As we head into 2017, we take a look at the NL East position by position. Third base has always had its fair share of stars in the NL East. Will Anthony Rendon of the Washington Nationals be number one?
If the Washington Nationals are to repeat as National League East champions, they will need production at third base from Anthony Rendon. Who else is his competition?
Martin Prado will once again bring his ageless bat back to Miami and be their starting third basemen. At the age of 33, he has become quite the veteran presence at the top of the Marlins lineup.
In Philly, they will continue to work with the youth that they have built up in their farm system. Although Maikel Franco did not have the huge breakout a lot of people expected he is still poised to do just that. Pair him with J.P. Crawford, Odubel Herrera and Tommy Joseph and the Phillies have a lot to be excited about in the future.
In New York they have a pretty intriguing situation at the hot corner. All baseball fans would rather have David Wright at third base for the Mets instead of most of his replacements. We don’t want to see another year full of injuries for “Captain America,” but I fear that may be exactly what we see. The only shining light that may end up at third base besides Wright is Jose Reyes.
Atlanta will once again bring back Adonis Garcia. He was very solid in 2016, but if he falters at all he could find himself on the bench. That Atlanta farm system is amazing as we all know and I fear that it could rob us of a pretty good third basemen in 2017 or 2018.
Finally, we head to the Nation’s Capital and find the NL Comeback Player of the Year. Barring injury, Anthony Rendon could hold the third base crown in the NL East once again in 2017. He has all the tools to be the next breakout star at any position for the Washington Nationals.
This position is strong once again in 2017, but where do these stars rank?