a disappointment in his big-league debut. How will this season's crop of third basemen turn out?
UPDATED: If it seems like there are not many promising 3B prospects on our list this year, maybe that's because so many of them graduated to the majors in 2007. The remaining crop, though, is nothing to sneeze at.
Two of our top three third base prospects were also top twenty prospects last year, but have taken longer to develop. Of these, Tampa's Evan Longoria is the clear cream of the crop. While he might struggle a bit in Tampa, he will arrive eventually, and he should be a contributor sooner rather than later.
The players who come a notch behind Longoria include some old names that haven't yet cracked into the big leagues (LaRoche, Vitters, Walker) and a few newer names (Villalona, Mills, Tuiasosopo) that will probably only get attention in the years to come. There are also another half-dozen in between.
While it's not the richest 3B crop we've seen, it's not an awful selection. Whether you're looking for youth for your long-term fantasy league, or just hoping your own MLB team has something on the farm, be sure to bookmark our always-updated list of Top 3B Prospects for 2008.
