The excitement for the 2016 Major League Baseball season has us fired up for what looks to be another great fantasy season. That being said the excitement has helped us to get a jump on our research for the up coming season as we jump to the other side of the diamond for our Third Base Fantasy Guide.

For us the third base position could compete with the first base position as the second best fantasy option while building our MLB fantasy roster only trailing the starting pitchers. Now as we start to look at the third base position we expect another big season from the position that includes players like Kris Bryant, Josh Donaldson, Nolan Arenado and Manny Machado.

Now that being said it is very easy to say we would go with one of those four options night in and night out for our lineup. The difficult question is finding someone that might not be one of those four players that would be available in the later rounds of a season long fantasy draft or provide us with some salary cap relief in daily fantasy leagues on FanDuel and DraftKings.

One of those options we like who will land on our Breakout Candidate list is Jake Lamb of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Lamb appeared in 107 games last season after playing in just 37 games the season before seen improvements in doubles (15), triples (5), home runs (6) and runs batted in (34).

These are just five of the possible 30 starting options that will be taking the field at the hot corner for teams during the upcoming 2016 MLB Season. Here is our 2016 MLB Fantasy Baseball First Baseman Guide.

Top Fantasy Third Baseman Options in 2016:

Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays: Donaldson is an easy option for us coming off his MVP season while playing in one of the best hitter ballparks in all of baseball. Now its hard to imagine bigger numbers from Donaldson in 2016 but hitting at the Rogers Centre between Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion could very easily make that happen.

Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles: The only concern for us with Machado is the injury issues we have seen from the Orioles third baseman over the past few seasons prior to last year. That being said Machado was the only player in the game last year to appear in all 162 games while posting a career high 35 home runs. Add in the fact he is hitting at Camden Yards in a lineup that might be the best power hitting lineup in Major League Baseball.

Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies: For us we could have easily put Bryant at this spot but how can we not put Arenado on this list simply based on the fact he gets a chance to hit at Coors Field for 81 games during the regular season. Much like Machado, Arenado posted his career high with 42 home runs last season.

Third Baseman to avoid in 2016:

Todd Frazier, Chicago White Sox: While Frazier put together another solid season in 2015 the second half of the 2015 season has us worried entering the season. Frazier posted most of those numbers before the All-Star break where he hit 25 of his 35 home runs. Now some could say it was the home run derby but can he get it back? Frazier also just picked up just 23 hits over his final 107 at bats of the season.

Breakout Candidates at First Base in 2016:

Jake Lamb, Arizona Diamondbacks: Lamb is an interesting option entering the 2016 MLB season. Along with seeing more playing time last year and an increase in fantasy value, the Diamondbacks third baseman benefits from hitting at Chase Field in Arizona.

Will Middlebrooks, Milwaukee Brewers: We are still waiting for Middlebrooks to break out and become the third baseman many believed he would become. That being said despite playing in a non-hitter friendly park in San Diego Middlebrooks still managed to hit 9 home runs in just 83 games.

Fantasy Position Outlook:

The top of the fantasy list at third base is filled with fantasy value the big question is outside of the top 7-10 players where can we get some true value? In the beginning of the season we suggest sticking with the top tier third baseman in daily fantasy leagues to see if which of the lower tier options emerge as a solid option. In season long fantasy leagues we suggest drafting one of the top options if available while focusing on a few of the other positions till the later rounds.