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Welcome RotoBallers to our series about fantasy baseball points leagues, focusing on third basemen who are undervalued and overvalued based on fantasy baseball ADPs. Be sure to also check out our constantly updated fantasy baseball points rankings.
The third base position this year is extremely interesting because only Jose Ramirez is going within the first three rounds of fantasy drafts. However, third basemen like Rafael Devers, Manny Machado, Austin Riley, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. find themselves going off the board shortly after between the third and fifth rounds.
Like any position, though, there are a ton of value picks and fades throughout the draft. So, let's dive in and take a look at the third base landscape heading into fantasy drafts.
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Eugenio Suarez, Arizona Diamondbacks
ADP: 167.3
Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez has always been a streaky hitter at the plate. That was no different last year, as the veteran had just a .203 batting average and six home runs through the first 85 games. But when Suarez is on, he is one of the top power hitters in the game. The slugging third baseman hit .313 with 24 home runs and 67 RBI over the final 73 contests.
During that span, his 24 home runs ranked third in the majors, only behind Aaron Judge (26) and Shohei Ohtani (26), and his 67 RBI ranked first in all of baseball. Now, it would be a shock to see Suarez continue those strong power numbers for an entire season. However, he is definitely a value pick in points leagues at his 167.3 ADP.
After eclipsing 30 HR and 100 RBI last season, Eugenio Suárez cracks the #Top10RightNow list for the fourth time in his career. pic.twitter.com/YyMb4NvN5B
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 16, 2025
The 33-year-old will provide big home run and RBI numbers for fantasy managers. He has hit at least 30 home runs in three of the past four seasons and driven in at least 95 runs in back-to-back years. His expected slugging (.447), launch angle sweet-spot rate (40.4 percent), and barrel rate (11.3 percent) also all ranked in the 74th percentile or higher last season, so Suarez still has plenty of pop left in his bat.
Verdict: Undervalued
Isaac Paredes, Houston Astros
ADP: 151.0
Third baseman Isaac Paredes will be playing for his third team in two years after the Chicago Cubs traded him to the Houston Astros this offseason. However, this landing spot in Houston is great for Paredes' fantasy value in 2025. After hitting .238 at the plate with 19 home runs and 80 RBI a season ago, expect the 2024 All-Star to post even better numbers this year.
For starters, he'll be playing half of his games at Daikin Park (formerly known as Minute Maid Park). The Astros' home ballpark has a short porch in left field that sits at 315 feet. That certainly works in Paredes' favor, considering he has pulled every home run he has ever hit in his major league career. Last year, the third baseman would have hit 26 home runs at Daikin Park.
Isaac Paredes had 19 HR in 2024. He would've had 26 xHR at Houston's Daikin Park 👀
In @SlangsOnSports' Statcast Spotlight, BK and @mikelowell25 look at the @astros 3B's spray chart and how his pull rate will lead to success next season. pic.twitter.com/771Tcmiulq
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) January 16, 2025
Hitting behind stars like Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, and Christian Walker should also help Paredes total more than 80 RBI in 2025. As a result, the new Astros third baseman is a great target in points leagues this season. His 37 percent launch angle sweet-spot rate ranked in the 79th percentile in 2024, and he is just two years removed from a 31-home run, 98-RBI campaign.
Verdict: Undervalued
Mark Vientos, New York Mets
ADP: 115.7
There was surely good and bad with New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos in 2024. The good was that he hit .266 at the plate with 27 home runs and 71 RBI across 111 games. The bad, though, was that his whiff rate (34.4 percent), strikeout rate (29.7 percent), and walk rate (7.3 percent) all ranked in the lower half of the league. But the good outweighs the bad for Vientos in point-league formats.
The power is clearly one of his strong suits, and the 25-year-old is just getting started in his MLB career. After hitting 27 home runs last year, there's a strong chance that Vientos will hit upward of 30 home runs in 2025. His expected slugging (.463), average exit velocity (91.2 mph), barrel rate (14.1%), and hard-hit rate (46.6%) all ranked in the 80th percentile or better a season ago.
Vientos will likely play more than 111 games and should see a ton of RBI opportunities hitting behind both Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor. That makes him currently undervalued in points leagues. Nick Mariano's CUTTER projections have the Mets' third baseman hitting 34 home runs and driving in 95 runs in 2025.
Verdict: Undervalued
Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants
ADP: 130.0
San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman is always a sneaky pick in the later rounds because of his power. He has hit 27 home runs and driven in over 70 runs in three of the past four seasons. Chapman is also coming off a year in which he hit .247 at the plate with 27 home runs, 39 doubles, 78 RBI, and a career-high 15 stolen bases.
It was an all-around strong campaign for Chapman in his first season with the Giants, and the elite power numbers should only continue for the 31-year-old. His average exit velocity (93.2 mph), barrel rate (12.6 percent), hard-hit rate (48.3 percent), and bat speed (76.6 mph) all ranked in the top 14 percent of the league last season. So, there's no reason to believe that his home run, doubles, or RBI stats will drop in 2025.
Allow us to present to you Matt Chapman's first #SFGiants home run 🍿 pic.twitter.com/5MZAVrQfzC
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) March 30, 2024
That makes him an excellent pick at his 130 ADP. He has played at least 150 games in three of the past four seasons and finished with the fifth-most fantasy points among all third basemen in point league formats in 2024. RotoBaller also has Chapman ranked 55 spots higher (75) than his current ADP.
Verdict: Undervalued
Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees
ADP: 42.3
It was fantastic to see what Chisholm did with the New York Yankees in the final 46 games of the season. He hit .273 with 11 home runs, seven doubles, 23 RBI, and 18 stolen bases. That strong stretch helped the infielder total career-highs in home runs (24), doubles (21), RBI (73), and stolen bases (40).
However, his injury history makes him too risky to trust in the fourth round of fantasy drafts. He has played in more than 125 games just once in his career and only played in a combined 157 games during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Despite staying healthy last year and playing in 147 contests, Chisholm has appeared in just 66 percent of games since the 2021 campaign.
That's why his 42.3 ADP is too high currently in drafts. Chisholm also didn't have the best metrics at the plate last season, as his squared-up rate (22.7 percent), launch angle sweet-spot rate (29.6 percent), whiff rate (29.3 percent), and strikeout rate (24.5 percent) all ranked in the bottom-third of the league. Therefore, he's a player to avoid in points leagues this early in drafts.
Note: Chisholm will start at second base for the Yankees this season but should still have 3B eligibility.
Verdict: Overvalued
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