The hot corner is a hot commodity in fantasy baseball. A position typically relied on for power and run production, it has its share of guaranteed studs. Third base is quite the top heavy position these days, with the top four third basemen projected to be drafted in the first round of standard drafts (Bryant, Donaldson, Arenado, and Machado). If you don’t happen to lock up one of the fab four fear not, I have five others on the verge of a breakout season that you can highlight on your draft sheets.

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Alex Bregman (HOU)

Post-hype is real. Bregman was stashed early and often last year with fantasy owners waiting for the payoff. The 2015 second-overall pick debuted and ran into a wall for his first 10 games, starting off 2-for-38 with goose eggs in the home run and RBI department, in addition to 10 strikeouts. Fantasy owners were aggravated (myself included). He was supposed to be the next Mike Trout! In the following thirty-nine games Bregman only went hitless four times, hit eight home runs and knocked in 34, with a slash-line of .313/.354/.577/.931.

His placement ratios were also excellent, hitting the ball to center as often as he was pulling it to left, and going to right field a quarter of the time. He had a 28% line drive rate and made medium to hard contact 82% of the time. This is going to be the last year you see Bregman drafted outside of the top two or three rounds, the hype is real. If your league-mates are also in the know, you’re going to have to play draft round poker with them, but if you can get Bregman in say the seventh round, you should pull the trigger, especially in a round-based keeper league. Projections have Bregman hitting around .265 with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs, but I’m taking the over in all three categories.

Javier Baez (CHC)

The sure-handed World Series champion drew national attention this past postseason with dazzling defense and spurts of offense that helped him win the NLCS MVP award. In his first full season with the Cubs, the 24-year-old drastically improved his contact percentage, especially on pitches outside of the strike zone. In his short stays with the big club in 2014 and 2015, Baez made contact on 40 and 47 percent of pitches thrown outside of the zone respectively. In 2016, in 450 plate appearances mind you, it vaulted to 60 percent. Baez is becoming much better at seeing and reading pitches, and with more contact comes more production.

The increase in contact outside the zone helped Baez decrease his strikeout percentage, something he struggled with mightily in his first stints in the majors.

Season Strikeout % Contact % 2014 42 59 2015 30 68 2016 24 72

If he is able to keep trending in this direction, Baez can potentially find himself in the 20/20 club, which is tremendous value out of someone currently being drafted around 150th overall. I would never reach for Baez, but if he slips my way, in addition to having 2B and SS eligibility, I have him as a solid breakout candidate, ready to take the next leap after improving his game last season, and of course shining through the playoffs.

Ryon Healy (OAK)

My favorite third base breakout pick of the group is the latest Bay Area Basher, Ryon Healy of the Oakland A’s. After decimating Double-A and Triple-A pitching, the 25-year-old was called up last summer and mashed 13 long balls in 283 plate appearances to an extended slash line of .305/.337/.524/.861.

Healy didn’t change his approach upon his arrival to the majors. He maintained a patient approach at the plate, actually swinging at two percent fewer pitches than league average. Critics of young players often like to make the argument that they see more pitches inside the zone, but Healy only saw one percent more than league average.

What I like most about Healy is that his approach and production were consistent from the minors to the majors. Yes, he will consistently face better pitching going forward, but his sample size last season was enough for me to buy in. I am not saying he will be the next Josh Donaldson, but I am saying that Healy is a legitimate breakout candidate. If he maintains what he has shown at all stages of his professional career, we can see 25 home runs and 80 RBIs with an average in the .270-.280 range. He is currently being drafted in the 15th round of standard drafts, and if you punted on the early third base studs, you should snag Healy here. Like I said, he is my favorite breakout candidate of this group.

Yoan Moncada (CWS)

The Sox may be different colors, but the hype remains. Yoan Moncada, the 21-year-old Cuban prospect, made a lot of headlines in Beantown when he was signed by the Boston Red Sox. Now the highly-touted power hitter finds himself on the South Side of Chicago after he was dealt for Chris Sale, with a huge opportunity to secure a full-time spot on a club in full rebuilding mode.

He only had a handful of at-bats for the Red Sox so we can only go by what he has done so far at the minor league level. I am not even going to bother discussing his High-A numbers, I’ll leave that for Tebow, but at Double-A, Moncada hit .277/.379/.531/.910 with 11 home runs, 28 RBIs, and nine stolen bases in 45 games. The White Sox are nowhere near ready to contend, and after canning Brett Lawrie last week, third base is Moncada’s to lose at this point. There is no reason for first-year manager Rick Renteria not to give him a chance to develop at the major league level.

He may not become Yoenis Cespedes overnight, but I can see Moncada staking his claim on the South Side and breaking out for the White Sox in 2017. Comfortably take a flyer on him at the end of your draft instead of wasting a pick on a relief pitcher you’ll drop in mid-April.

Brandon Drury (ARI)

Not all breakout candidates land on the tops of prospect lists or consume headlines, however, Drury does make my lists as a top five third base breakout candidate for 2017. Currently, Drury is penciled in as the D’backs’ starting second baseman, although he will come with 3B and OF eligibility. His versatility and skills with the glove opened the door for him to show what he can do at the plate. Drury was absolutely on fire to finish the season. His final month stats were off the charts.

Average OBP SLG OPS 2B HR RBI .357 .417 .633 1.049 9 6 19

Drury was able to prove himself enough to earn at-bats last year, and now he has all but locked up a starting spot on the roster. Some skeptics will point to an inflated BABIP of .327, but he earned it. He decreased his ground balls, increased his fly balls, and hit the ball much harder in 2016.

Season Ground Ball % Fly Ball % Medium/Hard Contact % 2015 56 23 73 2016 50 30 83

Hitting the ball in the air with more authority is only going to continue to help Drury add to his power numbers. He hit 31 doubles in 134 games last year, and if he holds a starting gig he could potentially enter 40-double, 20-home run territory. For a player going undrafted in many leagues, he is not only a late-round steal but one of my breakout third basemen for 2017.

Statistics provided by Fangraphs.com and Baseball-Reference.com. ADP provided by FantasyPros.



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John Hoey is a featured writer with FantasyPros. For more from John, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter at JohnnyCrashMLB.