Leandre: Top 30 third basemen entering 2024, 30-21
There are some familiar names latching on to being top 30 third basemen entering the 2024 MLB season.
For a couple of these third basemen, the thought of them clinging to the top 30 feels wrong.
However, for a few reasons, the class became too loaded for them to stay high in the rankings.
Anyway, the third base position is a tale of two halves. The top 15-16 third basemen all have qualities that could make them All-Stars in the right season. The back half has potential, but the All-Star ceiling just isn’t there right now.
That said, this 10 features multiple All-Stars and Gold Glove winners. It also features only two players with a wRC+ over 100 in 2023.
So, who are these 10?
30. Anthony Rendon — Los Angeles Angels
A lot of scrutiny has come Rendon’s way in recent weeks because of his comments surrounding where baseball ranks among his priority list.
Considering the failure that his contract has been with the Halos, I understand meming it, but I never understood the anger he caught for it. Saying family and religion rank ahead of work isn’t exactly a crime, he’s just making millions so people don’t like that.
However, he’s not a scrub by any means. Last year, he posted a .361 OBP in 43 games, just with no thump. I’m not sure the lack of thump is permanent, but he gets on base at a great clip. If not for injuries, again, he’d have had a pretty good year offensively in 2023.
Defensively, however, he was a mess, logging -5 defensive runs saved and outs above average in 359.2 innings.
29. Evan Longoria — Free Agent
The once super-reliable Tampa Bay Rays third baseman became all-or-nothing over the past few seasons.
With the National League Champion Arizona Diamondbacks last season, he posted a career-low in average while also striking out at his highest rate. That said, he posted a .199 ISO with two defensive runs saved in only 74 games played.
There’s uncertainty about whether or not he will play in 2024, though the veteran was reportedly is “leaning towards” playing as recently as February.
28. Edmundo Sosa — Philadelphia Phillies
Since getting to the Phillies, Sosa is slashing .261/.301/.453 with a 103 wRC+ in 117 games played.
Defensively, he’s always been productive at shortstop, but at third base he’s got three outs above average in a little over 600 innings.
Now, he’ll be jockeying for playing time with fellow third baseman Alec Bohm, so at-bats won’t be plentiful even if he plays a lot of games. Last season, he played 104 games but only had 300 plate appearances, in which he slashed .251/.293/.427 with 10 home runs and a .309 wOBA.
27. Zach McKinstry — Detroit Tigers
The 2023 season was the best of McKinstry’s relatively young career, not just in terms of numbers but also in sheer opportunity.
He posted career-highs in average, on-base, xwOBA, wRC+ and fWAR in 148 games. In doing so, he sacrificed a little in terms of power (34 extra-base hits).
His 1.2 fWAR ranked in a tie for 21st among third basemen with at least 250 plate appearances.
Defensively, he was a net neutral at third base, logging zero defensive runs saved and outs above average. While not exemplary, it’s better than being in the red.
26. Patrick Wisdom — Chicago Cubs
Power will never be a question when Wisdom is in the lineup. Last season was his third in a row with at least 23 home runs; his second in the last three with at least a .287 ISO.
What made his power so impressive last year was he hit 23 homers in 97 games.
Defensively, he’s slipped the past two seasons. Over his last 1,362.2 innings defensively, he has -11 defensive runs saved and -17 outs above average. However, his offense does enough to make up for those defensive struggles.
I still think the Cubs should’ve been stronger players for the now San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman, but that’s an argument for another day.
25. Jordan Westburg — Baltimore Orioles
Similar to seemingly every other Baltimore Orioles prospect, Westburg absolutely tore up the minor leagues offensively.
When he got to the bigs, he was fairly up-and-down before finishing the year with a 97 wRC+ and 1.1 fWAR in 68 games.
Defensively, he had -1 defensive runs saved and three outs above average.
He and Ramón Urías will be splitting playing time at third base in 2024, though I’m unclear who ends up getting more of the share — especially given how polar opposite Urías’ 2022 and 2023 seasons were with the glove.
24. Ramón Urías — Baltimore Orioles
Almost a perfect segway into No. 24 on the list.
Urías is a fine ballplayer, but 2023 was his worst season at the MLB level. The previous two seasons, he slashed .260/.328/.414 with a 110 wRC+, 55 extra-base hits and 3.8 fWAR in 203 games played.
His offense in 2023 yielded a 99 wRC+ and four homers in 116 games, but the real red flag was his drastically regressed defense. While zero defensive runs saved is fine, -9 outs above average; a far cry from 14 defensive runs saved and seven outs above average in 2022.
Given his previous two seasons, he’s still comfortably within the top 30, I just wonder how much he can grow battling for playing time with Westburg.
23. Gio Urshela — Detroit Tigers
Similar to Rendon, Urshela battled injuries in 2023. As a result, his numbers suffered, especially from a power standpoint.
In 62 games, he hit .299 but with a .307 wOBA and a .374 slugging percentage. I’m willing to chalk that up to an outlier bad year, because the previous three seasons he slashed .283/.328/.424 with 105 extra-base hits and 4.3 fWAR.
I really like what the Tigers did by bringing him in, even if it’s as a platoon bat with McKinstry. However, I do think he’d be best suited as the everyday option with McKinstry used as a utilityman.
22. J.D. Davis — San Francisco Giants
Davis was a polarizing player during his tenure with the New York Mets. That never made any sense to me.
His availability was inconsistent at times, but he posted a 124 wRC+ in his Mets career.
As a Giant, he’s remained a good hitter, posting a 113 wRC+ in 192 games. However, his defense is spotty. He does have three outs above average but it’s accompanied by -11 defensive runs saved. As a result, it makes for a strange disparity in his wins above replacement (2.2 on FanGraphs, 0.9 on Baseball Reference).
21. Maikel Garcia — Kansas City Royals
I feel like Garcia profiles as an AL Central version of Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes.
Offensively, he leaves some to be desired because he doesn’t hit for a lot of power, but defensively he’s a stalwart.
In 123 games last season, the 24-year-old slashed .272/.323/.358 with 23 stolen bases and a 1.9 fWAR. If he can fill out his frame a bit and increase his power output, there’s a decent chance he becomes even more similar to Hayes.
Defensively, he posted 13 outs above average. Despite the -2 defensive runs saved, he was one of the best third baseman in baseball a season ago by defensive value — only Hayes ousted him there.
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