Below you’ll find the top-12 third basemen for 2025 fantasy baseball drafts, as compiled by the Rotoworld Baseball crew and FSWA Hall of Famer Matthew Pouliot.
In addition to write-ups for all players, you’ll find 2025 projected stats and dollar values (both for mixed leagues, league-only formats, and 2026/2027) for fantasy managers participating in salary cap draft formats.
Other position previews:
Look for more position previews in the days to come leading into fantasy baseball drafts!
2025 Fantasy Baseball Third Baseman (3B) Rankings
- José Ramírez
- Austin Riley
- Jazz Chisholm Jr.
- Manny Machado
- Rafael Devers
- Junior Caminero
- Mark Vientos
- Isaac Paredes
- Alec Bohm
- Jordan Westburg
- Christopher Morel
- Alex Bregman
2025 Fantasy Baseball Third Basemen (3B) Profiles
| 1. José Ramírez | CLE - 3B |
| Bats: B | Age: 32 | Mixed 5x5: $37 | AL 5x5: $37 |
| 2024: 3B:126 | Mixed 2026: $33 | 2027: $28 |
| Outlook: Ramírez delivered the best all-around season of his career in 2024, coming within one home run of a 40/40 season and providing elite production in all five fantasy categories. While there’s no reason to expect any sort of major drop-off in his age-32 season, the fact that the Guardians’ lineup has lost Josh Naylor and Andrés Giménez while replacing them with Carlos Santana and Juan Brito is likely to ding his counting stats a bit. Opposing pitchers aren’t going to have much incentive to pitch to Ramírez if they’re comfortable attacking the hitters behind him. Anticipate strong five-category production once again, just don’t pay for a full repeat of his career year. |
| 2. Austin Riley | ATL - 3B |
| Bats: R | Age: 27 | Mixed 5x5: $29 | NL 5x5: $29 |
| 2024: 3B:109 | Mixed 2026: $28 | 2027: $27 |
| Outlook: Riley was shaping up to be a catastrophic bust through the first six weeks of last season. Entering play on June 14, he had just three home runs and a .220 batting average in 53 games. Then, he caught fire and hit 16 homers with a .292/.354/.588 slash line over his final 56 games before a broken hand prematurely ended his season in late August. While a hand injury is something to keep in mind in fantasy leagues, all indications are he’ll enter spring training with no restrictions. He’s still the elite power threat we’ve come to know and is rightly being drafted among the top third basemen in the league. |
| 3. Jazz Chisholm Jr. | NYY - OF/3B |
| Bats: L | Age: 27 | Mixed 5x5: $24 | AL 5x5: $27 |
| 2024: CF:97 3B:45 | Mixed 2026: $25 | 2027: $24 |
| Outlook: We got a healthy season from Chisholm for the first time since 2021, and he produced elite fantasy stats with 24 home runs and 40 steals in 621 plate appearances. Chisholm took a more aggressive approach last year, swinging more both inside and outside of the zone, but that led to clear contact gains. He still posts below-average swinging strike rates, but in 2024 he swung enough that his strikeout rate was not overly high, and we’ve seen that work for hitters with high whiff rates in the past. His 47 percent pull rate plays well in Yankee Stadium, so another season of 25-plus home runs with 40 steals would be likely for Chisholm if he can stay healthy. That upside, plus his presence in the middle of a strong Yankees lineup, makes him an easy top-50 pick in fantasy baseball. |
| 4. Manny Machado | SD - 3B |
| Bats: R | Age: 32 | Mixed 5x5: $23 | NL 5x5: $23 |
| 2024: 3B:100 | Mixed 2026: $21 | 2027: $18 |
| Outlook: Offseason elbow surgery provided uncertainty that discounted Machado’s 2024 draft cost. While it took him a while to get going, the 32-year-old third baseman delivered another stellar season for fantasy managers, hitting .275 with 29 homers, 105 RBI, and 11 steals across 643 plate appearances. Machado’s skills remain as solid and consistent as ever, with a strikeout rate under 20 percent and a hard-hit rate that rebounded to 48.8 percent with health. While the steals are unpredictable, we can count on another season among the top third basemen for Machado. There are no signs of decline here yet. Invest with confidence. |
| 5. Rafael Devers | BOS - 3B |
| Bats: L | Age: 28 | Mixed 5x5: $17 | AL 5x5: $21 |
| 2024: 3B:130 | Mixed 2026: $17 | 2027: $16 |
| Outlook: Devers was one of a few Red Sox players who struggled through injuries and saw his production fall off at the end of the season. The star third baseman hurt his left shoulder in spring training and claimed he never felt like himself during the season. He then hurt his right shoulder in July and proceeded to slash .244/.325/.402 with just five home runs in 55 games after the injury before the team shut him down for the season. Devers avoided surgery this offseason and should be back to full health hitting in the middle of a solid Red Sox lineup. He’s been as consistent as they come in his career and remains a top-three third baseman in fantasy, so draft him expecting a .280 season with around 30 home runs and strong counting stats. The most interesting storyline to follow is if he’ll stay at third base with Alex Bregman — a far superior defensive option — in the fold. |
| 6. Junior Caminero | TB - SS |
| Bats: R | Age: 21 | Mixed 5x5: $10 | AL 5x5: $16 |
| 2024: 3B:39 | Mixed 2026: $16 | 2027: $18 |
| Outlook: Caminero had another solid minor league season in 2024, hitting .274/.337/.521 with 16 home runs in 59 games at Triple-A while battling through multiple leg injuries. When he finally did get a chance to get consistent MLB at-bats, he was far more aggressive than he had been in the minors and posted a 14 percent swinging strike rate. We should expect that to correct itself and he hits the ball hard with strong pull rates in the minors, so there is real power upside if he can dial back his 50 percent groundball rate. The Rays figure to start him regularly at third base where he has a baseline has a .260 hitter with 25-plus home run power in their minor league stadium in 2025. There’s considerable ceiling above that if he continues to adjust to the level, so even though he won’t give you much speed, he’s a solid third base target if you wait at the position and get stolen bases elsewhere. |
| 7. Mark Vientos | NYM - 3B |
| Bats: R | Age: 25 | Mixed 5x5: $9 | NL 5x5: $14 |
| 2024: 3B:108 | Mixed 2026: $10 | 2027: $9 |
| Outlook: It seems crazy to say, but Vientos was arguably the best third baseman in the National League after being given the starting job last season with 27 homers and an .837 OPS in just 111 games. He kept the good times rolling in the postseason where he had five more homers and 14 RBI in 13 games. Is an elite 124-game sample enough to spend a top-100 pick on Vientos? Early ADP data says so, and perhaps it should. Vientos was able to improve so rapidly by making much better swing decisions – his SEAGER (a new Baseball Prospectus metric for evaluating swing decisions) jumped from the 24th to 78th percentile – and pulling more of his fly balls. Both allowed him to get to his power more consistently, even with ample swing-and-miss in his game. That swing-and-miss should give some pause to his ascension though, as his contact ability remains poor. Pitchers are certain to be more careful with him this time around, which could force him to adjust. Or, this was simply the berth of a star who will succeed because of freakish power to all fields. His range of outcomes this season could be extreme. |
| 8. Isaac Paredes | HOU - 3B |
| Bats: R | Age: 26 | Mixed 5x5: $8 | AL 5x5: $15 |
| 2024: 3B:128 1B:17 | Mixed 2026: $7 | 2027: $3 |
| Outlook: Paredes’ short and uninspiring stint with the Cubs ended when he and prospect Cam Smith were traded to the Astros for Kyle Tucker in one of the biggest blockbusters this winter. He’ll be happy to get out of Chicago after a .223/.325/.307 slash-line with just three home runs in 52 games after being acquired from the Rays. Now, he’ll call Minute Maid Park home and enjoy the Crawford Boxes in left field. That short porch is tailor-made for right-handed, pull-happy power hitters like him and there’s a reasonable chance he inches back closer to the 30-homer guy he was while with the Rays. He makes for a fine power target this season in all formats. |
| 9. Alec Bohm | PHI - 3B |
| Bats: R | Age: 28 | Mixed 5x5: $7 | NL 5x5: $13 |
| 2024: 3B:128 1B:15 | Mixed 2026: $6 | 2027: $5 |
| Outlook: It looked like everything clicked for Bohm early last season. On May 1st, he had 30 RBI, 12 doubles, and a .362 batting average – all second in the league – with rising quality of contact metrics. Then, he regressed back to the hitter he’s always been: making tons of contact without much thump. Things got worse in September when he was stuck in an awful slump and even found himself on the bench during a playoff game. There is still the inkling of a potential breakout here with such good contact skills, plate discipline, and expected playing time in a strong lineup. It helps that we saw what his game could look like when it clicks, as it did last April. Just don’t count it happening in 2025. |
| 10. Jordan Westburg | BAL - 3B/2B |
| Bats: R | Age: 26 | Mixed 5x5: $6 | AL 5x5: $14 |
| 2024: 3B:67 2B:53 | Mixed 2026: $7 | 2027: $7 |
| Outlook: Westburg cemented his spot in the Orioles’ lineup with a tremendous start to the 2024 season, slashing .281/.332/.505 in his first 77 games with 13 home runs, and six steals. The second part of the season was less favorable with Westburg hitting .223/.260/.421 with five home runs in 30 games before fracturing his hand at the end of July. The exit velocities, in particular on fly balls, were much better for Westburg in 2024, but he pulled the ball less than in 2023 which brings his power upside into question. The 25-year-old is a free-swinger, but his whiff rates aren’t much of a concern since he swings enough that he makes better than league average contact. As a result, a .260-.270 average with 25 home runs while hitting in a strong lineup is a possible outcome and that makes him a solid target in all formats. |
| 11. Christopher Morel | TB - 3B/2B |
| Bats: R | Age: 25 | Mixed 5x5: $6 | AL 5x5: $14 |
| 2024: 3B:74 2B:21 LF:11 | Mixed 2026: $6 | 2027: $5 |
| Outlook: Morel came to the Rays in a midseason trade for Isaac Paredes last year and really struggled, slashing .191/.258/.289 with three home runs and 56 strikeouts in 49 games. While he cut back on his chase rates and overall swing rates, he still swings and misses at a high rate and posts well-below-average contact rates. His barrel rate also fell for the third straight season as pitchers continued to attack him low in the zone and prevent him from lifting the ball. Morel is also a poor defender almost everywhere, so even though the Rays will hope he can stick in left field, there’s a chance he remains just a DH who won’t make enough contact to hit higher than .220. He should continue to post at least 20 home runs and 10 steals, but his batting average and playing time concerns make him a risky pick in fantasy drafts. |
| 12. Alex Bregman | BOS - 3B |
| Bats: R | Age: 30 | Mixed 5x5: $3 | AL 5x5: $11 |
| 2024: 3B:142 | Mixed 2026: $3 | 2027: $2 |
| Outlook: Bregman signed a three-year, $120 million contract with the Red Sox in mid-February where his pull-heavy offensive approach is perfectly suited for Fenway Park’s iconic Green Monster. It’s unclear at the outset of spring training whether he’ll take over as Boston’s starting third baseman, with Rafael Devers moving to DH, or shift over to second base until top prospect Kristian Campbell is ready to ascend to the big leagues. Regardless of his ultimate defensive home, it’s an ideal landing spot for Bregman from a fantasy standpoint as he’ll likely slot into the second spot on manager Alex Cora’s lineup card and should benefit tremendously from the AL East’s extremely hitter-friendly environments. The hot-corner talent pool remains one of the deepest in the entire fantasy landscape, but he’s blasted at least 23 homers in three consecutive seasons and should remain an upper-echelon four-category fantasy contributor in his Boston debut. |
