2008 Fantasy Baseball 3rd Basemen - Top 5

One of the posts we all have been waiting for... THE HOT CORNER! I am sure we all know who will top the list as his 2007 season was spectacular, unless you are a Yankee fan and think he is still a bum. He doesn't like to shine in post season, but once again, this is fantasy who gives a hoot about post season unless it is yours. Fantasy is a 1 for all and all for 1 sport and these 3 baggers sure will put points on your bottom line. Hey New York fans, at least your third basemen are #1 and #2 this year in the ranks (at least the way I see it). Three of these guys make the top 5 year in and year out and the others will be here for some time as well. Enough blabbering, lets get to it!


2008 TOP 5 FANTASY 3RD BASEMEN

#1 - AROD (aka Alex Rodriguez) - 2007 Stats
583 AB's, .314 AVG, 143 Runs Scored, 183 Hits, 31 Doubles, 0 Triples, 54 HR's, 156 RBI's, 24 Stolen Bases & 95 Walks.


#2 - David Wright - 2007 Stats
604 AB's, .325 AVG, 113 Runs Scored, 196 Hits, 42 Doubles, 1 Triple, 30 HR's, 107 RBI's, 30 Stolen Bases & 94 Walks.


#3 - Miguel Cabrera - 2007 Stats
588 AB's, .320 AVG, 91 Runs Scored, 188 Hits, 38 Doubles, 2 Triples, 34 HR's, 119 RBI's, 2 Stolen Bases & 79 Walks.


#4 - Chipper Jones - 2007 Stats
513 AB's, .337 AVG, 108 Runs Scored, 173 Hits, 42 Doubles, 4 Triples, 29 HR's, 102 RBI's, 5 Stolen Bases & 82 Walks.


#5 - Ryan Braun - 2007 Stats
451 AB's, .324 AVG, 91 Runs Scored, 146 Hits, 26 Doubles, 6 Triples, 34 HR's, 97 RBI's, 15 Stolen bases & 29 Walks.


2008's Top Sleeper
Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay's Top Prospect)
This years Ryan Braun! That is all I will say. He doesn't have many stats of significance yet, but if you draft him, you will be looked at as a guru come season's end! Do not look for additional notes below, you won't find them. Evan will start opening day and Iwamura will have to be moved to 2nd base (barring injuries of course).



Just missed the Top 5

Garrett Atkins - 2007 Stats
605 AB's, .301 AVG, 83 Runs Scored, 182 Hits, 35 Doubles, 1 Triple, 25 HR's, 111 RBI's, 3 Stolen Bases & 67 Walks.


3rd Basemen Notes:
Alex Rodriguez - 275 Million + incentives (30 Million or so more). Arod has more hits than Pete Rose had at his same age, more HR's than Barry Bonds aka "*", more RBI's than Hank Aaron, and more runs scored than Rickey Henderson. He's only 32 years old and the way he is going, he will be the best player of all time when he hangs up the spikes! .306 Lifetime average in 13 full seasons. 35+ HR's and 100+ RBI's every year except for 1997 with the Mariners. Yankees have a lineup that is drunk with mashers and the headliner is AROD!

David Wright - 30/30 in 2007! Only Brandon Phillips, AROD and Barry Larkin have been able to achieve that feat for middle infielders {Braun to join them in 2008}. Fantastic line-up to hit in and was in the top ten for every offensive category except HR's (tied for 14th). He has hit 26+ dingers and has tallied 100+ RBI's in each of his three full seasons and has hit for nice average on top of that (.311 - 3 1/3 seasons). If his legs stay healthy, David will notch another 30/30 under his belt in '08! Not hard to do with Jose Reyes hitting in front of you and Beltran being your protection. Delgado had an off season and if he gets back to at least normal, Wright might score 120+ times as well!

Miguel Cabrera - 4 full seasons in the big show and he is only 24. He has switched leagues and has joined the scary, scary offensive Tigers of '08. He has hit 33+ HR's in 3 of his 4 full seasons and in the slumping year hit 26 (2006). He didn't have much lineup protection is 2006 but he was able to hit 50 doubles in the meantime. Has over 100 RBI's each season and will definitely hit 100+ again. .313 lifetime average is not too shabby either. As long as he keeps the weight off, he will be a top 5 third baseman for at least 5+ more years.

Chipper Jones - He's now 35, but don't even start to think he is aging. 13 full seasons under his belt and he has shown many Atlanta faithful how good he is from both sides of the plate. He has posted a .307 lifetime average and has hit over 21 blasts in each season (high of 45 in 1999). Him and Teixeira will crush opposing pitchers in '08 and 30 HR's and 100+ RBI's will happen. 2007 was his best year for average, .337 and his power numbers really didn't slide due to that. He has probably the best gap finding bat in baseball and would be a great addition to any fantasy team!

Ryan Braun - 2007 National League Rookie of the Year Winner! Amazing 2007 and it wasn't even a full one. Ryan was brought up last year to fill the void that Craig Counsell and Tony Graffanino had in the Brewers slugging line-up. The Brew Crew's Top Brass wanted to let him learn as much as possible in the minors but they knew they couldn't wait any longer. On May 25th, Braun was in the lineup against the Padres and never exited since. His numbers were simply amazing and he is one of the brightest younger players in the league. He hits for great average, has tremendous power, has above average speed and will most likely be a 30/30 guy in 2008. Don't be surprised if he hits 35+ homers and has at least 115 RBI's. The way he hit last year is a sure sign he is here to stay and probably will be a perennial all star as well. He wont be the first pick at third base but many will take him as the 2nd overall and it is not much of a gamble. The only reason he is ranked 5th is he has only 3/4 of a year experience in the bigs and might slump a little in his sophomore year.

Garrett Atkins - With 3 full seasons under his belt, Atkins is not a newbie anymore and will continue to post nice numbers for a third basemen. He's only 28 years old and has a very potent lineup surrounding him. Expect to see at least a .300 AVG, 25+ dingers, 100+ RBI's and over 90 runs scored in '08. With Tulowitzki, Holliday, Helton and Hawpe crammed in the top 5 or 6, the 2008 Rocks will put up some serious stats and Garrett should see his numbers blossom and he plays in Colorado which can "elevate" any one's stats.


Check back soon for the Top 5 2008 Shortstops soon!!