“Pump up the jam, pump it up,” was what I was singing during the shortstops rankings. And now we’re not singing fun, party songs anymore. Submerge yourself into a garbage dump; take a deep breath…Ah, that’s the smell of the top 20 3rd basemen for 2026 fantasy baseball. Don’t turn your nose up! Don’t turn away from the stench! This is the reality about, uh, fantasy. You have to embrace the stank of the 3rd basemen. Enjoy! Here’s Steamer’s 2026 Fantasy Baseball Projections for Hitters and 2026 Fantasy Baseball Projections for Pitchers. Subscriptions are up and running, and you can already get Rudy’s Draft War Room. Anyway, here’s the top 20 3rd basemen for 2026 fantasy baseball:
NOTE: All my 2026 fantasy baseball rankings are currently available on Patreon for the price of a Starbucks coffee, if you get one of those extra grande frappuccino jobbers. Don’t wait for the rankings to come out over the next month, and get them all now.
NOTE II: Free agents are marked as such and not yet projected. They are ranked for where they’re currently worth drafting.
1. Jose Ramirez – Went over him in the top 10 for 2026 fantasy baseball.
2. Junior Caminero – Went over him in the top 20 for 2026 fantasy baseball.
3. Jazz Chisholm Jr. – Went over him in the top 20 for 2026 fantasy baseball.
4. Manny Machado – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Maikel. I call this tier, “The Manny & Maikel.”
3rd base was the shallowest position, outside of catchers, but they were basically 1A and 1B in pathetic. VinWins did a positional comparison of the top 12 at each position, and here’s what we have:
SS: 593 AB/163 H/93 R/22 HR/81 RBI/27 SB/.275
2B: 539 AB/143 H/80 R/20 HR/74 RBI/16 SB/.266
1B: 570 AB/159 H/85 R/29 HR/97 RBI/6 SB/.278
3B: 541 AB/141 H/82 R/27 HR/82 RBI/14 SB/.260
C: 498 AB/130 H/70 R/26 HR/79 RBI/5 SB/.260
It’s not surprising, but when it’s laid out that plainly, you really pick up the stuff being put down. 3rd base is gross. This top five? Fine! Totally not awful. That it ends at five for the top 3rd basemen? [Larry David meh face] I’ve said this many times before, I try for upside at positions that are shallow. That’s why you see a few sleeper posts for 3rd basemen. (There’s one and half fewer sleepers because the Cubs buried Matt Shaw, and Jays signed Okamoto, possibly hurting Barger.) The thought is if someone in your league is drafting, say, Bregman for their 3rd baseman and I’m taking a flyer on, say, Noelvi? Meh, might not be that different. That doesn’t mean I’m not drafting a top five 3rd baseman, if they’re there. It’s merely if I don’t get one, because only five teams are. Or fewer if you have some galaxy brain people in your league taking two of the top five. There’s always one person who drafts Cal Raleigh and William Contreras and there will be at least one person in the universe who thinks it’s smart to draft Jose Ramirez and Manny Machado. It’s not.
As for Manny, ya know I don’t think I’ve mentioned once in these rankings yet my greatest contribution to the world of fantasy that no one talks about: Lifetime ADP. This phenomenon coined by me and that no one else talks about states that a guy has a lifetime ADP. He might be better or worse some years but he’s always going to be around the same ADP. Decipher a guy’s Lifetime ADP and you’ll find where to draft them. Eugenio Suarez’s lifetime ADP? 105. He nearly hit 50 homers last year, and he’s still going around 105. Another example of Lifetime ADP, Manny and how people consider him a third rounder. Why? Who knows? Do not try to figure out the Lifetime ADP! There’s lots of pseudomath involved. Is Machado actually more valuable than Jazz year after year? Yes. Why didn’t I rank him above Jazz? Lifetime ADP! There’s real pseudo stuff going on here that you can’t handle if it’s all spelled out. 2026 Projections: 86/28/94/.272/12 in 588 ABs
5. Maikel Garcia – Went over him in the 2nd basemen rankings.
6. Austin Riley – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Bregman. I call this tier, “Potentially rancid mayo.” This mayo could be good, and you’ll make yourself a nice club sandwich and eat a few chips and be joyful as you stare at your social media apps. Or the mayo might be old and if you eat it, you’re gonna die, but not keel over fast and be gone like the bugs when they go into the Roach-B-Gone motel. No, you’ll vomit for fifteen weeks, then on your deathbed say, “I wish I would’ve waited to take a 3rd baseman sleeper.”
As for Riley, Lifetime ADP would say Riley is a bargain this late. But there is a caveat that is a part of Lifetime ADP. If a player gets injured or ages, their LiADP can shift down. (Clearly, if a player just comes up, they don’t have their LiADP yet until after a few years in the league. So, Wyatt Langford, for unstints, is still finding his LiADP.) Has Riley’s LiADP shifted down permanently or is he a bargain this late? No one knows. Sorry. At least I didn’t leave you hanging for a while. Two years ago, when he was injured and went 19/.256, it looked unlucky. Last year it looked like a trend emerged of him just not being good. The easy inference is he’ll continue to be this new guy who can’t hit the ball hard anymore. Could be. There’s a reason why 3rd base is crazy shallow and Riley is a big part of that. Last year, he had a .337 BABIP and a .260, this is about as concerning as those numbers can get. A mere four years ago, he had a .368 BABIP and a .303 average. Has Riley really aged this awful in his last 20s? It appears so. Could it be a mirage and a bounce back awaits? Yes, it’s possible. 2026 Projections: 68/22/71/.254/2 in 505 ABs
7. Eugenio Suarez – FREE AGENT 2026 Projections:
8. Alex Bregman – Here’s what I said this offseason, “Signed with the Cubs and this is legit a brain puzzler. I’m gobsmacked! I’m besides myself and the me next to me is wearing the Riddler’s leotards with question marks all over them. I’ve been hoodwinked and bamboozled! C’mon, thesaurus, lay on me another one! I’m speechless. Here: Uhh. Dot dot dot. What? I don’t understand. So, like what does this do for Matt Shaw? Michael Busch? Nico Hoerner? Ian Happ? How does one new bat clog up an entire lineup? It’s fine for Alex Bregman. Cubs just gave him a huge deal; they’re not about to platoon him. How does this affect literally everyone else in their lineup? If I were the Cubs, I’d start by trading Matt Shaw to the Pirates for Jared Jones or trade him to the Padres for their entire farm system. No, he’s not worth that much, but I’m just saying that’s how the Padres do trades. “Hey, Padres, you want (insert non-Padres player)? Then give us everyone in your farm system.” As it stands, Shaw is the odd man out, but this, pardon the phrasing, clogs up Busch. This might move Hoerner down in the lineup, which is not where he should be. It might step on Moises Ballesteros’s at-bats too. Already gave you a Matt Shaw sleeper, but I’m gonna have to lower his projections in my rankings, if the Cubs don’t move someone before Opening Day. As for Bregman, he is one of the most predictable players for stats. It doesn’t mean he’s excellent; it just means you should know what to expect. He’s a 150 game, 25 homer, .260 hitter with almost zero speed. If he has a fluke injury and only plays 114 games like last year, he’s exactly the same as every other year, minus the stats he would’ve accumulated in the other 36 games. If you want a good laugh, look at Bregman’s 2019. Only one who can’t find humor in that is Gleyber.” And that’s me quoting me! One word why Bregman’s below, say, Riley, and Riley’s projections look worse: Riley has upside, and like I just said, Bregman is predictable, but with zero upside. 2026 Projections: 87/26/77/.263/3 in 591 ABs
9. Noelvi Marte – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Westburg. I call this tier, “That guy sucks!!!” So, you’re at your annual draft, and you’re making idle chitchat prior to starting. At some point, you casually throw out there that you think the guys in this tier suck so bad. Them, “Pass the Orville Redenback–” You, “Reds’ Noelvi Marte? That guy sucks so bad!!!” This is your chance to flex your theater training from 5th grade when you played Plymouth Rock in the Thanksgiving play. You do not think these guys suck, you are throwing people off the scent. By the way, Matt Shaw was in this tier, but, when Bregman signed in Chi-Town, I had to drop Shaw. If Shaw is traded to a more favorable team, I will move him back up. It’s very pathetic that as it stands the 3rd basemen have two exciting names and one is a 2nd baseman. Things aren’t great for the 3rd basemen!
As for Marte, already gave you a Noelvi Marte sleeper. It hung tiny shower curtains around your head. 2026 Projections: 71/25/68/.251/17 in 512 ABs
10. Jordan Westburg – Went over him in the 2nd basemen rankings.
11. Matt Chapman – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Lewis. I call this tier, “[fingers crossed] Cabin in the Sky.” Cabin in the Sky is De La Soul’s new album, and it’s solid! Makes me happy to tell you that, because let’s be honest, must albums from old rappers are not good. Only people who age worse than rappers are professional wrestlers, and it’s close. Hoping to get a fairly decent new album from De La Soul, but possibly getting every other older rap group’s album is this tier. Maybe you’ll be okay, but it sure doesn’t feel like we should expect anything great. Basically anything by EPMD after 1995.
As for Chapman, get a lucky year on BABIP and some more pop than you might expect and another bizarre year for steals like when he stole 15 bags? Sure, it could come together again. Last year he put up value of around 170th overall and he’s being drafted around 170th overall and that sounds all about right. 2026 Projections: 72/22/78/.237/8 in 504 ABs
12. Isaac Paredes – Around mid-November, it was reported he was 65% recovered from a hamstring injury that’ll be 80-95% better by Spring Training. Or rather it’ll be 80-95% healed so what’s that from 65%? He’ll be 20% better in three months? He heals 6.5% better per month? Wait, this injury happened on July 19th! What’s that, nine months ago? He could’ve IVF’d a new hamstring by now. That clarifies one thing, Paredes does not have Predator blood. A starfish regenerates its limbs; Paredes is not a starfish. I can’t even believe one can have a hamstring strain this bad. Astros are such liars with their injured players. That shizz is a tear, it ain’t no strain. I actually don’t mind Paredes if it’s a shallow league and can replace him if he re-injures this hamstring, but I’m half expecting him to hurt himself in the spring. The sad truth is you don’t take nine months to recover from a hammy injury and are just fine after, forever more. 2026 Projections: 62/22/66/.243 in 412 ABs
13. Royce Lewis – I saw someone projected Lewis for 131 games and 515 ABs and I thought, “That is such a lovely thought.” That’s like being at a funeral and saying to the deceased loved ones, “Maybe they’ll come back as a zombie.” It’s a very realistic, sweet thought. Used to believe the narrative on Lewis, but now I’m not sure he can be solid even if healthy. His last two years were pretty terrible: In 182 games, 29/12/.235. That’s not great. 2026 Projections: 54/15/60/.247/10 in 391 ABs
14. Caleb Durbin – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Okamoto. I call this tier, “Believe in something, young blood.” On your knees, hands up to heaven, “Please let a guy from this tier breakout or just be freakin’ good, whatever that means. Thank you, and nice job with peaches, by the way, they good. But make them year-round. Amen.” Then you draft a guy from this tier, and you likely just drafted the worst 3rd baseman in your league, but maybe there’s some upside in this tier. For those tracking this, this is the last tier of the 12-team mixed leaguers. So, to recap, you have no 3rd basemen to draft this year. Sorry! No, you have a few sleepers, but it’s pretty sad.
As for Durbin, went over him in the 2nd basemen rankings.
15. Addison Barger – Already gave you my Addison Barger sleeper. Since I wrote it, the Jays signed Okamoto and in his blurb below you see my concern now about Barger. I’d still draft him, but I did lower his projections since the sleeper post was, uh, posted. Yes, an already poor position potentially lost two sleepers, due to offseason signings. 2026 Projections: 62/23/71/.261/5 in 441 ABs
16. Munetaka Murakami – Here’s what I said this offseason, “Signed with the White Sox to play 1st base. Munetaka’s been comped to the Japanese Joey Gallo. Call him Joey Japanese. “Hello, I am Joey Japanese. I swing at everything and make hard contact roughly 1% of the time.” The guys who share Munetaka’s profile don’t often succeed. Maybe he surprises some pitchers the first time around and hits a bunch of dongs, but this lefty is gonna get eaten alive around 33% of the time is my guess. Fine for a 3rd base flyer because why not (and 1st base, once he gets that eligibility), but you’re looking at a guy who might hit .175.” And that’s me quoting me! 2026 Projections: 54/26/62/.219/6 in 477 ABs
17. Marcelo Mayer – Went over him in the 2nd basemen rankings.
18. Jose Caballero – Went over him in the 2nd basemen rankings.
19. Alec Bohm – Went over him in the 1st basemen rankings.
20. Kazuma Okamoto – Here’s what I said this offseason, “Signed with the Jays. Ya know, I’m not sure if this hurts my Addison Barger sleeper, but I’m thinking it might. I also liked Nathan Lukes — Nathan Likes? — and it might hurt that, as well. Oh man, Kazuma Okamoto, you ess-oh-bee, you’re a prospblock! Was the about-to-be, 32-year-old Nathan Lukes a prospect? Umm, well, interjection. Fair enough! Barger might’ve been though. Kinda. The truth of the matter (Grey’s got truths!), guys you think who will be healthy (Santander) won’t stay healthy and there will be at-bats to go around. Am I as thrilled for Barger now? A bit less so, if being honest. Feels like Barger was a lefty platoon guy, who lacked a platoon partner, but now has Lukes. So, about Kazuma Okamoto, he’s basically Murakami, but with better contact. Murakami is younger, though, so there’s hope he grows into more, where Okamoto is what you paid for, which feels like a Japanese Ryan O’Hearn. Call him Ryan O’Saka. Actually, that might be selling Okamoto’s power a little short.” And that’s me quoting me! 2026 Projections: 67/24/73/.256 in 489 ABs
21. Max Muncy – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Jung. I call this tier, “Should I panic?” So, you’ve been working long hours skinning lingonberries at the Ikea factory, and you’re tired at your draft. You figure you’d take a little nap and wake in time to still draft a solid team. Well, you fell asleep for the first 90 minutes of your draft, and you just woke to this tier. You ask, “Should I panic?” Yes, you should.
As for the Dodgers’ Muncy, here’s a fun thing for you. At your draft, tell someone Max Muncy on the Dodgers went 19/4 last year in only 313 ABs, so if he gets 525+ ABs, he could be a cheap Machado. Just implant that little nugget in their brain and walk away. Maybe you’ll get lucky and they’ll subconsciously draft him. 2026 Projections: 44/17/52/.229/2 in 309 ABs
22. Carlos Correa – Went over him in the shortstops rankings.
23. Ernie Clement – Went over him in the 2nd basemen rankings.
24. Colt Keith – Went over him in the 2nd basemen rankings.
25. Willi Castro – Went over him in the 2nd basemen rankings.
26. Josh Jung – Between Josh Smith and Josh Jung, the Rangers make a strong case that Joshes shouldn’t play baseball. Rangers should change their team motto to: We’re serious, no Joshing. In his defense, Arlington sucks. Globe Life kills hitting. Stupid dumb park. Jung’s perfs aren’t terrible — not amazing, but I’ve seen worse. For unstints, his 2024 was worse. 2026 Projections: 54/15/58/.254/5 in 487 ABs
27. Matt Shaw – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Vargas. I call this tier, “Emoji whose smile is smiling so wide for so long it’s beginning to cry.” This tier has you giving a thumbs up, thinking you could have some upside, but you likely just drafted the first guy on your team you want to drop.
As for Shaw, already gave you a Matt Shaw sleeper, but I took a lot of his at-bats away from his projections, due to the Bregman signing. Shaw needs to get the heck out of Chicago or someone in front of him needs an injury. How familiar is Shaw with All About Eve? How familiar is anyone younger than 80 years old with All About Eve? 2026 Projections: 31/8/33/.266/16 in 287 ABs
28. Brooks Lee – Went over him in the 2nd basemen rankings.
29. Brett Baty – Went over him in the 2nd basemen rankings.
30. Zach McKinstry – Went over him in the shortstops rankings.
31. Connor Norby – I will say this for the guys in this tier. If any of them break out, you wouldn’t be shocked. At some point, a young 3rd baseman has to break out, don’t they? That’s also what you tell yourself when you’re in June and Norby has a statline of 4/4/.240, while hitting 9th, and is headed back to the IL. 2026 Projections: 51/15/47/.237/9 in 384 ABs
32. Luis Rengifo – Went over him in the 2nd basemen rankings.
33. Jonathan India – Went over him in the 2nd basemen rankings.
34. Josh H. Smith – Went over him in the 1st basemen rankings.
35. Sung-mun Song – Here’s what I said this offseason, “Signed with the Padres as tie-in advertising for the new Neil Diamond movie. Neil Diamond voice, “Sung Mun Song everybody knows one (now).” And the other popular one, “Sung Mon Song is coming to America. Today!” He had a 114.6 MPH max velo, 90% z-contact, 40% Hard Hit 14.9 K%, and 12-degree Launch Angle. Going 25/26/.315 in 574 ABs in his last year, at 28 years of age. Watched a bunch of clips of him, and he looks easily exploitable. High variance on outcomes, but I’m going with middle-to-low range.” And that’s me quoting me! 2026 Projections: 41/12/43/.244/15 in 362 ABs
36. Mark Vientos – Here’s what I said before the Mets signed Bichette, “Vientos was a sleeper last year, and gave us the yawns. You’re welcome! So, it didn’t work, but he’s only one year removed from a 27/.266 season. Last year does seem more repeatable in retrospect, than his 27-homer season, but you never know. Reassuring! The good news is he hit .233 last year, and that does not seem most likely. He’s a better hitter than that. Seeing some projections give him 30+HRs and I wish I was that optimistic, but maybe I’m missing something. Most I can get to is a 25-homer guy with a 19+% HR/FB, which feels a bit high, but maybe possible.” And that’s me making me sad! Maybe Vientos can request a trade. [monkey paw curls] Mark Vientos, welcome to the Dodgers! The only other team where you wouldn’t get regular at-bats. 2026 Projections: 33/14/34/.254/1 in 289 ABs
37. Miguel Vargas – Went over him in the 1st basemen rankings.
38. Nolan Arenado – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until the end. I call this tier, “Odds, ends, and mostly butts.” Tier name is pretty explanatory.
As for Arenado, here’s what I said this offseason, “Traded to the Diamondbacks for $31 million. I mean! They traded him for some random 8th round pick. A RHP, I think. But really they traded him for $31 million. If you’re in line to pay money to get Nolan Arenado off your team, stay in line. So, DBags’ owner Ken Kendrick did this deal so he could buy another Honus Wagner card, right? I mean, nothing else makes sense. By the way, Ken Kendrick is in a heated rap battle with Dra Drake. You know who this hurts the most? You guessed it! Jordan Lawlar! The Dbags’ least favorite prospect ever. Well, after Max Scherzer, who they traded almost immediately when he started to look good. Hey, they did give Lawlar a total of 97 MLB at-bats across three seasons, while playing behind other guys. What do you want? Them to give him a real chance? I’m pfft’ing in your general direction. As for Arenado, you want Chinese food? Awesome, I have this restaurant’s menu by this open window. [walks over and picks up menu] Oh, weird, the menu says the restaurant has been defunct since 2019– [falls out window] Torenado save me! AHHH!!! [But since there’s no Torenado to pick up a falling body, I fall into a dumpster below my window and the lid shuts] Hey, can someone get me out of this dumpster? Anyone?” And that’s me quoting me! 2026 Projections: 53/17/62/.231/3 in 443 ABs
39. Jared Triolo – Went over him in the 2nd basemen rankings.
40. Ryan McMahon – I give MLB managers crap for not starting lefties vs. lefties, but I am honestly challenging McMahon to a contest: Him vs. Me facing a lefty pitcher. I’d bet my life savings (a poor condition Reggie Jackson rookie card) that I could hit better vs. a lefty than McMahon. A little quirk of McMahon is he can’t really hit righties either. Yet — again with some stank — YET! he hits 20 homers every year. 2026 Projections: 48/18/53/.208/4 in 486 ABs
41. Miguel Andujar – FREE AGENT 2026 Projections:
42. Brady House – You think this guy has any philosophical nightmares/existential thoughts when he hears, “Mom always said you can’t play ball in the Brady House.” A moral dilemma better suited for Aristotle! House went 17/5, if you combine his MLB and minors last year. Can you combine those? Well, I just did! He also struggled with contact (28.5 K%) and hit .234 in the majors with a .310 BABIP, which is worrisome. One good thing is if you draft House and Casas, you can rename your team, Love It Or List It. 2026 Projections: 40/15/51/.237/7 in 412 ABs
43. Ke’Bryan Hayes – Perfect guy to be our last 3rd baseman I write up. A perfect distillation of the 3rd basemen position. You don’t want to draft him and, if you do, you almost immediately remember why you didn’t want to, when he does terribly. A perfect position, these 3rd basemen. 2026 Projections: 42/8/48/.236/14 in 491 ABs
44. Otto Kemp – Went over him in the 1st basemen rankings.
45. Nolan Gorman – Went over him in the 2nd basemen rankings.
46. Casey Schmitt – Went over him in the 2nd basemen rankings.
Omitted but considered: Jordan Lawlar, Blaze Alexander, Kyle Karros, Yoan Moncada, Ramon Urias, Graham Pauley, Alex Freeland, Amed Rosario, Nacho Alvarez Jr.
