Tiers (3B) – Fantasy Baseball 2015

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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

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