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

#3 – Martin Prado – Miami Marlins

Last offseason, the Marlins acquired Prado along with pitcher David Phelps in a deal with the Yankees for Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Jones. During the 2015 season, Prado gave Miami a veteran presence they needed in that lineup. Over the course of 129 games, Prado had a slash line of .288/.338/.394 with nine home runs and 63 RBI’s.

After hitting .272 in the first half of the season, the now 32-year-old had a .305 batting average in the second half with five home runs and 39 RBI’s. He was fourth among all NL third baseman in RBI’s in the second half behind only Matt Carpenter, Kris Bryant, and Nolan Arenado.

His .338 on-base percentage was fourth in the NL behind Carpenter, Bryant, and then Nats’ third baseman, Yunel Escobar. While Prado won’t put up the power numbers, he is one of the better contact hitters at the position. Plus, he is an excellent defender. His nine runs saved were third among all NL third baseman, trailing only rookie Matt Duffy of the San Francisco Giants (12) and Arenado (18)

Against the Nats last season, Prado hit .333 with two home runs and six RBI’s. One of those home runs came against ace pitcher Max Scherzer. If the Marlins are going to stay in the race in the NL East in 2016, they are going to need Prado and second baseman Dee Gordon to provide a good 1-2 punch at the top of the order to set up power hitter Giancarlo Stanton. While Prado may not get a lot of hype, he is still one of the more consistent contact hitters in this division, which puts him at number three on this list.

Next: #2 - Maikel Franco