Top 40 Third Baseman Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Rankings For 2026

Top 40 Third Baseman Dynasty Rankings

1. Junior Caminero, 3B, Rays

In his first full season at 21 years old, Caminero hit 45 home runs, knocking in 110 runs and amassing 5 fWAR. If this is what the third baseman is doing now—and with the prospect pedigree and underlying data to support it—expect a decade of top fantasy performance from the young Dominican.

2. Jose Ramirez, 3B, Guardians

Old Faithful just keeps ticking. Averaging 32 home runs and 32 stolen bases the past five seasons, Ramirez continues to be the cream of the third base crop and shows no signs of letting up, despite being in his early 30s. The 2026 season promises to be more of the same—30/30 with a .280/.350 batting average and on-base percentage.

3. Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B/3B, Yankees

In his first full season with the Yankees, Chisholm Jr. hit 31 home runs, stole 31 bases and posted 4.4 fWAR to show he had no ill effects of being in the media spotlight capital of the world. That he’s still in his 20s and has dual eligibility in most formats makes his fantasy profile even more appealing. Chisholm’s only flaw is a not-so-great batting average. Expect his 2026 to pretty much look like his 2025 season.

4. Manny Machado, 3B, Padres

For the fifth straight season, Machado had 600-plus plate appearances, 27-plus home runs and 90-plus RBIs. The most interesting stat for dynasty owners is that he stole double-digit bases for the second-straight year. He isn’t the biggest asset in OBP leagues, running essentially an average on-base percentage, but entering his age-33 season, Machado is as much a set-it-and-forget-it player as anyone at a corner spot.

5. Jordan Westburg, 3B, Orioles

A long-time favorite of the fantasy team and public projections, Westburg has yet to put together a season with more than 450 plate appearances. The 2025 season was no different, as he missed over a month in the first half with a hamstring injury, then some time in June with a finger injury and then hit the IL with an ankle sprain at the end of August. Despite only getting 352 plate appearances, the 26-year-old managed 17 home runs and a .265 average, essentially duplicating his 2024 season output in fewer plate appearances. In just over 1000 major league PAs, Westburg has 38 home runs and a 115 wRC+. For 2026, assuming health, expect 25-28 home runs with a .265-.270 batting average and upside in his age-27 season.

6. Austin Riley, 3B, Braves

We essentially gave all of the Braves a mulligan for underperforming in 2024. As such, we expected a big bounce-back from the 2025 club. That was especially so for Riley, who, after three-straight 30-plus home run seasons, struggled to a 19-homer campaign in 2024. Unfortunately, the 2025 campaign was even worse for Atlanta. Again, that was especially so for Riley, who had a side injury that sapped his power, leaving him with only 16 home runs in 102 games and a wRC+ barely better than average. Assuming he’s healed up for 2026, he is still only 29 years old and should once again approach the 30 home runs and .260 batting average of his prime. But he is a bit less of a sure thing for hit and power at the hot corner than he once was.

7. Matt Shaw, 3B, Cubs

Making the team out of spring training, the 2023 first-round draft pick struggled with a .172 batting average and only one home run in his first 68 MLB plate appearances, forcing the Cubs to demote him to Triple-A for more seasoning. When he came back after a month, he didn’t fare much better, hitting .202 over 164 PA heading into the all-star break and only one homer to show for it. Shaw salvaged his season in the second half with a .258 average and 10 home runs over his final 205 plate appearances. The good news is he is likely the Cubs’ full-time third baseman and should put up near 20/20 numbers as he heads into his age-24 season with expected positive regression. The bad news is he’ll likely bat at or near the bottom of the lineup, capping his counting stats until he can work his way up the order. Overall, we are strong believers in this power/speed blend from a hitter in his early 20s.

8. Maikel Garcia, 3B, Royals

The 25-year-old Garcia had a career year in 2025, amassing 6 fWAR with 16 home runs, 23 stolen bases and a .286/.351/.449 line while playing excellent defense at third base, shortstop and even some center field. With elite defense at a variety of positions and bat-to-ball skills in the top 10% of the league, Garcia’s fantasy floor is extremely high, especially since he’s one of the rare third basemen who will add 20-plus stolen bases. Once June rolled around, Garcia never hit below fourth in the lineup. The 2026 season should be no different.

9. Alex Bregman, 3B, Free Agent

Six years older than Garcia, Bregman has very similar bat-to-ball skills and resistance-to-chase, only without the speed component. Bregman has been a huge dynasty asset for the better part of a decade while playing in home parks tailored to his pulled-flyball approach. Although he won’t come close to his back-to-back 8 fWAR seasons of the late 2010s, he should still produce 20-25 home runs with excellent BA/OBP for at least two more years. In that type of window, especially for a contending team, he could be pushed up a few spots due to his consistency and track record. But with the uncertainty surrounding where he will sign in free agency, we’re taking a conservative approach with our rank.

10. Royce Lewis, 3B, Twins

It seems as sure as the tides that Lewis will miss some time with a leg injury. In 2024, it was a quad that led him to miss two months at the beginning of the season. Last year’s culprit was a left hamstring that forced him to hit the IL twice, amassing six weeks of lost time. The difference last year, though, was that on a per-plate appearance basis, Lewis didn’t dominate in the manner of his past seasons. It was the third-straight year of declining xwOBA and bat speed. Although his sprint speed stayed in the bottom 25th percentile for a second-consecutive year, he stole a career-high 12 bases, raising his floor. Heading into his age-27 year, Lewis has a career 110 wRC+ and, if the stolen bases are a new part of his game, he should hit 20-plus home runs and steal 10-plus bases. The 2026 season feels like it will be more significant for Lewis than other third basemen ranked above him for determining his dynasty value.

11. Isaac Paredes, 3B, Astros

It came out recently that Paredes, who was out from July 20 onward due to a hamstring injury last season, is still behind on his recovery and may not be ready for the first couple months of 2026. When on the field, Paredes is consistently an above-average hitter—especially in OBP leagues—who can get you 20-plus home runs. He likely won’t ever reach the 31-homer, 98-RBI heights of 2023 again, but he’ll still only be 27 years old, so it’s not an impossible outcome for him over the next few years if things break right.

12. Addison Barger, 3B/OF, Blue Jays

Barger had a career year in 2025 with 21 home runs and a 107 wRC+ over 502 plate appearances, but it was his World Series performance that has essentially guaranteed that he’ll be a full-time regular on a championship-contending club. With solid red Baseball Savant sliders for bat speed, exit velocity and hard-hit percentage, Barger does have platoon splits but should be a 20-plus home run bat with an average batting average for the next couple years (while likely retaining dual eligibility). With the confidence he gained as the postseason rolled on, it’s possible he is being under-projected and could have a ceiling of 30-plus bombs yearly.

13. Mark Vientos, 3B, Mets

With Pete Alonso’s likely departure and the presence of Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio—both of whom play significantly better defense—Vientos looks like he will shift across the diamond to play first base. After a 2024 season in which he hit .266 with 27 home runs over only 454 plate appearances as a 24-year-old, high expectations were not met in 2025, as Vientos only hit 17 homers in about the same amount of playing time. His batting average cratered 32 points along with his defense. The good news is that his xBA in 2025 (.248) was actually higher than his .246 xBA mark in his breakout 2024 campaign. If he moves across the diamond or becomes the full-time designated hitter, he should be a 25-30 home run bat with an average around .250. That plays regardless of role, but be aware that he may permanently lose his third base eligibility.

14. Eugenio Suarez, 3B, Free Agent

For the second time in his career, Suarez hit 49 home runs while also accruing 3.5 fWAR for the fourth-consecutive year. Not too bad considering he’s been in his 30s for each of those seasons. As of publication, he hasn’t signed with a team yet, though there are some rumblings of him returning to the Mariners. Seattle’s park is the biggest run suppressor in the major leagues, but you could still count on a floor of 30 home runs in that scenario. Because his batting average has surpassed .236 only once since 2019, we’ve dropped Suarez a tier in our rankings.

15. Noelvi Marte, 3B/OF, Reds

Marte went a long way in 2025, shaking off the PED pall that was hanging over him after his 2024 numbers were far below his pre-suspension performance. In 360 plate appearances, the 23-year-old had 16 home runs and 10 stolen bases while settling into a full-time right field role after the Reds acquired Ke’Bryan Hayes at the trade deadline. On a per-plate appearance basis, Marte should have 20-plus home runs and 20 stolen bases if he played a full year, with a batting average in the .250s. Although he is less of an asset in on-base percentage leagues thanks to a career walk rate of 4.6%, a full-time player who is a power/speed blend and still under 25 is a valuable dynasty asset, even if his third base eligibility is likely to disappear after 2026.

16. Matt Chapman, 3B, Giants

Since tracking began in 2023, Chapman’s bat speed has never been lower than the 88th percentile, and his hard-hit rate over hasn’t been below the 78th percentile. You already know Chapman’s an all-world defender, but did you know that he’s also been in the top third of the league in sprint speed the last three years and has averaged 12 stolen bases in each of the last two seasons? In other words, short of a devastating injury, Chapman should be a full-time starter for the next three seasons while averaging 22-25 home runs, 8-12 steals and a .235 batting average. That’s solid production, but on the wrong side of 30, just know that every year from here on out, it will likely get incrementally worse.

17. Brett Baty, 2B/3B, Mets

The knock on the 2019 first-round draft pick has been that, although he hits the ball hard, he has a groundball rate above 50%, so he’s not optimizing his angles. In 2025, although the groundball rate was still 53%, his barrel rate skyrocketed to 13%, a mark that’s in the top 20% of the league. He also set a new maximum exit velocity of 115.8 mph, which was higher than Juan Soto, Cal Raleigh and Rafael Devers. On a per-plate appearance basis, public projection systems have Baty essentially equivalent to Addison Barger: a .250 hitter with 22-25 home runs. With dual eligibility, Baty is looking to build on a hot second half in which he hit .291 with nine home runs and a wRC+ of 135 over 190 plate appearances.

18. Jordan Lawlar, SS/3B, Diamondbacks

Based on his minor league career, Lawlar should peak as a .280 hitter with 20/20 potential. When you hear that and see that he is heading into his age-23 season while being in the 98th percentile for sprint speed, you would think he would be ranked higher than 18th on a list of third basemen. However, in a major league career spanning 108 plate appearances, Lawlar has never hit a home run and has a .165/.241/.237 slash line, inspiring fear he may just be a Quad-A player who is overmatched by major league pitching. The truth, as it always is, is somewhere between the two extremes. With Geraldo Perdomo firmly entrenched at shortstop, Lawlar may become a third baseman for his major league career, though he has been playing some outfield this offseason, where his speed may suit him better. With a solid 2026, Lawlar could be in the top five of this list a year from now.

19. Alec Bohm, 3B, Phillies

In 2025, Bohm played in 120 games, managing just 11 home runs and a measly .123 isolated slugging percentage. That said, he did hit for a career-high .287 while running a career low 6.3% strikeout rate and posting the best swing decision metrics of his career. Bohm saw a bump in hard-hit rate, too, but his angles flattened considerably. Entering his age-29 season, you know what to expect from Bohm—strong batting average and the ability to produce 15-18 home runs over a full season. 

20. Marcelo Mayer, 3B, Red Sox

It took some time for Mayer to make his long-awaited debut with the Red Sox, and he was inconsistent in his big league debut, hitting .228/.272/.402 with a 30.1% strikeout rate. Known for his combination of hit tool, approach and power as a minor leaguer, the plate skills didn’t translate over the jump from Triple-A. We anticipate the contact should improve and the strikeouts should lower over time, however. There’s still 25-homer power projection in Mayer’s bat, but there’s also a question as to if he can stay healthy for a full season. 

21. Carlos Correa, SS/3B, Astros

The Astros brought a franchise legend in Correa back at the 2025 trade deadline and now have him under contract for the next several seasons. After a nice small sample size season in 2024, Correa played 144 games in 2025 and produced fewer home runs and RBIs than his 86-game campaign the year before. Correa still hits the ball hard, however, and he underproduced his expected stats last season, so there is some reason for optimism for 2026. There has definitely been some degeneration of his skills, but he could be a valuable option in a corner infielder spot in deeper leagues. 

22. Caleb Durbin, 3B, Brewers

It’s likely the deep league sleeper guy in your league was over the moon for Durbin a year ago as the former 14th-round pick and Division III college star forced his way into regular at-bats with the Brewers to hit .256/.334/.387 with 11 home runs and 18 stolen bases. That was good enough to be the 16th-best player at the third base position in 2025. Is there more ceiling here with Durbin? Perhaps it might come in a different form than it did in 2025. There’s likely more batting average and stolen base upside, as Durbin ran a .265 BABIP in his debut season while stealing bases at a 75% success rate. A little batted-ball luck could see his batting average jump close to .275, and he could perhaps see the basepath green light with greater frequency, too.  

23. Munetaka Murakami, 3B, Free Agent

The most famous player coming over in a strong NPB class, Murakami set an NPB home run record with 56 in 2022. Since then, he’s posted seasons of 31, 33 and 22 homers while running strikeout rates north of 28% over each of the last three seasons. There’s a real concern around Murakami’s bat-to-ball skills, and it’s reasonable to anticipate some early bumps in the road. If you’re a Murakami believer, you buy into the 70-grade raw power and on-base ability translating to MLB. There’s an outside chance that, within a few years, Murakami settles in and develops into a 40-homer bat. However, there’s also a high risk it never fully translates. 

24. Kazuma Okamoto, 3B, Free Agent

If you’re looking for a plug-and-play option in your FYPD this season and Murakami is taken/scares you, Okamoto is an excellent pivot. You’re likely trading a few years in age and relevancy for a more stable profile, albeit one absent of Murakami’s upside. Okamoto can provide a solid batting and on-base percentage floor while offering 18-24 home runs immediately. He’s also a strong defender at both infield corners, guaranteeing more playing time and, in turn, a nice counting stat cushion.  

25. Max Muncy, 3B, Dodgers

Muncy’s peak seasons are long gone, and his durability has become a major question mark in recent seasons, as he’s totaled just 173 games over the last two years. That said, Muncy did hit 19 home runs over 100 games last season and provides a fairly high RBI floor in a good Dodgers lineup. Should he play 130 games next season and keep up similar production, another 25-plus home runs isn’t impossible. Entering his age-35 season, Muncy is only useful for competing fantasy teams. 

26. Jacob Reimer, 3B, Mets

Reimer enjoyed a massive breakout season in 2025, hitting .282/.379/.491 with 17 home runs while running an 11.5% walk rate with a 21.5% strikeout rate. It’s a well-rounded combination for a bat-first, power-hitting corner infield prospect. More often than not, young sluggers offer a heavy dose of swing-and-miss accompanying their eye-popping power. Reimer also has a real chance to move off of third base long term, but his bat will be enough to play at first base. The difference between exciting power hitters in the minors who go on to survive in the majors and those that don’t is often simply the ability to make enough contact. Reimer ran a 15.7% in-zone whiff rate in 2025 as a player 1-2 years younger than the average player at the level.  

27. Josh Jung, 3B, Rangers

Jung has not been able to recapture the form of his 2023 rookie campaign in which he hit .266/.315/.467 with 23 home runs. He’s seen his power dip in every category since 2023, while his bat-to-ball skills have improved. There are still some ingredients for a potential breakout, but there are likely a few things he’ll need to balance, too. If Jung could maintain health for a full season and recapture his previous contact quality without his plate skills regressing, there’s still a chance he can produce another season like 2023. However, it’s hard to gamble on that at this point with his injury history and lack of plate skills.  

28. Miguel Vargas, 1B/3B, White Sox

Finally surpassing 350 plate appearances in a season, the former Dodgers prospect had his first major league season with a wRC+ above 100, positive WAR and more than 15 home runs. Qualifying at first base and third base for 2026, Vargas should once again find himself in the middle of the White Sox lineup. He should take a step forward as a 26-year-old and hit around 20 home runs, steal 10 bases and hit .240ish with the potential for more upside.

29. Brady House, 3B, Nationals

No longer a prospect, House got his first taste of the major leagues in 2025 and looked completely overmatched, as he hit just .234/.252/.322 with a 28.5% strikeout rate and 2.9% walk rate. He did produce hard contact at a rate of 46.3%, but his subpar launch angles led to a low rate of barrels. There’s real plus underlying power in House’s bat, and at 22 years old, he is still very young, so there’s certainly upside. However, his plate skills are ugly. House ran a 36.5% o-swing rate in his debut with a 16.4% swinging-strike rate. Both of those numbers will need to improve for House to be a viable option in fantasy. 

30. Tommy Edman, 2B/3B/OF, Dodgers

It was a very down season for Edman, as he hit .225/.274/.382 over 97 games with 13 home runs and three stolen bases. Edman enters his age-31 season in a muddled playing time situation that could change at the drop of a hat. If he gets full-time at-bats, he can still provide solid production. He greatly underperformed his expected numbers in 2025, suggesting a bounce back this upcoming season isn’t out of the cards.

31. Jose Caballero, 2B/SS/3B/OF, Yankees

Caballero had a very valuable 2024 fantasy season as a utility man with positional eligibility all over the field who hit nine home runs with a whopping 44 stolen bases. Heading into 2025, it wasn’t clear what role the 28-year-old would play, especially on a Rays team that makes it difficult to foretell future lineups. Well, Caballero got traded to the Yankees and essentially duplicated his 2024 season, even leading the American League in stolen bases. His 2026 outlook is very similar to his 2025 preseason outlook: If he plays, he will be a source of speed. His versatility is valuable to help fill roster holes, but the question is how many plate appearances he will get.

32. Ronny Mauricio, 3B, Mets

In his 2023 debut, Mauricio had two home runs and seven stolen bases in 108 plate appearances. He was viewed as a 2024 sleeper until a winter ball knee injury caused him to miss the entire next season. Returning to the Mets in June 2025, Mauricio’s sprint speed was down and he played sporadically, amassing fewer than 200 plate appearances. In 292 major league plate appearances, he has eight home runs and 11 stolen bases, essentially making for a 16 homer/20 steal bat with a below-average batting average but huge power, as he ranked in the top 25th percentile in both 2023 and 2025 for average exit velocity and bat speed. Heading into his age-25 season, it’s not clear where his playing time will come from. We like him and think he will be a solid source of power and speed despite the injury, but with his uncertain playing time, he has to be lowered in the rankings.

33. Josh Smith, SS/3B, Rangers

If you’re rostering Smith, more than likely he’s a bench option whose multiposition eligibility provides flexibility as an injury fill-in or daily league at-bat booster. Smith ranked 27th among third basemen and is a solid but unspectacular option. He has advanced contact skills but a very limited power upside.  

34. Brock Wilken, 3B, Brewers

Over the last few seasons, Wilken has dealt with a string of bad luck injuries that have slowed his rise, but there’s still plenty of upside as he heads into his age-24 season in 2026. Wilken hit .226/.387/.489 with 18 home runs over 79 games for Double-A Biloxi this past season while dealing with a knee injury that forced him to miss two months. He has plus contact quality, above-average on-base skills and improving contact. He’s always had some swing-and-miss in his game, but he ran the lowest swinging-strike rate of his career in 2025 at 9.4%. There’s a chance Wilken breaks out in 2026. 

35. Zach McKinstry, SS/3B/OF, Tigers

McKinstry is a fantasy Swiss Army knife, as he’s eligible at a majority of positions in most formats. In his age-30 season, McKinstry had a career year, ranking as the 11th-best third baseman in 5×5 roto leagues by hitting .259/.333/.438 with 12 home runs, 19 stolen bases and 68 runs—all career highs. While it was a nice season, there’s little reason to believe he’s going to repeat his success or even see the same amount of playing time. McKinstry is valuable in deeper leagues as a utility or bench option. 

36. Curtis Mead, 1B/3B, White Sox

Once considered a top fantasy prospect, Mead never clicked with the Rays and was dealt to the White Sox at the 2025 trade deadline. He didn’t impress during his late-season stint in Chicago, but entering his age-25 season, Mead at least has an opportunity to find solid playing time, particularly if the team decides to trade Edgar Quero, as has been rumored.

37. Nolan Gorman, 2B/3B, Cardinals

Also once considered a top fantasy prospect, things have never fully clicked for Gorman, either. In 2023, he hit 27 home runs in 119 games and has been unable to touch that number since. Entering his age-26 season, Gorman could break out if he stays healthy.

38. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Reds

Even with the move to Cincinnati and the hitter’s haven that is Great American Ballpark, there’s little hope that Hayes ever develops into a truly viable fantasy option. He’s a name to take as a flier in a deeper league when you’re desperate for MLB at-bats. 

39. Blaze Alexander, 3B, Diamondbacks

Alexander likely strikes out too much to ever be fantasy relevant, but his quality of contact is quite good. He ran a 12.8% barrel rate in 2025 with a 43.2% hard-hit rate. There’s at least 55-or-better raw power here based on his contact quality metrics, and that’s perhaps enough for a low-risk flier in your league. 

40. Luis Rengifo, 2B/3B, Angels

Rengifo went from being a fantasy offseason favorite to major disappointment in a matter of months. Now, he looks like nothing more than waiver wire fodder in most formats.