While it doesn’t have the impressive starpower of shortstop, 3B has several elite options. On the other end of the rankings, the hot corner also has some great depth additions who make good fantasy baseball sleepers as drafts start to wind down. Even if you miss out on the very top tier of producers, there are some other strong picks who can fit in nicely with your overall offensive strategy.
Whether you prefer season-long leagues, DFS contests or DraftKings Best Ball, DK Network will have you covered throughout the upcoming season. To begin our coverage, we went through potential breakouts at each position: AL SP Breakouts, NL SP Breakouts, AL OF Breakouts, NL OF Breakouts, Catcher Breakouts, 1B Breakouts, 2B Breakouts, 3B Breakouts and SS Breakouts. In my 3B breakouts, I highlighted Josh Jung, Connor Norby and Matt Shaw. Elsewhere in my sleepers, I’ve included Christopher Morel, Jordan Lawlar and Brooks Lee, who also have 3B eligibility in many formats. There are lots of different ways to attack the position, so let’s look at three more fantasy baseball sleepers I’m targeting at 3B.
Joey Ortiz, Milwaukee Brewers
Even though he will likely play most of this season at shortstop after the departure of Willy Adames to the Giants, Ortiz starts the year with 3B eligibility and the potential to be one of the better fantasy baseball sleepers at the position, since his current ADP has him as No. 28 at the position.
Ortiz played 142 games last year for the Brewers after joining the team in a trade from the Orioles with DL Hall in exchange for Corbin Burnes. Ortiz won May NL Rookie of the Month by hitting .307 with four homers, seven doubles, 12 RBIs and 16 runs across in 23 games with a .413 wOBA.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t sustain that pace as he battled multiple injuries. He was hit on the foot by a pitch late in the month, battled hamstring tightness in early June and ultimately landed on the IL at the end of June with neck stiffness. When he returned from the IL, he had a brutal July and August before righting the ship and making adjustments toward the end of the season. In September, he hit .247 with a .317 wOBA and finished the up-and-down year with a .239 average, 11 home runs, 11 stolen bases and a .319 wOBA.
The Brewers are counting on Ortiz to fill in for Adames defensively and are hopeful his bat comes along to help fill in his production at the plate as well. At worst, he offers the potential for double-digit homers and double-digit stolen bases but with a low average. If he can level out his production and stay healthy though, he has the potential to bring much more value. He showed a high ceiling in that sparkling first month, and he’s a late-round flier that should be a solid producer with the upside of possibly breaking through as one of the better fantasy baseball sleepers at the hot corner. His expected added positional flexibility also adds to his potential.
Coby Mayo, Baltimore Orioles
Part of the reason that the Orioles were OK dealing Ortiz to Milwaukee in the Burnes deal is that they had Mayo in the pipeline right behind him. The 23-year-old was ranked as the No. 14 prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline, but he’s going very late in drafts, after 30 other 3B are going off the board.
Mayo is a high-risk pick even late in drafts since he could start the year in Triple-A, especially if he struggles in spring training. However, GM Mike Elias said, “He’s somebody that we think is poised to be a huge contributor this year, so we’ll give him a strong look and every opportunity.”
Last year, Mayo thrived in 89 games with the Norfolk Tides, hitting .287 with 23 doubles, 22 homers, 67 RBIs and a .397 wOBA. However, he struggled badly in his 17 MLB games, hitting just .098 (4-for-41) with no homers and 22 strikeouts in 41 at-bats. Jackson Holliday also struggled in his first stint in the majors, and the O’s are hoping both youngsters can find more success and hold down spots in their infield for many years to come.
If you’re shopping for a 3B at the end of your drafts, Mayo definitely brings enough upside to be one of the better fantasy baseball sleepers at the position and could show he’s ready to make the leap to the majors with a big spring training.
Deyvison De Los Santos , Miami Marlins
De Los Santos is another young slugger to keep a close eye on this spring and have on your radar as one of the fantasy baseball sleepers to target late in drafts, especially if you have the roster flexibility in your format to stash players in the minor leagues.
Unlike Mayo, the 21-year-old De Los Santos has no MLB experience yet. He has been very impressive in the minors, though, hitting a minor-league leading 40 home runs last year while splitting time between the Marlins and Diamondbacks. He joined Miami’s organization off the A.J. Puk trade with Arizona. In his 137 minor league games, he hit .294 with a .392 wOBA.
He’s still a little raw and needs to improve his swing decisions, as evidenced by 144 strikeouts and just 34 walks, but the raw power is impressive. His exit velocities and hard-hit rates are among the best of all prospects, but he will have to cut down on strikeouts before making the next step.
The Marlins are excited to take a look at De Los Santos this spring training and cleared the way for him by trading Jake Burger to the Rangers. There’s no guarantee that he makes the team out of camp or will produce if he does, but the raw upside is tantalizing enough to make him a late-round add if Mayo is off the board and you’re looking for fantasy baseball sleepers at either corner infield spot. If both are available, I’d give Mayo the slight overall advantage going into spring training, but De Los Santos’ ceiling is sky-high with his impressive power potential.
