Who Should You Draft Third Overall in Fantasy Baseball?

J.D. Martinez, OF, Boston Red Sox

NFBC ADP: 5th

Maximum Pick: 3rd

Minimum Pick: 8th

After inking a monster free agent deal with the Boston Red Sox an offseason ago, Martinez went out and posted a huge year -- 43 home runs (which rank second in MLB), 111 runs scored (fifth), 130 runs batted in (first), .299 isolated power (third), and .427 wOBA (third). If you are comfortable ignoring speed with your first pick, Martinez may be your best bet.

Focusing on pure pop isn't a bad strategy, either, when you see how league wide power has been on the rise in recent seasons.

Home runs have jumped up 46% from 2014 to 2017, and while last year was a modest step back to 5,585 homers, it still represents a 33% growth from just a few years ago.

All that adds up to fantasy players needing more power in order to win your league. Looking at the NFBC's online championship format (12 teams), league winners averaged 326.7 home runs last season, and with 14 starting offensive positions, that means you need an average of roughly 23 homers per starting slot.

For every speedster or part-time player on your roster, you'll need to make up for it with some serious juice in other spots, and Martinez definitely brings the pop.