Fantasy baseball world: Third basemen to watch

Staff writer Tim Hubbard looks at three young American League third basemen whose performances have been surprising.

Bang for you buck

Josh Donaldson

Oakland

A former first-round pick by the Cubs, Donaldson was traded to Oakland and struggled in his first call-up to the Majors in 2010. He then was moved from catcher to third base last season. After replacing an injured Brandon Inge in August, Donaldson performed well enough to earn the starting job coming into 2013. He’s made the most of his opportunity by hitting .308 with six homers and 28 runs batted in. Donaldson’s “Moneyball” approach at the plate appears to be paying off, as he’s already drawn 22 walks, eight more than he had in 75 games last year.

Sticker shock

Mike Moustakas

Kansas City

Moustakas is a prep legend in Southern California — the 52 home runs he hit at Chatsworth High stands as a state record — and many fantasy owners, myself included, deduced this would be the “Year of the ‘Moose’.” The Royals’ 24-year-old had 20 homers and 73 RBIs in his first full season in 2012, and some were thinking Kansas City just might have found the second coming of George Brett, another L.A.-area high school phenom. But something has gone terribly wrong on Moustakas’ road to Cooperstown, as he’s been mired in a season-long slump that’s left his average at .178. Before cutting bait, however, statistical data indicate that bad luck, and not a bad swing, has been a major contributor to Moustakas’ struggles. He’s struck out only 23 times, but his batting average on balls put in play is an incredibly low .175 — the league average is .295 — numbers that usually even out over the course of a season.

Will Middlebrooks

Boston

A youngster who turned heads last season when he hit 15 home runs in 75 games, Middlebrooks is suffering his share of growing pains. The 24-year-old’s power hasn’t vanished (eight homers), but he’s hitting just .201 and has already struck out 54 times while drawing only seven walks. On Friday, the Red Sox placed Middlebrooks on the 15-day disabled list because of back spasms.