Every Tuesday and Thursday for the next 4 weeks Caveball will sort out the 8 tiers for all 8 Fantasy positions. The following week at the end of February we will release our unique “Chartfelt Tiers”, the ultimate Cheat-sheet for Fantasy Baseball – unique because it allows you to easily cross-reference players in different positions who have similar value.
During that same week we will offer up our General Draft Strategy, which will then be followed by a specific strategy for 2015, which you can use in tandem with our “Chartfelt Tiers”.
Here now are Caveball’s tiers for the 3B position:
Tier #1 – The Alpha Wolves (Level 1)
This tier includes all third basemen ranked in the top 24 players overall. For 12-team leagues this covers rounds 1 and 2.
- Miguel Cabrera – 10 straight years of 100-plus RBI and he’s just 31 yrs old
- Anthony Rendon - Quietly scored 111 runs with 83 RBI
- Josh Donaldson - Yet to peak 25 yr. old joins superior offence
Tier #2 – The Alpha Wolves (Level 2)
This tier includes all third basemen ranked from 25 to 48 overall. For 12-team leagues this covers rounds 3 and 4.
- Adrian Beltre - Had good numbers despite age (36) and injury-plagued team
- Chris Davis – Drug was cleared, head should be too – rare and precious power
- Evan Longoria - Had decent numbers despite a team-wide year-long slump
Tier #3 – The Beta Wolves (Level 1)
This tier includes all third basemen ranked from 49 to 84 overall. For 12-team leagues this covers rounds 5, 6 and 7.
- Todd Frazier - Could be overvalued this year – 20 SB is not his norm
- Kyle Seager - 27 yr. old has only missed 5 games in last 2 yrs.
- Nolan Arenado - Money at Coors – gamma wolf elsewhere
- Josh Harrison - Late bloomers do exist given the right opportunities
- David Wright - Mets finally have a contender, but he looks worn down
Tier #4 – The Beta Wolves (Level 2)
This tier includes all third basemen ranked from 85 to 132 overall. For 12-team leagues this covers rounds 8, 9, 10 and 11.
- Matt Carpenter - Built his ceiling in 2013, now he’s working on the walls
- Carlos Santana - Still catcher eligible in Yahoo Leagues
- Xander Bogaerts - Will the talent blossom this year? In spurts
- Manny Machado - Is just 22 yrs. old entering his 4th season
- Pablo Sandoval - May stun everyone in hitter’s ballpark/stacked line-up
- Kris Bryant - Pressure on management to keep “Minor League Player of the Year” in lineup for Opening Day
Tier #5 – The Gamma Wolves (Level 1)
This tier includes all third basemen ranked from 133 to 192 overall. For 12-team leagues this covers rounds 12-16 inclusive.
- Martin Prado - Don’t underestimate Marlins beefed up line-up
- Daniel Murphy - Expect many low-scoring games with Mets in 2015
- Lonnie Chisenhall - Will make a run at an .800-plus OPS
- Trevor Plouffe - Good counting stats, including 80 RBI
- Aramis Ramirez - 36 yr. old RBI specialist is on the decline
- Ryan Zimmerman - 30 yr. old could be a good buy low candidate
Tier #6 – The Gamma Wolves (Level 2)
This tier includes all third basemen ranked from 193 to 240 overall. For 12-team leagues this covers rounds 17-20 inclusive.
- Chase Headley - Rutted Padre at Petco gets new life in NY
- Nick Castellanos - Average numbers with some upside
- Justin Turner - Great second half may merit more at bats for 30 yr. old
- Brett Lawrie - Health is the big factor for Donaldson’s replacement
- Casey McGehee - Panda’s replacement had a good comeback year
- Pedro Alvarez - Turns 28 tomorrow. Will play 1B meaning more ABs
Tier #7 – The Omega Wolves (Level 1)
This tier includes all third basemen ranked from 241 to 276 overall. For 12-team leagues this covers rounds 21-23 inclusive.
- David Freese - No upside left for the 31 yr. old, and misses games
- Mike Moustakas - Don’t be fooled by 5 post-season HR, he hit .212
- Matt Dominguez - Very similar stats to “Moose”: 16 HR/.215 avg
- Brock Holt - May get lost in the shuffle with off-season moves
Tier #8 – The Omega Wolves (Level 2)
This tier includes all third basemen ranked lower than 276 overall who have a chance to crack the top 300. For 12-team leagues this covers all rounds after the 23rd.
- Alex Rodriguez - Ancient, hobbled – is everything baseball shouldn’t be
- Cody Asche - 24 yr. old has upside with an .837 OPS in his 2013 AAA stint
- Joey Gallo - Power bat has Beltre and Fielder blocking his way
- Chris Johnson - 30 yr. old’s OPS dropped from .816 in 2013 to .653 last year
- Will Middlebrooks - One-time prospect exchanged for Ryan Hanigan
- Marcus Semien - Part of the Samardzija trade. Has good upside