2009 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Third Basemen

1. Edwin Encarnacion, CIN
The power hitting 26 year old showed improvement in his power numbers in 2008 (26 HRs and 75 runs) but his averaged dropped to .251. This could be the year that he has a breakout season but he must show better plate discipline. He plays his home games in a hitter friendly park, has the potential to hit 30 HR's and is projected to hit 6th behind promising slugger Joey Votto. Encarnacion has hit .392 in 51 career at-bats with the bases loaded and he will be relied on much more in 2009 now that Griffey and Adam Dunn have departed.

2. Hank Blalock, TEX
He'll be only 28 at the start of 2009 but is a big time injury risk. He has only played 123 games in the past 2 seasons combined. He had a great September last season (.337, 8HRs and 23 RBIs) and appears healthy coming into spring training. He will be the primary DH in Texas this year with Milton Bradley now in Chicago. He also offers multiple position eligibility (1B/3B) and I bet on a decent comeback season in 2009 hitting in the heart of a very potent Ranger lineup. His upside potential is 25 HR's, 80 RBI's and a .285 batting average if he stays healthy.

3. Adrian Beltre, SEA
He is 29, in a contract year and is one of the more consistent options at 3B. You can count on 25 HR's, 75 runs, 80 RBI's, 8-10 SB's and a batting average around .275. He's a solid all-around fantasy player and is usually undervalued on draft day. There are rumors that the Yankees may be interested in the A-rod injury proves to worse than expected. This would obviously increase his value dramatically as he's currently expected to hit cleanup for a very weak Seattle lineup (Russell Branyan is in the 5-hole).

4. Mark Reynolds, ARI
The Diamondbacks all-time leader in strikeouts for a season is not assured of a full time job in 2009 but his powers numbers in 2008 are worth noting (28 HRs, 97 RBIs). His .320 OBP is very weak and lefty Chad Tracy could cause a platoon at third base this season. The 25 year old showed promise in his 2007 rookie campaign (posted a .279 average). If he can display the same plate discipline in spring training, he should win the starting job and could deliver a 30 HR season if he can get over 500 ABs.

5. Kevin Kouzmanoff, SD
This will be only his third full season in the majors and the 27 year old can be expected to post.265-25-80. He plays in a very pitcher friendly park (PETCO) and lacks plate discipline, but does possess very good power. His minor league numbers suggest that he could also hit for a high batting average in the near future but his 23 walks and 139 K's in 2008 are very concerning. Kouzmanoff has been involved in trade rumors this off-season which would cause his fantasy value to increase (he currently hits 5th in a very weak Padre lineup).