The Prince Fielder signing was obviously good news for the Tigers lineup, Miguel Cabrera included, but its greatest impact for Fantasy owners will be what it does for Cabrera's position eligibility. The former third baseman is moving back to the hot corner, where he'll immediately become the best Fantasy option at the position. His offensive exploits speak for themselves. Whatever demons he had off the field prior to 2011 (i.e., his DUI arrest and the antics surrounding it), he was able to overcome them on the field, reaching 30 homers for the fifth consecutive season and securing his first ever batting title. He also walked more than he struck out for the first time, continuing a trend of improving plate discipline during his stint in Detroit. With each passing year, he more closely resembles Albert Pujols, the gold standard for Fantasy sluggers, and because he'll be playing the weaker position, he's actually the one who deserves to go off the board first on Draft Day. Cabrera won't have third base eligibility to begin 2012 because he didn't play any games the position last year, but assuming the Tigers stick to the plan, he'll get the necessary five games needed to gain eligibility there within the first week of the season. You're safe drafting him with the expectation he'll eventually be your starting third baseman, which makes him arguably the most valuable player in Fantasy.
After missing almost all of April with a strained oblique, Evan Longoria played most of the rest of the season with a nerve issue that manager Joe Maddon described "a toothache in his foot." Ouch. Considering he was banged up from start to finish, you can understand why the 26-year-old produced a career-low .244 batting average last year. He never used the injuries as an excuse for his season-long slump, but they had to make him tentative at the plate. The good news is his power never suffered -- his 31 homers were a significant improvement over the 22 he hit in 2010, in fact -- and he showed his best plate discipline yet, compiling a near 1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He also seemed to improve the further he distanced himself from the injury, hitting .280 with 13 homers and a 1.031 OPS over his final 41 games. Though he has ranked among the elite third basemen in Fantasy since he first came up in 2008, Longoria still has yet to demonstrate the full extent of his potential. As he enters his prime, he could be due for another big step forward. He may not be quite a first-rounder on Draft Day, but aside from Jose Bautista (and Miguel Cabrera, when eligible), he's the best third baseman in Fantasy.
Since his breakout 2007 season, Hanley Ramirez has been a candidate to go first overall in Fantasy drafts. Now, he might not even be a first-rounder. The 28-year-old was nothing short of a disaster in 2011. He hit .210 over the first two months, and though he rebounded to some degree following a DL stint in June, his season ended in early August with a shoulder injury that ultimately required surgery. If that's not bad enough, he now has to change positions with the Marlins' offseason signing of Jose Reyes, begrudgingly moving to third base amid rumors of trade demands and general unhappiness. The concern with Ramirez is three-pronged. One, he's beginning to develop a reputation as yet another injury-prone shortstop, having missed the end of the 2010 season with elbow discomfort. Two, he never once appeared to be at his best in 2011, fueling speculation that his often lackadaisical (and perhaps now discontent) demeanor might be contributing to a premature decline. Three, he's coming off shoulder surgery, which not only might delay his start to the 2012 season but might also affect his swing. Despite the risks, Ramirez is still worth an early-round pick. He's young, and because he's still eligible at shortstop for one more year, he brings rare five-category potential to the position. You can just wait until the second round to get it now.
After a bounce-back campaign with the Red Sox in 2012, Adrian Beltre signed with the Rangers last offseason and provided an already stout lineup with another big bat. He batted just .237 over his first 36 games but his average would not fall below that mark from there on out. He would slug .499 with 19 home runs in the first half and finished the year with 32 homers and 105 RBI. Beltre also hit five long balls in the postseason. It was his second straight 100-RBI campaign and his .296 average was nearly 20 points above his career mark. The 32-year-old has posted a .350 on-base percentage and .557 slugging percentage over the last two seasons and should be able to put up similar numbers in 2012. Beltre has solidified himself as a top Fantasy third baseman once again so target him in the early to middle rounds in mixed leagues on Draft Day.
Injuries have plagued Kevin Youkilis in recent years, and 2011 was no exception. The Red Sox third baseman missed several games down the stretch with back and hip injuries and a sports hernia, and he was limited to just 120 games on the season. When he did play, Youkilis displayed a lot less punch than usual, posting the highest ground ball rate of his career by far. The result was his lowest home run total (17) since 2007, and his fewest runs scored since he became a regular in 2006. Youkilis had sports hernia surgery last October, but it remains to be seen if he can return to playing 140 games and hitting 25 home runs, as he did a few seasons back. The good news is that most of Youkilis' power dropoff occurred late last season, when he was clearly nowhere close to healthy. Even if he continues his pattern of injury and missed time, he should have enough in the tank to rank among the top five third basemen in Fantasy.
Just as quickly as he joined the ranks of Fantasy's elite, Ryan Zimmerman had another label attached to him in 2011: injury-prone. He played in only 101 games a year after playing in only 142. The big blow was a torn abdominal muscle that required surgery and sidelined him for two months early in the season, but he also dealt with a strained hamstring in September and a strained groin in spring training. He has now played less than 145 games in three of his last four seasons, averaging 126.5 games during that stretch. By comparison, Alex Rodriguez is averaging 124.5 games over the last four seasons. Some Fantasy owners might point to Zimmerman's decline in production last year as another cause for concern, but keep in mind he endured a bit of a down period when he first returned from his procedure. He hit .313 with nine homers and an .839 OPS over his final 73 games -- numbers that would still be elite if you could trust him to produce them over a full season. At age 27, Zimmerman likely still has a couple 150-game seasons in his future, but because you can no longer bank on them, he's more of a third- or fourth-rounder than the borderline first-rounder he was a year ago.
A year ago, owners had a difficult time knowing what to make of Pablo Sandoval. He followed up a sensational 2009 season with a dud in 2010. After shedding weight during the offseason, a slimmer Sandoval arrived in camp in 2011 determined to rebound. Whether it was his offseason conditioning or some other factor, Sandoval was reborn as a hitter, batting .315 with 23 home runs. Though Sandoval had longer at-bats, he actually took a more aggressive approach, swinging more frequently as he had done in 2009. Having posted two good seasons out of three, Sandoval is now firmly entrenched among the top 10 third basemen heading into the 2012 season. There is no reason to think he will revert to his lighter-hitting ways, but owners should still have concerns about Sandoval's ability to stay healthy. He recovered from early season surgery to remove part of a fractured bone in his hand, but he also dealt with a strained shoulder later in the year. While Sandoval may not be the most durable option among third basemen, he is enough of a force at the plate to be worth drafting within the first seven rounds in mixed leagues.
With Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran moving on, David Wright is the only Met who remotely fits the description of Fantasy stud, and even he's not a slam dunk anymore. The Wright we saw last year was not the five-category stud of 2007 or even the knockoff version of 2010. He was a 28-year-old doing his best impression of a 38-year-old, hitting .226 over the first six weeks before missing the next nine with a stress fracture in his lower back. Even when he returned, all was not right with him. He hit a mediocre .272 with a mediocre .789 OPS in 243 at-bats to close out the season. Now, he has even greater injury concerns, having missed the majority of spring training with an abdominal tear -- the same injury that sidelined Ryan Zimmerman for 60 games last year. But unlike Zimmerman, Wright might be able to avoid surgery. He's only 29 and is one of several Mets who could benefit from the team's decision to move in the fences this offseason. His recent track record is discouraging -- both health- and performance-wise -- but considering he might actually not end up missing any time this season, he's worth selecting among the top five or six third basemen in Fantasy. After all, when at his best, he's a true five-category performer.
The last four seasons for Alex Rodriguez have been marred by injuries and decline, and that was never more true than in 2011. Rodriguez appeared in just 99 games, and he failed to hit as many as 30 home runs for the first time since 1997, going yard only 16 times. A-Rod's struggles were especially acute after he returned from midseason knee surgery, batting .191 with three home runs over his final 19 games of the year. He has made efforts this offseason to improve his performance and durability, revamping his workout routine and receiving an experimental treatment on his right knee and left shoulder in Germany. Rodriguez is only two years removed from having very good power numbers, but given his penchant for injury and missed playing time, the time has passed for considering him as an elite option. Look to draft Rodriguez within the first six rounds in standard mixed league formats.
Things are supposed to get more difficult the higher a player rises through the minors, but Brett Lawrie breezed through Triple-A on his way to majors last year after a nondescript season in Double-A in 2010. Lawrie's doubles and triples power exploded into big-time home run clout in 2011, as he busted out for 27 combined homers in Triple-A and the big leagues. Of course, Lawrie is still capable of hitting plenty of doubles and triples as well as stealing 20-plus bases, so he could very well become a superstar in his first full season in Toronto. Even considering the possibility of a setback, Lawrie's 20-20 potential catapults him into the top 10 of Fantasy third basemen.
Aramis Ramirez had a bounce-back campaign with the bat last season as he was able to put up some solid numbers for the Cubs. While he hit just two homers in his first 53 games, he picked up the pace in June and ended up with 26 home runs and 93 RBI on the year. He increased his batting average from .241 in 2010 to .306 and he slugged a healthy .510. The 33-year-old signed with the Brewers in the offseason and will man the hot corner for the defending NL Central champions. With Ryan Braun possibly going to miss the first 50 games of 2012 due to a failed drug test, Ramirez will be counted on to pick up the slack, and will be even more valuable once Braun returns. There are few Fantasy third baseman out there who can put up consistent numbers like Ramirez, so consider him a solid option in mixed leagues on Draft Day, worthy of being taken in the middle rounds.
Mark Reynolds has always been known as a strikeout machine, but he has become even more of an all-or-nothing hitter over the last two years. Reynolds' strikeout rate hasn't risen further, but he is hitting fewer line drives and grounding out more often, which has dropped his batting average below .225 for each of the last two seasons. His 24 steals from three years ago now looks like an aberration, so Reynolds doesn't do much besides hit home runs and draw walks. He does both of those things extraordinarily well, though, so despite his dwindling skill set, Reynolds is still worth targeting in the middle rounds of standard mixed league drafts.
In the minors and as a major league part-timer, Ryan Roberts had shown flashes of good power for a middle infielder, but it wasn't until the 2011 season that he got an opportunity to play every day. Roberts made the most of that opportunity, clubbing 19 home runs and scoring 86 times in 143 games. The player also known as "Tatman" didn't always hit for a high average in the minors, and his .249 batting average was the one part of his stat line in 2011 that stood out in a negative way. However, Roberts has shown a consistent ability to draw walks and he has a decent strikeout rate, so he can help Head-to-Head owners with more than just homers. Roberts could steal 20 or more bases, so he has Rotisserie appeal, too. In any mixed league format, Roberts is worth picking up in the middle to late rounds.
With a .322 batting average, 36 home runs and .999 OPS, Mike Moustakas was arguably the best hitter in the minor leagues in 2010. Needless to say, his major-league debut last year was a little underwhelming. It's not a complete surprise considering much of his production in 2010 came in a favorable hitting environment at Double-A Northwest Arkansas -- his numbers came down a bit after his promotion to Triple-A Omaha -- but he was still the second overall pick in the 2007 draft for a reason. He still has legitimate middle-of-the-order potential and Fantasy owners would have liked to have seen it. But perhaps they did. Moustakas seemed to gain momentum over his time in the big leagues, continuing his pattern of struggling with every promotion up the organizational ladder. He had only one extra-base hit -- a homer -- over his first 18 games. Then, he started to mix in a few doubles. Finally, after 75 games in the big leagues, he exploded with four homers over his final 13 games. If that late-season surge was a sign of him turning the corner, Moustakas could be in for a big sophomore season. If you need an extra corner infielder or third baseman, he's a worthy late-round sleeper in mixed leagues.
The longer Chase Headley stays in San Diego, the more his home run power disappears. While Headley showed promise as a home run threat as a prospect, his home run rate has plunged in each of the last three years. He missed the better part of the last two months of last season with a fractured left pinkie, but that didn't stop Headley from hitting 28 doubles in just 381 at-bats. Though he produced a measly four home runs, Headley's line drive approach allowed him to post a career-high .289 batting average, and he produced enough extra-base hits to help owners in Head-to-Head leagues. With 3B prospects James Darnell and Jedd Gyorko not far from major-league ready, the Padres have an incentive to deal Headley, which would further boost his Fantasy value. However, even if he spends all of 2012 in San Diego, Headley is still worth a late-round pick in standard mixed leagues.
