Monday's Third Baseman Value Rankings
Here are theScore's third baseman value rankings for Monday, May 16 (all stats exclude Sunday's games):
Value Rankings
C | 1B/DH | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP
Top Options
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Josh Donaldson (TOR) | vs. TB | 10 |
| Nick Castellanos (DET) | vs. MIN | 10 |
| Martin Prado (MIA) | at PHI | 9 |
| Danny Valencia (OAK) | vs. TEX | 9 |
| Travis Shaw (BOS) | at KC | 9 |
| Adrian Beltre (TEX) | at OAK | 8 |
While true that Donaldson has only hit .195 over his past 10 games without a single RBI, that should change in a hurry; he's hitting .400 with a 1.283 against lefties this season and in a minuscule size of 14 at-bats against Rays SP Drew Smyly, he has five extra-base hits, included three home runs. Because of his recent inconsistency at the plate, he's better-suited for tournament contests.
Mid-Tier Targets
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Derek Dietrich (MIA) | at PHI | 7 |
| Cheslor Cuthbert (KC) | vs. BOS | 7 |
| Brandon Drury (ARI) | vs. NYY | 7 |
| Jake Lamb (ARI) | vs. NYY | 6 |
| Gordon Beckham (ATL) | at PIT | 6 |
| Yunel Escobar (LAA) | at LAD | 5 |
| Evan Longoria (TB) | at TOR | 5 |
| Trevor Plouffe (MIN) | at DET | 4 |
| Justin Turner (LAD) | vs. LAA | 4 |
Cuthbert is still cheap despite seizing his opportunity for playing time. Despite a limited resume in 2016, he's still hitting .308 against righties. It would only take a pair of hits or an RBI single for him to return value from the bottom of the order.
Turner has only hit .207 against RHPs this season but has started to rack up hits with greater frequency. Over his last 10 outings, the Dodgers' third baseman has three multi-hit games but four hit-less games. He's starting to come around but he's still a solid week or two away from consideration in cash games once again.
Nothing to See Here
| NAME | OPPONENT | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Maikel Franco (PHI) | vs. MIA | 3 |
| Eugenio Suarez (CIN) | at CLE | 3 |
| Jose Ramirez (CLE) | vs. CIN | 2 |
| Chase Headley (NYY) | at ARI | 1 |
The Phillies struggle to hit left-handed pitching, which means fewer plate appearances and less scoring opportunities in general. Franco can't do it all on his own, and he hasn't really lived up to his end of the bargain anyways; he's hitting just .241 with a .279 OBP this season, though his seven long-balls has given him tournament potential when the splits are favorable.