Fantasy Baseball Cheat Sheet 2012: 3B Rankings

Most of what we do here at Scouting Book is about prospects and rookies, but we do get many requests for our opinions on veteran players, too. Especially from fantasy owners looking for extra tidbits of advice to help them with their upcoming draft.

If you're one of those types, you're probably thirsting for every drop of info or guidance you can find. So here, have a drink on us.

C	1B	2B	3B	SS	OF	SP	RP

	Player	Tm		Smart and/or Smartass Comments
1	Miguel Cabrera *	DET		Assuming he ever actually plays a real game at third. This plan seems really bad.
2	Jose Bautista	TOR		He just had a lucky season, right? Then another. And another.
3	Hanley Ramirez *	MIA		Repaired shoulder might be tested at third, but he'll play meaner.
4	Alex Rodriguez	NYY		Feels strange seeing him this low, but age and rehab make him questionable.
5	Evan Longoria	TB		A crucible year for Longo.
6	Michael Young *	TEX		If he qualifies, he'll continue to produce with 8 other guys to drive him in.
7	Adrian Beltre	TEX		If he plays, he knocks in runs. Fragility keeps him from being elite, but that lineup!
8	David Wright	NYM		Not much protection anymore, but protection is a myth anyway.
9	Ryan Zimmerman	WAS		The quiet leader of a young and fascinating team.
10	Brett Lawrie	TOR		If he's really a third baseman now, he'll be a GOOD one soon.
11	Pablo Sandoval	SF		He's not a babyfaced kid anymore. Now he rakes with experience. And a babyface.
12	Kevin Youkilis	BOS		Looked fine in 2011 when not hobbled by six injuries. Big bounce potential, undervalued.
13	Aramis Ramirez	MLW		He's not Prince, but he has enough stick to produce, especially when Braun returns.
14	Mark Trumbo	LAA		The other other hitter gaining 3b eligibility.
15	Emilio Bonifacio	MIA		Hanley, Reyes, Bonifacio? This team could steal 400 bases.
16	Mike Moustakas	KC		The Year of the Mooooooose? Maybe. All the signs are good. Gamble.
17	Mark Reynolds	BAL		Strikeouts don't matter. Strikeouts don't matter. Strikeouts don't matter. Sigh.
18	Martin Prado	ATL		Should bounce back from a down year. When Chipper is out, he's the man at third.
19	David Freese	STL		Should produce.
20	Alberto Callaspo	LAA		Should get plenty of ABs and have fun in that new lineup, wherever he plays.
21	Jed Lowrie	HOU		Too bad it's Houston, because Lowrie's still full of potential.
22	Lonnie Chisenhall	CLE		Could take that famous next step this year.
23	Mat Gamel	MLW		He's not as great as he looked for awhile there, but he's not awful either.
24	Placido Polanco	PHI		Boring power-free hitter, still a quality contributor in other areas.
25	Todd Frazier *	CIN		His bat has always looked ready. Is this the year?
26	Pedro Alvarez	PIT		Was once seen as future franchise bat, then hit a wall. Can he get on track?
27	Ian Stewart	CHC		Might very well enjoy Chicago enough to break out. There are worse gambles.
28	Josh Bell	BAL		Looked much better in minors than he has so far in MLB. Next step?
29	Chone Figgins	SEA		Can he recapture that old Chonicity? Probably not.
30	Ryan Roberts	ARZ		Unassuming and forgettable contributor just contributes.
31	Edwin Encarnacion	TOR		Maybe some time with Bautista will supplement his power.
32	Chase Headley	SD		Did they move the walls in yet? No? Then Headley stays down here on the list.
33	Danny Valencia	MIN		Young likeable guy can also hit baseballs.
34	Mike Aviles	BOS		2B, 3B, SS, whatever. If he plays he'll get points. Not many, but some.
35	Casey McGehee	PIT		He always had a great name for piracy. Now he's got the uniform.
36	Brandon Inge	DET		He's no star, but in that lineup a dining room chair could score.
37	Josh Vitters	CHC		Time to put it all together, Josh. Right now.
38	Juan Francisco	CIN		See also Frazier, Todd.
39	Matt Dominguez	MIA		One of the best bets to break into MLB in a meaningful way.
40	Chipper Jones	ATL		Well, that's that, then. Surgery, retirement, whatever. Heck of a career, Chipper.

Warning: this information is 99.5% opinion, and isn't processed, scored, cross-checked, balanced or otherwise mathemagicked like our Prospects Rankings are. As such, it's even more highly subjective and much more subject to whim and error. Owner beware.

Asterisks denote players who might or might not qualify at 3B for you, depending on your league's own rules and the whims of real life. Check carefully, and use our handy Multi Position Qualifiers tool to find extra-valuable treasures. Green ® circles, obviously, mark rookies who have their own deeper profiles available right here at Scouting Book. These are not all possible rookies.