Prior to the moves of Miguel Cabrera and Hanley Ramirez to third base, the position was one of the weakest in fantasy baseball.

Evan Longoria, who batted .244 last season, would have been No. 1. David Wright, who hit .254 and was limited to 389 at-bats by injury, would have been No. 2, and Adrian Beltre -- who has been very good the last two years but was consistently mediocre in the previous five campaigns -- would have been ranked third.

Now, the position has a pair of hammers at the top -- the player we believe is the second-best overall (Cabrera) and the player who, until last year, was a consensus top-two or top-three overall choice (Ramirez).

Let's get to our final pre-spring training rankings among the infielders ...

Note: All players are ranked at the positions at which they are expected to spend the most time in 2012, not all positions at which they are eligible. ... Stats are from 2011.

Rank, player, team R-HR-RBI-SB-Avg.
1. Miguel Cabrera, Tigers 111-30-105-2-.344
2. Hanley Ramirez, Marlins 55-10-45-20-.243
3. Evan Longoria, Rays 78-31-99-3-.244
4. David Wright, Mets 60-14-61-13-.254
5. Adrian Beltre, Rangers 82-32-105-1-.296
6. Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox 68-17-80-3-.258
7. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees 67-16-62-4-.276
8. Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals 52-12-49-3-.289
9. Pablo Sandoval, Giants 55-23-70-2-.315
10. Aramis Ramirez, Brewers 80-26-93-1-.306
11. Brett Lawrie, Blue Jays 26-9-25-7-.293
12. Ryan Roberts, Diamondbacks 86-19-65-18-.249
13. David Freese, Cardinals 41-10-55-1-.297
14. Mark Reynolds, Orioles 84-37-86-6-.221
15. Mike Moustakas, Royals 26-5-30-2-.263
16. Chipper Jones, Braves 56-18-70-2-.275
17. Chase Headley, Padres 43-4-44-13-.289
18. Pedro Alvarez, Pirates 18-4-19-1-.191
19. Danny Valencia, Twins 63-15-72-2-.246
20. Placido Polanco, Phillies 46-5-50-3-.277

Last three out: Lonnie Chisenhall, Indians; Brent Morel, White Sox; Ian Stewart, Cubs.

Eligibility notes: Jose Bautista is eligible at third base, but primarily is an outfielder. ... The Rangers' Michael Young should be eligible at third base in many leagues, but he will be Texas' DH (he will top our rankings at that "position"). ... The Braves' Martin Prado is an outfielder, as is the Marlins' Emilio Bonifacio.

Key stats: You likely will have to wait a couple of weeks for Ramirez to be eligible at third, but he should be worth the temporary inconvenience. The .306 career hitter had an injury-marred 2011. Prior to last season, however, he averaged 25 home runs, 78 RBI and 39 steals from 2006 to '10.

PREVIOUS: Catchers, first basemen, second basemen, shortstops

NEXT: Designated hitters

Add David Wright to the ever-growing list of stars having off years in 2011.

Add David Wright to the ever-growing list of stars spending significant time on the disabled list in 2011.

The Mets third baseman has a stress fracture in his lower back. He won't undergo any baseball activity for 10 days, then will be re-evaluated, and the Mets have said he doesn't need surgery.

Regardless, you might be scrambling for help at the hot corner. If so, here are four replacement options and two long-shot picks who are available in more than half of the leagues on ESPN.com. All stats are through Monday.

-- 1. Scott Rolen, Reds (owned in 32.7 percent of the ESPN leagues): In his first four games after returning from the disabled list with a shoulder injury, Rolen batted .471 with eight hits, three runs scored and three RBI. The 36-year-old is coming off a solid 2010 (.285, 20 homers, 83 RBI and .855 OPS) and has the power you might be looking for from a corner infield position.

-- 2. Alberto Callaspo, Angels (44.4 percent): He's a good hitter (.315 this season and .282 in his career), but he won't help you at all in the power departments. Callaspo has two homers and 20 RBI this season and has never had more than 11 homers or 73 RBI. If you need a batting-average boost, though, he's a quality option. Callaspo entered Tuesday riding an eight-game hitting streak in which he was batting .394 with nine RBI.

-- 3. Chase Headley, Padres (43.6 percent): We thought he was an interesting prospect entering the season, following a 2009 and '10 in which he batted a combined .263 with averages of 12 homers, 61 RBI and 14 stolen bases. But Headley is off to a poor start in 2011 (.270, one homer, 16 RBI and three steals).

-- 4. Greg Dobbs, Marlins (3.9 percent): He certainly has the batting average (.337) and the OPS (.862) to be a starting candidate. But Dobbs has two homers and 14 RBI, and the eight-year veteran has never compiled more than 324 at-bats, 10 homers or 55 RBI in a season. The 32-year-old is a .265 hitter, which makes us think he will be lucky to keep his average above .280.

-- Desperation plays: The Royals' Wilson Betemit (23.7 percent) is batting .318 with 16 runs, 17 RBI and three steals. But the prospect-heavy Royals have had Betemit take a seat four times in the last nine games, which obviously removes him from serious consideration. ... The Indians' Jack Hannahan (15.7 percent) has four homers and 16 RBI, but is bating .245 -- 18 points above his career norm.

Second base, normally a weaker position, has as many top-100 players as third base.

Unless a trimmed-down Pablo Sandoval is back to his 2009 self and Mark Reynolds decides to hit above .200 and not strike out every 2.5 at-bats, it could be a down year for the hot corner.

All of which makes Kevin Youkilis’ switch back to third base in Boston even more important.

Youkilis batted .307 with 19 homers and 62 RBI, despite being limited to 362 at-bats by injury last season, and he hit .309 with averages of 28 homers, 105 RBI, 95 runs and a .960 OPS in 2008 and ’09.

He’s a top-four player at the position, and if Alex Rodriguez plays as he did in 2010, Youkilis is in the top three at third.

That brings us to our fifth position breakdown of the season:

Rank, player: R-HR-RBI-SB-Avg.
1. Evan Longoria, TB: 96-22-104-15-.294
2. David Wright, NYM: 87-29-103-19-.283
3. Alex Rodriguez, NYY: 74-30-125-4-.270
4. Kevin Youkilis, Bos: 77-19-62-4-.307
5. Ryan Zimmerman, Was: 85-25-85-4-.307
6. Adrian Beltre, Tex: 84-28-102-2-.321
7. Aramis Ramirez, ChC: 61-25-83-0-.241
8. Casey McGehee, Mil: 70-23-104-1-.285
9. Pablo Sandoval, SF: 61-13-63-3-.268
10. Mark Reynolds, Bal: 79-32-85-7-.198
11. Pedro Alvarez, Pit: 42-16-64-0-.256
12. Chris Johnson, Hou: 40-11-52-3-.308
13. Scott Rolen, Cin: 66-20-83-1-.285
14. Ian Stewart, Col: 54-18-61-5-.256
15. Chipper Jones, Atl: 47-10-46-5-.265
16. Placido Polanco, Phi: 76-6-52-5-.298
17. Chase Headley, SD: 77-11-58-17-.264
18. Danny Valencia, Min: 30-7-40-2-.311
19. David Freese, StL: 28-4-36-1-.296
20. Alberto Callaspo, LAA: 61-10-56-5-.265

Preseason top 100 players (8): Longoria (13), Wright (15), Rodriguez (16), Youkilis (27), Zimmerman (31), Beltre (40), Ramirez (72), McGehee (85).

Short hops
Longoria had his home-run total drop from 33 in 2009 to 22 last season, and he drove in nine fewer runs (froms 113 to 104). He did, however, set career highs in batting average and steals. ... Wright has had at least 26 homers in five of his last six seasons, and he’s had 102 RBI or more five times in that span. ... Rodriguez’s .270 average and four steals were his lowest totals since 1995, when he had 142 at-bats as a skinny shortstop for the Mariners. ... Sandoval reported to camp in much better shape, and he could be poised for a bounce-back season. ... Alvarez displayed impressive power in his 347 at-bat stint as a rookie, and he capped the season by batting .311 with five homers and 26 RBI in 103 at-bats in September. ... The Braves’ Jones has batted .264 and .265 the last two years, but he’s been tearing it up this spring and could be a late-round bargain.

NOTE: Statistics are from the 2010 season. ... Players are listed only at the positions at which they are expected to spend the most time in 2011.

THIS WEEK: Shortstops, Thursday; third basemen, today; designated hitters, Sunday.

LAST WEEK: Catchers, March 7; first baseman, March 8; second baseman, March 9.

NEXT WEEK: Outfielders, starting pitchers, relievers and overall top 100.

If you’re the type of fantasy owner who just looks at last year’s stats, you won’t be selecting David Wright in the second round in the next few weeks.

If you’re the guy or gal who looks at three-, four- or even five-year averages, you’ll notice the Mets’ third baseman is an ideal mid-second-round pick.

He had an off year, hence his drop in value, but he’s still young (27) and is a proven commodity.

From 2005 to ’08, Wright batted .311 with averages of 29 home runs, 112 RBI, 22 stolen bases and 106 runs scored.

Last season, Wright scored 88 runs (a drop of 27 from the year before), hit 10 homers (a drop of 23), drove in 72 runs (52 down from 2009) and struck out a career-high 140 times. He went on the disabled list for the first time in his career, but he still played in 144 games and has said he just felt out of sorts last season.

The cavernous new Citi Field didn’t help Wright’s power numbers, but he had only five home runs in 277 at-bats on the road.

Was it just an off year? Was it something more? Does he miss alleged former fling Erin Andrews?

My guess: Yes, no and how can he not?

When I ranked the top 100 overall players prior to spring training, I struggled deciding between the Rays’ Evan Longoria and Wright, despite Longoria hitting 33 homers and driving in 113 runs in 2009, his second season.

Longoria likely will be a late first- or early second-round pick, and Wright should go off the board shortly thereafter.

He might not provide the power of Longoria, but he’ll hit for a higher average, steal a lot more bases and should be comparable in runs and RBI.

If you get Wright in the middle of the second round, you shouldn’t regret it.

We can’t say the same for any Indians fan who believes he can wait until the middle rounds to draft his or her starting third baseman: Jhonny Peralta.

On to the rankings:

Rank, player: R-HR-RBI-SB-Avg.
1. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: 78-30-100-14-.286
2. Evan Longoria, Rays: 100-33-113-9-.281
3. David Wright, Mets: 88-10-72-27-.307
4. Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals: 110-33-106-2-.292
5. Mark Reynolds, Diamondbacks: 98-44-102-24-.260
6. Pablo Sandoval, Giants: 79-25-90-5-.330
7. Chone Figgins, Mariners: 114-5-54-42-.298
8. Aramis Ramirez, Cubs: 46-15-65-2-.317
9. Michael Young, Rangers: 76-22-68-8-.322
10. Chipper Jones, Braves: 80-18-71-4-.264
11. Jorge Cantu, Marlins: 67-16-100-3-.289
12. Adrian Beltre, Red Sox: 54-8-44-13-.265
13. Ian Stewart, Rockies: 74-25-70-7-.228
14. Miguel Tejada, Orioles: 83-14-86-5-.313
15. Casey McGehee, Brewers: 58-16-66-0-.301
16. Placido Polanco, Phillies: 82-10-72-7-.285
17. Casey Blake, Dodgers: 84-18-79-3-.280
18. Brandon Inge, Tigers: 71-27-84-2-.230
19. Jhonny Peralta, Indians: 57-11-83-0-.254
20. Chase Headley, Padres: 62-12-64-10-.262

Preseason top 100 players (9): Rodriguez (4), Longoria (15), Wright (18), Zimmerman (31), Reynolds (40), Sandoval (44), Figgins (60), Ramirez (71), Young (86)

Short hops
Rodriguez needed only 444 at-bats last season to extend his 30-homer, 100-RBI streak to 12 years. ... Reynolds is a great combination of power and steals, but be wary of taking him early in points leagues that penalize for strikeouts. The Diamondbacks’ third baseman has fanned 427 times in 1,117 at-bats the last two years. ... Before an injury-marred 2009, the Cubs’ Ramirez had tallied at least 26 homers and 92 RBI in six consecutive seasons. ... Beltre had a three-year stretch with 25, 26 and 25 homers prior to a dismal 2009. ... Cantu has 45 homers and 195 RBI the last two seasons. ... The 35-year-old Tejada, whose power numbers are down significantly the last two seasons, is making the move from shortstop to the hot corner. ... To Peralta’s credit, prior to 2009, he had batted at least .270 with 21 homers and 72 RBI for four straight seasons. ... The promising Headley has struck out 241 times in 892 career at-bats.

NOTE: Statistics are from the 2009 season. ... Positions listed are according to the depth charts at mlb.com.

NOTE II: We pushed back the shortstop rankings until Thursday this week, hoping the Mets will release more on Jose Reyes’ thyroid condition by then.

THIS WEEK: Third basemen, today; designated hitters, Wednesday; shortstops, Thursday

LAST WEEK: Catchers, March 2; first baseman, March 4; second baseman, March 5

NEXT WEEK: Outfielders, starting pitchers and relievers

It's the time of year for which fantasy freaks have been waiting.

What, you thought I meant football draft day?

We'll let the king of all fake sports sit idle for a couple days while we gear up for Week 23 of the baseball season, which usually marks the start of the playoffs.

Let's celebrate with a start and sit list, based mostly on players who were recently traded or returned from injuries or waivers.

All statistics are through Wednesday unless noted.

Start 'em

-- Scott Kazmir, SP, Angels: He lost his Angels debut on Wednesday, but through no fault of his own (6 1/3 innings, one run, eight strikeouts). He's 8-8 with a 5.68 ERA, but he strikes out a lot of batters (99 in 117 1/3 innings), he's now pitching for a team that leads all of baseball with a .288 batting average, and he is on pace to get two starts next week.

-- David Ortiz, DH, Boston: He's in another cold spell (3-for-18 with one RBI and five strikeouts in his last five games) and he's batting only .227 for the season, but consider the following power numbers. Since June 1, Big Papi has 21 homers and 61 RBI in 271 at-bats. He will get hot again, and I wouldn't want him on my bench when he does.

-- Jon Garland, SP, Dodgers: Another pitcher who should benefit from a trade to a better team, only in Garland's case, it's a much better team. He entered Thursday night's start against the Diamondbacks, his former team, under .500 at 8-11 with a 4.29 ERA. But he was 3-1 with a 3.89 ERA and an uncharacteristically high 26 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings in August. He won't help you in the K department (figure only one per two innings), but he should start twice next week and is worth a chance in deeper leagues.

-- David Wright, 3B, Mets: Thursday was his third game back after a scary beaning incident. For some reason, his power has fallen off (eight homers after hitting a combined 89 the previous three seasons), but you know he will hit for a high average and steal an occasional base -- goofy new helmet and all.

-- Carlos Marmol, RP, Cubs: His new role -- closer -- seems to be the one he should have had all along. Since taking over for Kevin Gregg, he has four saves in as many opportunities the last two weeks. In those four save chances, Marmol threw four scoreless innings and struck out seven. In the last three years, he's fanned 286 batters in 219 innings, an average of 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings. All of which makes the Cubs' offseason choice of Gregg over Marmol all the more curious.

-- John Smoltz, SP, Cardinals: His two-game run of prosperity with the Cards ended Thursday, when he gave up four runs in six innings to the Brewers. Smoltz yielded only one run in 11 innings in his first two games with St. Louis, striking out 15 while walking only one. That was a stark contrast to his dog days in Boston -- 2-5, 8.33 ERA and 59 hits allowed in 40 innings. He's another two-start Week 23 possibility worth a look in deeper leagues in which you play more than five starting pitchers.

Sit 'em

-- Brad Penny, SP, Giants: He was great Wednesday in his Giants debut (eight shutout innings), but that shouldn't overshadow an August in which he was 0-3 with an 8.31 ERA in four games with Boston. Prior to signing with the Giants, he was 2-7 since the beginning of June, and he isn't a great source of strikeouts (91 in 139 2/3 innings this season).

-- Jim Thome, position unknown, Dodgers: Talk about a strange trade. The Dodgers -- pardon me for a moment while I state the obvious -- wouldn't be able to use a DH until the World Series, yet they acquired an American League slugger who hasn't played the field regularly since 2004. Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said Thome "will be used exclusively as a power bat off the bench." Translation: We're going to kill the fantasy value of a player who has 23 homers and 74 RBI in 345 at-bats. If you're a James Loney owner, I would worry that Thome will steal at-bats from the 25-year-old regular first baseman every three days or so, especially since Loney is 22-for-98 (.224) since August.

-- Joba Chamberlain, SP, Yankees: The Joba Rules must include a line that reads: "Like Mike Shanahan in football, we hope to drive as many fantasy owners nuts as possible." Chamberlain threw all of 35 pitches in three innings before being pulled Sunday, this after he was started on regular rest, after the Yankees initially stated he would be held out longer. In his last two starts, Chamberlain has thrown a combined seven innings, and he hasn't tossed more than 96 pitches in his last three contests. He's barely averaging more than five innings per start for the season, and with the Yankees' conservative nature with the 23-year-old, he should only be used in very big leagues in which you can still play him at reliever.

-- Alfonso Soriano, OF, Cubs: He had a cortisone shot in his bothersome left knee Sunday, and he returned to the lineup Thursday after sitting Wednesday. Regardless, he no longer is much of a stolen-base threat (nine in 116 games), and he's batting only .243 with a .732 OPS.

-- Adrian Beltre, 3B, Mariners: He was activated from the disabled list Tuesday after, um, a testicle injury, and is 0-for-7 since returning. His season numbers aren't much better: .270, five homers, 32 RBI, 10 steals and a .674 OPS in 345 at-bats. Unless you really need a third baseman, Beltre should remain on your bench.

-- Jose Guillen, OF, Royals: This one might be more obvious than the Dodgers/DH reference. Guillen returned from the disabled list this week, only to have his knee brace cause tightness in his hamstring, forcing him to leave Wednesday's game. He's a decent source of power who is available in most leagues (nine homers and 40 RBI in 281 at-bats), but he's also a .242 hitter with a .681 OPS.

-- Nate McLouth, OF, Braves: This decision is much more difficult than Guillen. McLouth, who has already had a setback in his rehab from a hamstring injury, was expected to play in a Class A game Thursday and hopes to rejoin the Braves this weekend. He's a decent power hitter (15 homers and 56 RBI in 395 at-bats) who steals bases (17). But his average is below average (.258), and I'd be hesitant to put him in my lineup for the postseason and then have him get shut down again.

Coming Friday: One final Pick Three for the baseball season.