Underrated Thirdbasemen

Before the season began, all I read about was the depth at third base. At the top of the lists were the usual suspects - Alex Rodriquez, Adrian Beltre, Aramis Ramirez, Melvin Mora, Hank Blalock, Scott Rolen and Eric Chavez.

Nearly halfway through the season, and three of those players are fairly big disappointments (Beltre, Rolen and Chavez). But there's still huge amounts of depth out there, and from unexpected sources. Sure, someone picked up Troy Glaus in later rounds, and his production is somewhat surprising. But did anyone figure that Morgan Ensberg would be putting up nearly identical numbers? Chone Figgins isn't just a bargain at 2B - he can legitimately be put in the 3B slot and without concerns for your lineup. Also putting up bargain-value numbers:

David Wright: Previously touted as the "next Scott Rolen", has quickly replaced the "next" with "current". Keeper league owners are laughing all the way to the bank with this kid.

Shea Hillenbrand: Not creating dominant numbers (he's slightly behind last year's pace), but is just as consistent as ever.

Chad Tracy: These aren't 10-team league numbers, but is a very useable player in larger formats. 15 HRs, 75 RBIs and a .290 average certainly don't hurt in a big league.

Morgan Ensberg: Mentioned previously, but he has shown power in the past, and he's at an age where this year may not be an aberration. If he's still doing it two weeks past the All Star break, I'll say it's completely legit and he'll do it year in and year out.

Prospects to Watch

Aaron Hill: Batting .333 with a handful of triples, this 23 year old shows some talent. Too bad the rest of his lineup is miserable. Maybe in the next few years we'll see big things out the Canadian team.

Felipe Lopez: Currently ranked 7th on Yahoo's rankings among third basemen. Now, he's much better suited for your 2B or SS slots, but this incredibly mis-managed youngster has Michael Young or Nomar potential. This is a 3B article, but keep him in mind next year as a bargain SS or 2B option.

Andy Marte: I mentioned him in an earlier article this week, but his presence in the Braves lineup bears repeating. This kid is GOOD, and could be up to speed as soon as mid-July.