Another big week for third basemen as they prove that they are the mashers of baseball. Third basemen are littering the middle of the lineups around the league, and they are producing in a big way. The top performers of the week:
Gold
Mark Reynolds (Arizona Diamondbacks): Reynolds apparently is unwilling to relinquish his starting job once Chad Tracy returns from injury, and the Diamondbacks would be making a bold move if they remove Reynolds' bat while he continues to mash like this. This past week, Reynolds hit four HR and 12 RBI, to go along with seven runs scored. Reynolds even threw in a stolen base for good measure. Reynolds has always had good power, but his high K rates held him back. So far this year, while he is still striking out at a rate of one per game, his overall production has far overwhelmed his K rates. Arizona has seen impressive results from their young hitters, and Reynolds is right in that mix.
Silver
Joe Crede (Chicago White Sox): Many questioned the White Sox's decision to demote Josh Fields and keep Joe Crede as their starting 3B. After the second week of the season, the Chicago braintrust looks like they knew what they were doing. Crede had a terrific week, hitting .409 with three HR and 12 RBI. Crede has always been a decent fantasy producer when healthy, and so far this year his back has not given him any trouble. Crede almost certainly will not hit .341 for the whole season, but he has hit 30 HR and 94 RBI in a season, so he clearly has the ability to maintain his current status as a must-start fantasy third baseman.
Bronze
Chone Figgins (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim): What Figgins lacks in power for a 3B, he more than makes up for in AVG and SB. Figgins had a great week, hitting .417 with four stolen bases and four runs scored. Figgins has also drawn plenty of walks, so if your league counts OBP, Figgins has been a stellar producer for you. He has shown little extra base power so far, but his value will always be his ability to hit for average and his stolen bases, and Figgins produced those in spades this week. Of course, if you are able to start Figgins at another position with less depth, such as 2B, you may be better off, but Figgins' AVG and SB ability keeps him hanging with the big boys at 3B.