Ranking the NL East: Third Base
By Scott Bline
Sep 14, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Martin Prado (14) hits a solo home run in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports
# 3 – Martin Prado
Acquired in the trade that sent Nathan Eovaldi to the Yankees (what a horrible trade for the Marlins. I’m a believer in Eovaldi, and I think the Marlins gave up on him too soon. Super. Give the Yankees a flame-throwing right hander who’s only 24-years old. The Nationals thank you, Miami.) Prado will take over third for Casey McGhee who was traded to the Giants to replace Pablo Sandoval.
It’s been a busy offseason.
Prado is a solid player who will hit around .280, drive in 70-80 runs, and sneak into the double-digits in home runs. He’s versatile enough to play all over the field, and with the Marlins looking like a team with a chance to make some noise in the NL this season, he’ll be a key contributor to their success. Let’s just say he’ll be high fiving Giancarlo Stanton quite a bit after all those mammoth homers.
If there’s a concern with Prado it is that he doesn’t particularly walk all that much and his strike outs jumped up per at-bat last year (14 percent, well up from a career average of 10.9 percent). I don’t think that 5.6 fWAR season of 2012, but he’s a former All-Star with the pedigree and numbers to keep third base a position of strength for the Marlins.
Next: Number Two?