Fantasy baseball sleepers: Players to target at third base for 2023 MLB season

When it comes to fantasy baseball, the third base position is loaded. Jose Ramirez is one of the top overall picks. Then you have Manny Machado, Austin Riley, Bobby Witt Jr., and Rafael Devers. Oh yeah, guys like Nolan Arenado and Alex Bregman aren’t too shabby either. I’m sure you get the point by now.

While there’s no shortage of quality bats at third base, finding fantasy baseball sleepers at the position is another story. All of those aforementioned names are going very early in drafts, as they should. So in this article, we’ll outline some deeper third base fantasy sleepers for the 2023 season.

Fantasy baseball sleepers: Third Base

Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles

ADP: 101

The irony is not lost on me. This is an article about sleepers, and the first name is the top overall prospect in baseball. However, as far as fantasy baseball goes, Henderson isn’t ranked high enough. His ESPN ADP stands in the triple digits, and you could make a strong argument that it should be close to half of that.

The 22-year-old star put up video game numbers in Double-A and Triple-A last season. He looked solid in 34 MLB games as well. Now he’s slotted into a full-time role for the Orioles while projected for a .259 average, 20 homers, 70 runs, 75 RBI, and 12 steals. That’s his baseline. There’s upside for much more (90-100 runs? 25 HR?) if things click for Baltimore’s new face of the franchise.

Eugenio Suarez, Seattle Mariners

ADP: 195

Full transparency here: Suarez’s ADP varies greatly across the industry. It’s 195 at ESPN. That is far too low. His 138 ADP at Yahoo makes more sense when looking at the projections. That’s to say, if Suarez starts falling closer to pick 150 and beyond, he becomes a bargain option for fantasy managers looking to load up on power.

We know Suarez can smack homers. He had 49 round-trippers in 2019 before recording 31 homers in each of the past two seasons. At 31 years old, he doesn’t have much upside beyond that. Still, you know what you are getting from Suarez — health permitting: 30 HR, 70 runs, 80+ RBI, and a low .230 average.

Josh Jung, Texas Rangers

ADP: 233

This is nothing more than a speculative upside pick. Even though he battled injuries early last season, Jung still smacked 19 homers with a .326 average in the minors. His September in the big leagues wasn’t great (5 HR, .204 average in 26 games), but he should make a better impression this time around.

Jung could hit sixth in a strong Rangers lineup, giving him plenty of RBI chances. If he keeps his strikeout rate down, then the 25-year-old could have a productive season. How productive are we talking? A .250 average with 20 homers and 70+ RBI is not out of the question.

Ryan McMahon, Colorado Rockies

ADP: 274

McMahon was also referenced in the fantasy sleepers article for second basemen, as he’s eligible there as well as third base. You pretty much know what you are getting with the Colorado slugger, as McMahon has been between 20 and 25 homers in each of his last three (full) seasons.

His overall projection comes out to 20 homers, 70-75 runs, and 70 RBI. There’s a little upside beyond that while playing in the most hitter-friendly ballpark in the league. No matter how you slice it, McMahon is a strong fantasy sleeper, and his added eligibility at second base doesn’t hurt.