2. 1. Adrian Beltre
Beltre’s first MLB season was the
1998 Sosa/McGwire Home Run
race season. Fast forward 16
years and Beltre is still an elite
3rd baseman.
Beltre turns 37 in April, so his
reign as the top 3rd baseman
may be coming to an end. For
2015, it’s safe to expect another
.310+, 20 HR, 80+ RBI season.
1999-2014 Average Season
Batting Ave Doubles Home Runs RBI
.286 32 24 85
3. 2. Anthony Rendon
Rendon will be the everyday third
baseman for the Nationals in 2015.
Zimmerman will move across the
diamond to 1st to try and protect
his health.
Rendon has quickly become one of
the best young hitters in the game.
We don’t see him slowing down in
2015. The gap between Rendon
and Beltre for the 1 and 2 spots
isn’t very wide.
Stats 2013-2014
Games Batting Ave Home Runs RBI Steals
2013 98 .265 7 35 1
2014 153 .285 21 83 17
4. 3. Josh Donaldson
Donaldson might be one of the best
players in baseball that you know
very little about. The guy quietly
turned into one of the most
productive 3rd basemen in the game
in Oakland.
In 2015, Donaldson will find himself
in the middle of one of the most
potent lineups in the game. Expect
Donaldson to match or exceed his
2014 numbers in the Blue Jays
powerful batting order.
2013-2014 Stats
Batting
Ave.
Doubles HR RBI
2013 .301 37 24 93
2014 .255 31 29 98
5. 4. Evan Longoria
Longoria didn’t have his best
statistical year in 2014, but it was
still a very productive season.
The Rays lineup doesn’t appear to
be as strong on paper in 2015, but
we don’t expect Longoria’s numbers
to suffer too much. Longoria should
still be a top 5 fantasy baseball
option and be a cornerstone for
many fantasy lineups for many years
to come.
Average Season 2008-2014
Games Batting
Ave
Doubles Home
Runs
RBI
137 .271 32 26 91
6. 5. Kyle Seager
If you haven’t paid close
attention over the last 3 seasons
you might not realize how good
Kyle Seager really is.
The 27 year old has strung
together some very impressive
seasons at one of the tougher
ballparks for hitters in baseball.
Don’t expect Seager to slow
down any as he begins to enter
his prime. I look for something
around ~.265, ~25 HR, and 80+
RBI from him in 2015.
2012-2014 Stats
Batting Ave HR RBI
2012 .259 20 86
2013 .260 22 69
2014 .268 25 96
7. 6. Nolan Arenado
Arenado is a very exciting young 3rd
baseman for the Rockies. In a short
amount of time, Nolan has shown
very strong offensive skills for a 23
year old.
Like many before him, Arenado
takes advantage of the best hitter’s
part on the planet (Coors Field). If
he is able to stay healthy in 2015,
expect his numbers to eclipse his
injury-shortened 2014 season. This
might be the last year you can get
Arenado after the 5th round in
fantasy drafts. Keep an eye on him
on draft day.
2014 Home/Road Splits
At Bats Batting Ave Home Runs RBI
Home 231 .303 16 45
Road 201 .269 2 16
8. 7. Todd Frazier
Frazier’s outstanding 2014 season was
one of the lone offensive bright spots
for the Reds.
The 20 steals out of Frazier were a
pleasant surprise in 2014. It might be
unwise to expect another 20-20
season. However, his other statistics
seem to be very repeatable. There’s
almost no way the Reds offense can
get worse in 2015, and if Votto and
Bruce get back on track I’d look for
Frazier to have another very strong
season at the hot corner.
2012-2014 Stats
Batting Ave Home Runs RBI Steals
2012 .273 19 67 3
2013 .234 19 73 6
2014 .273 29 80 20
9. 8. Pablo Sandoval
Sandoval switched coasts in the
offseason and will be manning the
hot corner for the Red Sox in
2015.
“Panda” should see plenty of RBI
opportunities in a very potent Red
Sox lineup. Pedroia-Ortiz-
HanRam-Panda-Napoli will not be
a fun gauntlet for opposing
pitchers in 2015. Expect Pablo to
at least match his “usual”
numbers (.275+, 15+ HR, ~75 RBI)
this season.
Average Season 2009-2014
Batting Ave Doubles HR RBI
.292 30 17 73
10. 9. David Wright
Wright has missed at least 28 games
in 3 of the last 4 seasons. He is still a
very productive 3rd baseman when
he’s healthy, but he’s now on the
wrong side of 30. It’s fair to keep a
close eye on his health going
forward.
As far as 2015 goes, a healthy Wright
should hit near .300 with 15+ HRs
and 15+ steals. He’s definitely worth
a roll of the dice if you need a 3rd
baseman in the 9th or 10th round.
Average Season 2005-2014
Games Batting
Ave
Doubles HR RBI Steals
144 .298 36 22 90 18
11. 10. Matt Carpenter
Carpenter’s 2014 season was a bit of
a disappointment after a monster
2013 campaign. Carp lead the NL in
walks, but his average, doubles, HRs,
and RBIs all declined in 2014.
I believe Carpenter would be better
suited hitting further down the lineup
where he can be more aggressive
with his at bats, but he should still
put up a very respectable stat line in
2015. I expect Carp’s numbers to fall
somewhere in between his 2013 and
2014 stat lines this season.
2013 & 2014 Stats
Batting
Ave
Doubles HRs RBIs .OBP
2013 .318 55 11 78 .392
2014 .272 33 8 59 .375
