We start out our look at the positional depth at 3B with a little bit of a tease.

CHONE Projection on Player A: 22 HR, 80 RBI, 71 R, 5 SB, .265 AVG

CHONE Projection on Player B: 18 HR, 77 RBI, 79 R, 7 SB, .268 AVG

Can we agree that both players project to basically give the same value? How about if I tell you that both players are coming off their rookie year? OK, final hint: Player A is getting drafted in the 2nd round of your average mock draft. Player B gets drafted somewhere between round 20 and round 25…if he’s lucky. You probably guessed the identity of Player A. I’ll take the mask off of Player B down below.

Third base used to be known as a very shallow position, thanks to the rigorous defensive demands, but all that has changed in recent years. Now, those who play fantasy baseball use third- and fourth-tier 3B in their utility spots. After taking CHONE projections and translating these projections into fantasy value (methodology), we see why. You’ll see by the interactive bar chart below (java required) that the projected value of the low-end options at third base hold up just as well as those at first base. Not that we don’t have a couple of stud producers in Alex Rodriguez and David Wright who far outpace the class. The descent of the slope from A-Rod and Wright to the others is steep and dramatic. Afterwards, the slope makes a much smaller plunge through Aramis Ramirez and Garrett Atkins, until the gradient becomes remarkably inconsiderable through the next 10 projected top values at the position.

Next we turn to the order of players as they are currently going in mock drafts, looking to see how CHONE judges the procession and whether we can identify any nice values.  The first position all the way to the left is held by the 3B who by average, goes first (A-Rod). The line continues, rightward, as the draft evolves. Here, we’re reminded of what we said in the analysis of the 2B position: Considering the closeness of value among mid-tier 3B producers, fantasy baseball drafters seem to have let gut instinct determine draft position. If CHONE projections were the only standard by which to make draft picks, it would be hard to identify rhyme or reason why people are picking in this order. Ups are followed by Downs. Drops are followed by Jumps. Besides the top two picks, there seems to be little correlation between draft order and CHONE’s projected value. As one example, Chone Figgins and Ryan Zimmerman project as giving more value than Kevin Youkilis, whereby the draft consensus is opposite. Want more proof? Note the leftward placement of Evan Longoria (aka Player A) and the rightward placement of Ian Stewart (aka Player B). Both are projected to give similar value.

The position is deep and even those in the second-, third-, and fourth-tier project as having significant fantasy value. The end lesson here may be to wait until the middle rounds to grab a 3B…And then grab two.

Finally, we have a stack graph that measures value in relation to draft position.

Here’s the key to deciphering the draft grades: A=round 1-2, B=3-5, C=6-10, D=11-15, E=16-20, F=21-25