Third Base Preview
Major League Baseball is occupied by some of the best players at the hot corner. The top five players in the position are cornerstones for their teams and some of the best performers year over year. Each has a case for being the best player at the position due to the incredible amount of talent playing third base. From rising stars to grizzled veterans, the third base position is one of the most competitive positions in baseball. Without further a due date, it’s time to begin.
Rafael Devers
Rafael Devers is one of baseball’s best offensive players and one of the most consistent. In 2023, he had a typical Devers season, batting 271 with 33 home runs, 100 RBIs, and an OPS of 851. This goes along with a 3.5 WAR in 2023. Over the past six major league seasons, Devers has only had an OPS under 800 once. He’s hit over 20 home runs in five major league seasons and slugged over 500 in four seasons. Devers, in short, is an offensive force and is one of the best bats at the position. However, what lets him down is his work with the glove.
In every entire Major League season, barring 2019, Devers has had a negative defensive WAR. 2023 was no exception; he finished with -0.5 defensive WAR and 19 errors for the year. This has been one of Dever’s glaring weaknesses and has been discussed for many years. If Devers could fix the situation and become a league-average defender at the position, there is a strong possibility he would become the game’s best third baseman. Until then, he will have to settle for fifth place.
Nolan Arenado
The Red Bird’s third baseman had an average year by his high standards in 2023, hitting 266 with 26 home runs. That also goes along with a 2.4 WAR and a 774 OPS, the lowest since his rookie year, excluding the shorted 2020 season. Over the past decade, Arenado has arguably been the best third baseman in baseball. He finished 2022 with the highest WAR in the NL and was a key contributor on the 2022 Cardinals with that year’s MVP, Paul Goldschmidt. What also makes Arenado stand out is his unmatched defense. He has won six platinum glove awards, along with ten gold gloves. This year, he didn’t win the gold glove for the first time in his career.
2023 was an above-average defensive year for Nolan with a 0.3 defensive WAR, but he has averaged almost 1.9 WAR in every Major League Season. Undoubtedly, 2023 was a down year for him and the Cardinals, but he should bounce back in 2024 and potentially return to the number 1 spot.
Manny Machado
Having a down year in 2023 compared to his 2022 campaign, Manny Machado is still one of the game’s best third basemen. He hit 258 with 30 home runs and 782 OPS while ending the year with a 2.9 WAR. In retrospect, Machado was coming off a spectacular 2022 season, finishing runner-up to Paul Goldschmidt in the MVP voting. One can see why, as he had arguably the best year of his career, hitting 298 with 32 home runs, an OPS of 898, and a WAR of 6.8. This puts Machado and Arenado in a similar company based on an exceptional 2022 but a down 2023. This could be due to factors such as fatigue or other players in their respective lineups not playing up to the level they did the previous year.
Combining these factors leads to less protection in the lineup and, thus, an underwhelming season. Despite a difficult season, Machado is still one of the game’s best players. However, even his elite defense, which won him a platinum glove and two gold gloves, has declined. Since joining the San Diego Padres in 2019, he has averaged a defensive WAR of 0.3, excluding 2020. It is above-league-average defense but significantly down from the lofty standards he set when he was a Baltimore Oriole. In every full season Machado played at third base, he averaged a defensive WAR of 2.4, among the highest in all of baseball.
Machado, like Arenado, will need another representative season if the Padres are going to make a run in a stacked NL West.
Jose Ramirez
Jose Ramirez is the heart and soul of the Cleveland Guardians and probably the best baseball switch-hitting player. The numbers don’t lie; he has had three solid seasons and a prestigious career. In 2022, Ramirez finished with a WAR of 5.1, a batting average of 284, and 24 home runs, with an OPS of 831. In 2022, he had a WAR of 6.1 and hit 280 with 29 home runs and an OPS of 869. Ramirez was even better in 2021 with a WAR of 6.8, 35 home runs, a batting average 266, and an OPS of 893.
The Guardian’s third baseman is not only one of the best players at his position but is amongst the game’s very best players. The only thing that holds him back slightly is his solid, but not elite, defense. He had a 0.2 and .03 defensive WAR in 2023 and 2022. It is still very good, and most organizations would take Ramirez’s defense regardless of his elite abilities with the bat. This is the only knock keeping him out of the number 1 spot.
Austin Riley
Austin Riley is the most underrated player in all of Major League Baseball and one of its best players. He is currently the game’s best third baseman as he emerged from what seemed like nowhere in 2021. People tend to forget how great a player he is when he has to compete for the spotlight in an Atlanta Braves team surrounded by superstars. Riley, in 2023, posted a 5.9 WAR, 37 home runs, a 281 batting average, and an 861 OPS. This was followed by two even better years before 2023. In his breakout season 2021, he hit 303 with 33 home runs, an OPS of 898, and a WAR of 6.3. He only did better in 2022 with a WAR of 6.5, batting 273 with 27 home runs and an OPS of 878.
Amongst the hitting core of elite third baseman, Riley is right there with the best, but his elite defense makes him even better. Just like Arenado and Machado, Riley is always a potential gold glove and platinum glove candidate. Over the past three seasons, he has averaged a defensive WAR of 1.3 with his excellent offensive capabilities. The only flaw in his game is his strikeout rate, which was 24.1 percent in 2023. He has managed to lower it since 2021. However, if Riley can reduce the strikeout rate even further, his numbers could improve in 2024.
Third Baseman Conclusion
Third base is one of the most contested positions in Major League Baseball. With so many elite players occupying the hot corner, any one of them could have taken the number 1 spot. However, due to the nature of talent at the position, the player who finishes number one will usually avoid sub-par seasons and have a consistent track record going back multiple seasons. This is why Jose Ramirez and Austin Riley are the best players at third base. However, anything could change, especially since there is no shortage of talent and potential going into 2024.
Main Photo Credits: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
