The new baseball season is nearly upon us! With new beginnings come new hopes and dreams. And what produces more hope and excitement than the stars of tomorrow? That’s right, I’m talking about prospects!
The new baseball season is nearly upon us! With new beginnings come new hopes and dreams. And what produces more hope and excitement than the stars of tomorrow? That’s right, I’m talking about prospects!
Prospects. The dream is they’ll all turn into superstars. While we know this isn’t true for most, the select few that do, make them very exciting to discuss. There are a handful that could break out in a big way at third base this year, so let’s get right to it.
Now, this being a fantasy sports site, we need to turn our focus to how these players can impact your fantasy squads. This piece will highlight which young studs at third base will help your team now. In other words, these next select few are the ones you should target in redraft leagues. They hold value in dynasty leagues as well, but that’s a whole other conversation for another time.
Third base has plenty of question marks this season after the top player on this list. They are all extremely talented but it’ll just come down to how much playing time they receive. Most likely all but the first player listed will start the year in the minors. However, a hot start or early injury could see any of these prospects be called up before the calendar flips to May.
Top 5 Fantasy Baseball Prospects: Third Base
Noelvi Marte is first on the list after the Reds’ top prospect finished a 120 wRC+ over the final month-and-a-half of the season. The 23rd-ranked prospect in all of baseball combines a patient approach at the plate with middling power and great speed. Marte was originally a future star in the Mariners organization, but he headlined a deal that brought Luis Castillo to Seattle in 2022. Now part of the extremely talented youth movement in Cincinnati, Marte should be locked in to start at third base from day one.
Playing every day, he has a real chance at registering a 20/20 season with a .280 average and somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 RBIs and runs. The skillful rookie keeps his strikeouts to a palpable 20% and he should see further improvement in all aspects of his game entering his age-22 season. Target Marte around the 14th round in 12-team leagues.
The Rays may play it slow with their 20-year-old superstar, especially after trading for Jose Caballero and Richie Palacios. Those guys can’t touch Junior Caminero’s upside, though, so it may not be long until he cracks the big leagues. The young Dominican hit .299 or better at every stop along his Minor League Baseball (MiLB) tour since joining the Rays in 2022. He blasted 20 home runs and drove in 62 over just 314 at-bats in the highly competitive Double-A Southern League. He also hit for a .307 average and a .404 wOBA. Caminero won’t offer much in the speed department but he could be an excellent four-category contributor by early summer. He just turned 20 last July but he’s someone to target near the late-middle rounds and perhaps a bit earlier in deeper leagues.
Michael Busch has been considered a top prospect in the Dodgers organization for quite some time. Since being selected in the first round of the 2019 draft, the Boys in Blue had high expectations for him. Strikeouts were an issue for the lefty-swinging Busch early on in his career and it carried over to his brief cup of coffee in the MLB last year. However, the 26-year-old put up monstrous numbers in Triple-A, where he produced an OPS over 1.000 before his call-up.
Moving to Chicago is a huge boost to his value. Busch has a much better chance of cracking the starting lineup in his new digs. His main competition at first base is fellow prospect Matt Mervis. While Mervis is a solid rookie in his own right, he did struggle to hit pitching at the top level. He also doesn’t have the pedigree Busch does (Mervis was an undrafted free agent). If he can earn a spot on the Opening Day roster, Busch could be the next Josh Jung. He’ll just need to cut down on the whiffs to do so.
Colt Keith was the Tigers’ best-hitting prospect last year. He amassed 27 dingers and 101 RBIs across 577 plate appearances in the upper minors. He finished the season with a batting average above .300 and plays both second and third base. He also produced a K-rate under 20% while earning a free pass nearly 12% of the time in triple-A. His main competition for playing time at the moment is Matt Vierling and Zach McKinstry. If Jack Flaherty and Kenta Maeda can have solid years in Detroit, the Tigers could make some noise this year in the AL Central. Keith makes them better on all fronts. If they’re serious about winning this year he could be up sooner than later.
We’ve seen Milwaukee start rookies on Opening Day before and Tyler Black could be next in line. The Brewers’ farm system is teeming with promising bats and their future third baseman is one of the most impressive. He mashed his way through the minors, finishing with a 144 wRC+ last year. He has a very patient eye at the dish, resulting in more walks than strikeouts (15.6 BB%, 13.3 K%). He is also lightning quick on the base paths and scores at will, reaching home 105 times while stealing 55 bases across both Double-A and Triple-A in 2023.
The lefty-swinging 23-year-old can hit for power as well. Black launched 18 homers, 12 triples and 25 doubles as he filled up the stat sheet on a nightly basis last year. The only players currently standing in his way are Andruw Monasterio and Jake Bauers. I love the former first-rounder late in drafts.
Honorable Mentions
Curtis Mead earns an honorable mention because of his ability to make consistent contact. His main issue for fantasy purposes is he doesn’t offer much in either the power or speed departments. He likely won’t see regular playing time in Tampa. He’s worth a dart throw in extremely deep leagues but I have a hard time seeing him reach double-digit homers or steals. He likely won’t play enough to eclipse 45 RBIs or runs scored.
Coby Mayo is a 6-foot-5, 230-pound thumper who totaled 29 homers and 99 RBIs between Double-A and Triple-A last year. He also exhibits a great eye at the plate, resulting in a 15% walk rate. His wRC+ has been impressive since becoming a professional three years ago. If the Orioles suffer an injury early in the season, Mayo could be the first man up.
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Austin Lowell is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Austin, check out his archive.
