Top Five at Every Position Right Now: Third Base

Photo Courtesy of MLB 

By: Chris Larson 

Moving along in our "Top Five at Every Position Right Now" Series, the focus today shifts to the hot corner otherwise known as third base. Third base is easily the deepest position in all of baseball right now and one with an immense amount of talent when you look around the league at the offensive and defensive that a number of third baseman possess.

Third base is an important position especially defensively because of those hits that go down the third base line. That is why it has developed the reputation of being known as the hot corner and a significant reason why the glove factors into the equation so much for the individuals listed below. However, for many of the top players at third base including those listed below, it's not only their glove that makes them so valuable, but the offense they provide as well.

Over the last ten years, there have been some great third baseman around the game, but none of them compare to the legacy of former Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre. Beltre had such a significant impact during his big league career that he has solidified himself as a future Hall of Famer. Besides Adrian Beltre, another significant third baseman from the last ten years is Evan Longoria who played a bulk of those seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays until he was traded to the San Francisco Giants before the 2018 regular season. Additionally, you can't overlook the impact that Josh Donaldson of the Minnesota Twins continues to have on the game and had in the past, what Todd Frazier did at the hot corner during his peak seasons, and how much of an impact Manny Machado had on the Baltimore Orioles from 2012 until halfway through the 2018 regular season. Machado hasn't lived up to that same level so far with the San Diego Padres, but he is certainly talented enough to return to that caliber of play.

With that being said, here are the top five third baseman around baseball right now.

Photo Courtesy of USA Today

1. Nolan Arenado (Colorado Rockies) 

• Defensive Runs Saved: 8 (T-3rd Among Third Baseman with 700 Innings Played) 
• Ultimate Zone Rating: 10.3 (2nd) 
• Defensive Rating: 12.5 (2nd) 
• Offensive Rating: 27.1 (7th Among Third Baseman with 400 PA) 
• Wins Above Replacement: 5.9 (T-4th) 

As of right now, Nolan Arenado is still the face of the Colorado Rockies but that could change any minute now given the growing tension between Arenado and the Rockies front office. However, it is fair to note that a potential trade could be held up by the fact that Arenado has an opt-out in two years and given that he controls exactly where he goes since he received a full-no trade clause with his contract extension almost a year ago. If the Rockies fail to find a trade partner prior to Opening Day, then they will look for both Arenado and shortstop Trevor Story to be a dynamic duo in the middle of their batting order. Both Arenado and Story are very special and talented players, have a huge heart for the game of baseball, and contribute to the culture on and off the field of the ball club. If the Rockies were to subtract Arenado from their offense and defensive mix, it would be a significant downgrade for the team overall. 

As indicated by the metrics above, Nolan Arenado rated well both offensively and defensively in each of the five categories that all thirty teams front offices carefully analyze and evaluate. Given that Arenado is in the midst of his prime at 28 years old, there's the potential that he could even get better at his craft. For Arenado, the biggest selling point of his game continues to be the immense amount of power that he displays at the plate during each of his at bats. Last year, Arenado had a cumulative Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP) of .312 and an Isolated Power (ISO) value of .269. Although those values were down a bit from what they sat at in 2017, they both still rank very well among the position player group. Furthermore, Arenado was hitting the ball in the air much more often last year as well compared to the 2018 regular season. Last season, Arenado had a Flyball Percentage of 44.7% compared to 38.8%. When you combine that power together, you get the makings of a special ball player and easily the best third baseman in the game of baseball right now. 

Photo Courtesy of Bleacher Report

2. Anthony Rendon (Previously with the Washington Nationals, Now with the Los Angeles Angels) 

• Defensive Runs Saved: 2 (7th Among Third Baseman with 700 Innings Played) 
• Ultimate Zone Rating: 2.0 (11th) 
• Defensive Rating: 4.2 (11th) 
• Offensive Rating: 48.5 (2nd Among Third Baseman with 400 PA) 
• Wins Above Replacement: 7.0 (2nd) 

Coming off of last year's World Series Championship, Rendon cashed in big this offseason when he signed the seven-year, $245 million dollar deal with the Los Angeles Angels. Rendon is going to drastically impact the Angels lineup and give the team another power bat to pair with centerfielder Mike Trout in the middle of the batting order. The Angels might not have the best pitching staff, but they have an intriguing lineup and are hoping that it's enough of a lineup to allow them to outscore their opponents on a regular basis thus leading to a postseason berth. Regardless, Rendon is going to be a significant impact and will help the Angels improve their overall defense as well. When you look at the Angels left side of the infield with Andrelton Simmons at shortstop, those defensive metrics should be very good at the end of this coming season. 

While Rendon is talented on both sides of the baseball, his biggest contributions can be felt at the plate as indicated by the metrics above. Last year with the Washington Nationals, Rendon had the fifth lowest overall strikeout percentage at 13.3% and the second highest Weighted On-Base Average at .413 over the span of approximately 646 plate appearances. Furthermore, Rendon shines in big moments as indicated by his ability to come through in clutch situations. Last year, Rendon accumulated 77 plate appearances that fell into that category and put up a slash line of: .362/.519/.793 with 21 hits, 7 doubles, 6 home runs, 37 RBI, 18 walks, and 11 strikeouts. Just imagine Rendon coming through in a clutch situation which ends up clinching the Los Angeles Angels a playoff berth this coming season! 

Photo Courtesy of UPI.com 

3. Alex Bregman (Houston Astros) 

• Defensive Runs Saved: 7 (T-4th Among Third Baseman with 700 Innings Played) 
• Ultimate Zone Rating: 2.4 (T-10th) 
• Defensive Rating: 4.8 (11th) 
• Offensive Rating: 58.2 (1st Among Third Baseman with 400 PA) 
• Wins Above Replacement: 8.5 (1st) 

When you look at the Houston Astros 26-man roster, third baseman Alex Bregman is a core part of the team and Houston's offense. Bregman is a talented player and is just starting to enter his prime seasons at the age of 25. What makes Bregman even more valuable for the Houston Astros is the idea that he can play third base or occupy shortstop. In fact, last season while Carlos Correa was dealing with a back issue, Bregman slid over to shortstop for the Astros in 59 games as a starter and did a very good job overall handling that position. However, the Astros have determined that their best defensive alignment is with Alex Bregman at the hot corner so that's why he has been primarily used at third base since his major league debut. No one will ever know the role that Bregman played in the Houston Astros cheating scandal that has taken over baseball this entire offseason, but if you discount that factor, Bregman is a very good baseball player overall with the ceiling of a five-tool player. 

As you look over the offensive statistics from last season for Alex Bregman, the one thing that stands out is the immense amount of plate discipline that he showed. Using the criteria from above, Bregman recorded the highest walk percentage at 17.2%, which was two whole percentage points higher than the player in second place, the aforementioned Josh Donaldson. Furthermore, Bregman hit the ball much more often to centerfield last season compared to the year before. Last season, Bregman hit the ball to centerfield approximately 36.3% of the time. During the 2018 regular season, Bregman hit 32.4% of the baseballs he made contact with into centerfield. Looking ahead to this coming season, Bregman will once again be viewed as highly valuable member of the Astros roster as Houston looks to erase all of the criticism from this offseason and make it back to the postseason for the fourth consecutive year. 

Photo Courtesy of UPI.com

4. Matt Chapman (Oakland Athletics) 

• Defensive Runs Saved: 18 (1st Among Third Baseman with 700 Innings Played) 
• Ultimate Zone Rating: 14.8 (1st) 
• Defensive Rating: 17.1 (1st) 
• Offensive Rating: 22.4 (10th Among Third Baseman with 400 PA) 
• Wins Above Replacement: 6.1 (3rd) 

Matt Chapman is a very underrated player nationally just like the other counterpart to The Matt Show for the Oakland Athletics - first baseman Matt Olson. Olson is another top five player at his position and someone else that many people don't really know about or take seriously. However, both Matt's are extremely talented and play their positions at a very elite level especially defensively with their gloves and the flashy plays they make. If the Oakland Athletics want to win the American League West this season from the Houston Astros, then they will need both Matt Olson and Matt Chapman to play at an elite level on both sides of the baseball which both individuals are more than capable of doing. For Matt Chapman, he is going to play an integral role for the left side of the Athletics defense alongside shortstop Marcus Semien who is yet another highly valuable, underrated player. 

Last year over the span of 670 plate appearances, Chapman slugged: .249/.342/.506 with 36 home runs, 91 RBI and a Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) value of 125. One of the brightest components of Matt Chapman's overall game play from last season was his ability to hit with runners in scoring position. Of the plate appearances that Chapman recorded last season, 134 of them qualified as being situations with runners in scoring position. Over that sample size, Chapman slugged: .296/.410/.630 with 32 hits, 9 doubles, 9 home runs, 54 RBI, 19 walks, and 23 strikeouts. That's exactly the type of hitter that the Oakland Athletics want to have hitting in the middle of their batting order to compliment the likes of the aforementioned Matt Olson and Marcus Semien as well as outfielder Khris Davis. Furthermore, another stat line for the knowledge encyclopedia - Chapman slugged: .261/.356/.565 over 132 plate appearances against power pitchers in 2019. If you are a stat nerd, then that is one to share during your next conversation about Matt Chapman! 

Photo Courtesy of USA Today

5. Josh Donaldson (Previously with the Atlanta Braves, Now with the Minnesota Twins) 

• Defensive Runs Saved: 15 (2nd Among Third Baseman with 700 Innings Played) 
• Ultimate Zone Rating: 2.4 (T-10th) 
• Defensive Rating: 4.6 (T-9th) 
• Offensive Rating: 24.9 (8th Among Third Baseman with 400 PA) 
• Wins Above Replacement: 4.9 (8th) 

Josh Donaldson aka The Bringer of Rain had himself another quality season last year with the Atlanta Braves which led to him inking a four-year, $92 million dollar with the Minnesota Twins this offseason. Donaldson is going to be a significant upgrade for the Twins and while he isn't a starting pitcher or reliever to help out the Twins pitching staff, Donaldson is an elite defender at the hot corner and will add value from that regard. The Twins struggled defensively last year overall and with Donaldson in the mix now, those same defensive metrics should improve greatly especially with former third baseman, Miguel Sano making the shift over to first base. The Bomba Squad hit a ton of home runs last season (307 to be exact) and now that same lineup just added another 30-plus home run bat to their lineup so expect even more Bomba this coming season! 

Besides the superb level of defense that Donaldson provides to the Twins, the offense is going to be another major selling point in his game. Last season, Donaldson had an ISO value of .262 and a BABIP value of the same exact value. Furthermore, Donaldson became much more of a pull hitter last year with the Atlanta Braves compared to during 2018 regular season. Last season, Donaldson had a Pull Percentage of 48.5% compared to 40.3% during 2018. It's going to be fascinating to watch how those numbers shift with the move back to the American League and to Target Field in Minnesota for Donaldson. Target Field was middle of the pack last season in runs per game last year at an average of 0.97 and was the ballpark with the sixth lowest home runs allowed at an average of 0.87. Therefore, it's not the most hitter friendly ballpark ever, but isn't necessarily a pitcher's paradise either so it will be fascinating to see how that plays for Donaldson and the rest of the Minnesota Twins hitters this season.