Washington Nationals Editorial: Is Anthony Rendon The Best Third Baseman In NL East?

#5 – Adonis Garcia – Atlanta Braves

Garcia was one of the new additions to the Braves last season after spending his minor league career with the New York Yankees. The 30-year-old played in 58 games in 2015 and had a slash line of .277/.293/.497 with ten home runs and 26 RBI’s. He took over the job in the second half of the season when Juan Uribe and Alberto Callaspo were both traded to the Mets and Dodgers respectively. His .791 OPS was 12th and his ten home runs were tied for fifth among all third baseman in the National League during the second half of the season.

The right-handed hitter did show off some power, especially at Turner Field. In his home ballpark, Garcia hit .316 with eight home runs and 19 RBI’s. While he did have two games of three RBI’s, his best game in terms of power occurred on October 4 when he hit two solo home runs in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals.

As for his defense, that still appears to be a work in progress. He made ten errors in 42 games, which was the most of any Atlanta third baseman. According to Fangraphs, his defensive runs saved in 2015 were -3.

While Garcia looks to be the favorite, Atlanta does have some players who can compete for playing time in spring training such as Kelly Johnson and even Gordon Beckham. It will be interesting to see what Garcia does if he wins the job out of spring training. He has shown some good power, but there is still a significant gap between Garcia and the rest of the third baseman in this division.

Next: #4 - David Wright