Fantasy Impact: Third Base

Third base is a fairly strong position in shallower leagues, but once you go past 12 team leagues, the quality drops off dramatically and you will have to scrap for production from the position. There is a wide variety of strengths vs weaknesses to choose from. Here's my current 3B board:

1. Alex Rodriguez- has become a bit of an injury risk, but still one of the elite hitters in the game and still probably a first round draft pick. Stole 14 bases even with a bum hip!

2. Evan Longoria- Excellent hitter in a great lineup. Need to look elsewhere for steals, but elite power production and doesn't hurt you much in BA.

3. Ryan Zimmerman- Emerging superstar in an underrated lineup.

4. Kevin Youkilis- Production you can almost take to the bank. First base eligibility gives him nice versatility.

5. Aramis Ramirez- Should come back healthy. Good for 30+ HR's if he does.

6. Pablo Sandoval- Never quite know what to expect in a hitter's second full season, but Sandoval is a pure hitter. Think of him as Vlad Guerrero's Mini-Me. Saddled with a bad lineup around him, which limits his Runs/RBI's.

7. David Wright- Inexplicable power outage last year. Was it injuries? The ballpark? 2010 will be a crucial year.

8. Chone Figgins- Generally overvalued in fantasy leagues because of Steals chasers. Gives excellent value in Runs, BA, Steals but forces you to find HR's and RBI's elsewhere.

9. Mark Reynolds- Why in the world would I rank a guy with 44 HR's and 24 SB's this low? Because he hurts you in BA. You can make up production in counting stats at other positions, but because BA is an average stat, players like Reynolds, Uggla and Dunn drag the entire team down in that category. I can find HR's and SB's elsewhere. I'm not willing to concede BA.

10. Jorge Cantu- Also has first base eligibility. Poor defense may limit playing time.

11. Chipper Jones- Should bounce back some from last season, but has become a 5 day a week player. You lose production on his off-days.

12. Casey Blake- Might be the most underrated player at this position. Can probably pick him up at the tail end of shallow drafts.

13. Adrian Beltre- look for a major boost in production moving to Fenway.

14. Gordon Beckham- Loses SS eligibility, but plays in a favorable hitters park and a pretty good lineup.

15. Kevin Kouzmanoff- Used to hitting in tough ballparks and will stay in the lineup due to his defense.

Newcomers to monitor closely: David Freeze(Cards), Brandon Wood( Angels), Brett Wallace(Blue Jays), Pedro Alvarez(Pirates).