Fantasy baseball 3B rankings and tiers for 2026 drafts with auction values and dynasty strategy originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Fantasy baseball drafts are often quite fun. You can fill in each position, round by round, with players you like, be it sleepers or simply stars you feel have a fair ADP.
Drafting at third base for the 2026 MLB season won’t be as fun, though. The rankings below capture the brutal reality of this position. There simply aren’t a lot of exciting projections. There aren’t a ton of sure things. There are, at most, two players worth drafting with a pick in the first two rounds.
Really, that’s the best way to view this position. If you want a star at third base, you take either Guardians sparkplug Jose Ramirez or Rays slugger Junior Caminero.
If you don’t, well, you wait.
MORE FANTASY BASEBALL RANKINGS: First base | Second base | Shortstop | Catcher
Someone will reach on Manny Machado. You can let that happen.
Alex Bregman’s ADP feels lower than it should be. He’ll be quite successful with the Cubs.
If Kazuma Okamoto slides, he’s a solid pickup in a sturdy Blue Jays lineup.
Eugenio Suarez should hit a lot of home runs with the Reds.
But basically as soon as you get outside the top-10 below, it gets rough. There are a few players who aren’t included below who might have multi-position eligibility in certain formats, and if you’ve waited outside the top-10 for a third baseman, they’re worth thinking about, too.
It’s a bit rough. Royce Lewis can’t stay healthy. Alec Bohm is a player Phillies fans love to hate. Carlos Correa and Max Muncy are aging quickly.
There aren’t even a lot of youngsters to get excited about.
One player worth noting if you’re in a pickle at third base is Jordan Westburg of the Orioles. He’s injured, and can likely begin the year on your fantasy IL spot, but if he was healthy for Opening Day, he’d be a top-15 option at this position.
One other thing to note: Bo Bichette isn’t ranked below, because he shouldn’t yet be eligible at third base in any leagues.
Check out your league’s positional eligibility settings. Once Bichette plays enough games at 3B for the Mets this season, he’s a top-six option at the position who we’d likely slot right above Austin Riley.
Anyone in auction leagues can follow the same strategy here with our self-generated values below. It’s Ramirez, Caminero or save your money.
RankPlayerTeamTierAuction Value1Jose RamirezCLE1$422Junior CamineroTB1$383Manny MachadoSD2$264Maikel GarciaKC2$215Alex BregmanCHC2$196Austin RileyATL2$187Matt ChapmanSF2$168Isaac ParedesHOU2$159Kazuma OkamotoTOR2$1410Eugenio SuarezCIN2$1311Royce LewisMIN3$1212Ernie ClementTOR3$1113Alec BohmPHI3$1014Caleb DurbinBOS3$915Carlos CorreaHOU3$816Max MuncyLAD3$717Miguel VargasCWS4$618Brett BatyNYM4$519Ryan McMahonNYY4$420Willi CastroCOL4$321Josh JungTEX4$222Zach McKinstryDET4$123Nolan ArenadoARZ4$124Nolan GormanSTL4$125Connor NorbyMIA4$126Ke’Bryan HayesCIN5$127Brady HouseWAS5$128Edmundo SosaPHI5$129Yoan MoncadaLAA5$130Luis RengifoMIL6$131Matt VientosNYM6$132Matt ShawCHC6$133Jordan WestburgBAL6$1
We’re conditioned in fantasy sports to think about what a player is going to do for us right now. In a dynasty league, you have to consider both now and later.
Yes, dynasty leagues are set up to last forever. They often don’t, though, and there’s always the owner who drafts only prospects. It’s fine to draft a proven veteran.
Early in careers, it’s not always easy to know whether a guy will have injury trouble. But the injury prone label is one that is especially painful in dynasty leagues, because you end up with the same player hurt over and over through the years.
Note that these aren’t rankings, but rather just a few players we’d target in dynasty league startup drafts. Also note that frankly, third base may not be the spot to make a heavy investment in besides a few obvious guys.
This one is obvious, but Caminero is set up to be one of the best sluggers in baseball for years to come.
He’s a bit more of a well-rounded guy rather than standing out in any one category. But he should be reliable for the next half-decade for the Royals, at least.
The Nationals’ third baseman had a brutal start to his MLB career. But we believe in his pop enough to think he’ll stick around, and he’ll cost you almost nothing to acquire.
We mentioned Westburg above, but his injury in the spring here has created value. Any draft room that shows the injured symbol next to him will often lead to a slight slide, even in dynasty leagues, and you’re playing the long game here.
