The 3rd Baseman

The talent pool at third base used to be full of Chicago deep dish goodness. However, this year, it’s a little more flattened fruit roll-up.

There are only a handful of guys worth considering at the hot-corner this year if you are looking for consistent production. Mark Reynolds has bust written all over him, Chone Figgins will need to adjust to a new environment and I wouldn’t touch David Wright with a 10-foot pole.

Outside of Alex Rodriguez and Evan Longoria, the prospects are few and far between. Here are a few of the semi-interesting options …

Pablo Sandoval exploded onto the scene last season for the Giants, hammering out 25 dingers and going .330 at the plate. He vowed to lose weight in the offseason and improve his overall athleticism. There is a chance that Sandoval could be the Matt Wieters of third base in terms of breakout potential in 2010.

Ryan Zimmerman plays for the Nationals, but he doesn’t show it. One of just a few bright spots for Washington in 2009, Zimmerman showed plenty of power ability with 33 home runs (tied with Evan Longoria and behind just Mark Reynolds in terms of home runs by a third baseman). Some would consider Zimmerman a sell-high type player after jacking the ball more than twice what he accomplished in 2008 … however Zimmerman was scorching in the second half of 2009 (.297, 18 homers, 54 RBI) and improved his overall season batting average for the second consecutive season. These trends tell me that Zimmerman has plenty of potential left in the tank for 2010 and beyond. He may offer any speed potential, but Zimmerman is still a very solid value option for 2010.

Jake Fox, now with the Oakland Athletics, is another player with lots of potential … enough so that this is the second time I’ve mentioned him in a post, and it’s still January. Fox destroyed Triple-A competition last year with the Cubs to the tune of .409 and 17 homers in just 45 games. He fared well in spot duty in the majors, but was buried beneath Aramis Ramirez on the depth chart. His trade to Oakland will provide the extra playing time he needs to excel, and as an extra bonus, Fox is eligible at OF as well as 3B in 2010 (although his value will be at third). He’s a player worth taking a risk on late in your draft.

Gordon Beckham will technically play second base this season for the White Sox, but will still be eligible at third. One of the most valuable mid-season pickups for fantasy owners in 2009, Beckham’s 14 home runs surprised even the most optimistic of projectionists. He does not have a track record of going deep and lacks a true power swing, but Beckham still easily could provide a 20/10 (HR/SB) campaign in 2010 … putting him in decent company among third basemen.