By Zac Estrada

Third base is one of those tricky positions to fill. I can never quite place when to draft a third baseman. It is by no means the most numbers producing position, except you cannot just put it on the shelf for later. Really the only advice I can give for drafting a third baseman is when it starts trending in the draft. When Adrien Beltre and Ryan Zimmerman go, that is when you need to start cracking down on getting a dependable third baseman that is not A-rod. A-rod angers me. Just don’t draft him, you will feel like a much better person.

Any one of these following guys would be a great pick-up for your fantasy team. They are all well-rounded, and will definitely be a contributing factor to your offense all year. I almost feel like I’m trying to set you up on a date with one of these guys. You know what, if you got to go on a date with any one of these guys I would be jealous. There is not really much else to say about them. Their stats speak for them, and I am sure they are all gentleman. Except A-rod. He probably doesn’t even tip.

The Dependables

1. Adrien Beltre- .321 avg, 102 rbi, 28 hr
2. Ryan Zimmerman- .307 avg, 85 rbi, 25 hr
3. Evan Longoria- .294 avg, 104 rbi, 22 hr
4. David Wright- .283 avg, 103 rbi, 29 hr
5. Casey McGehee- .285 avg, 104 rbi, 23 hr
6. Michael Young- .284 avg, 91 rbi, 21 hr
7. Scott Rolen- .285, avg, 83 rbi, 20 hr
8. Martin Prado- . 307 avg, 66 rbi, 15 hr
9. Pablo Sandoval- .268 avg, 63 rbi, 13 hr
10. Now I can’t deny his stats top ten, but I can deny his name top ten.- .270 avg, 125 rbi, 30 hr

The players on this following list are the guys I’m holding out hope for this next season. To start off with I have high expectations for Kevin Kouzmanoff. I saw him play for the A’s last year, and I think he has an extremely good chance of having a solid season. Just keep an eye on him. Also look out for Jose Lopez. He had a more than off season last year, but he has proven himself worthy in the past. All I can say is don’t count him out yet. 

The Expendables

1. Kevin Kouzmanoff- .247 avg, 71 rbi, 16 hr
2. Casey Blake- .247 avg, 64 rbi, 17 hr
3. Aramis Ramirez-  .241 avg, 83 rbi,  25 hr
4. Chase Headley- .264 avg, 58 rbi, 11 hr
5. Brandon Inge- .247 avg, 70 rbi, 13 hr
6. Jose Lopez- .239 avg, 58 rbi, 10 hr

I just did not think it would be right to leave Mark Reynolds out of contention here. He may have his flaws, but you have to have a soft spot for the guy. Ya he struck out 211 times last season, but he still did his job. He got over eighty RBI, and over thirty HR. That is by no means easy to do in the Major Leagues. It is also not easy to bat a .198 in the Majors, and that is why I would never draft him. Ever. Although that would not stop me from checking in on him on the waiver wire from time to time, to see if his batting average is up. If Reynold’s batting average went up to .250 or 2.60, it definitely would not hurt to have him on your bench if your starting third baseman got injured. 

The Legend. The Myth. The Swing and Miss Wunder Kid.

• Mark Reynolds- .198 avg, 85 rbi, 32 hr