Washington Nationals: Ranking The Third Basemen In 2017 NL East
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?
5. Adonis Garcia (ATL)
2016 Stats: .273/.311/.406,14 home runs, 65 RBI, three stolen bases in 134 games
Adonis Garcia had a strong year for the Braves in 2016 and he is relatively cheap for this rebuilding team. Garcia has had a very interesting career thus far. He defected from Cuba in 2010 and made it to the United States in 2011 as a talented baseball player who had experience at short and in the outfield. A
fter posting a good year in the Venezuelan Winter League, he signed with the Yankees in 2012 for $400,000. This started his career in the majors and after a couple year in their farm system the Yankees would release Garcia in 2015. Soon after, he would sign with the Atlanta Braves.
Garcia plays a solid defense at third base and could slot in at any spot in the Braves lineup. His numbers are pretty good post career highs in almost every statistical category in 2016 and some may be asking why is he this low?
His problem is that after the Brandon Phillips trade he may not be a starter come the end of the year. The Braves have Ozzie Albies knocking at the major’s door and an aging second basemen who may find a new home somewhere else on the diamond.
Not to mention once Sean Rodriguez returns from injury he could find his way into the starting lineup. The Braves are bound to have some shuffling going on in the infield this year. Garcia could end up in many places this year either on the Braves or off. They have almost zero financial responsibilities with him and the uncertainty lands him at the number five spot this year.
4. David Wright (NYM)
2016 Stats: .226/.350/.438, seven home runs, 14 RBI’s in 37 games
The uncertainty at third base continues when we move up to New York. This is the most uncertain for sure as there could be up to five different players seeing time at third base in 2017 for the Mets. Wright, Reyes, Ty Kelly, Wilmer Flores, Kelly Johnson, T.J. Rivera, Eric Campbell and Matt Reynolds all saw time at the hot corner in 2016 for the Mets. That’s a lot by any team’s standards.
Lets look at the most likely candidates for 2017. As of right now, it looks like Wright will get the chance to start. If injuries occur, Reyes will likely be first in line to replace him. Reyes played in 60 games last year and hit .267 eight home runs and 24 RBI.
The Mets top prospect is Amed Rosario, a good defensive shortstop with a great bat. He hit .341 in Double A last year for the Mets. Its very possible that he could get called up and Asdrubel Cabrera could be moved to third.
Once again uncertainty at the position is resulting in a low ranking. The Mets actually have a little more uncertainty than the Braves do. The options in New York are a little more proven though. If Wright has a full healthy season, he could easily find himself on top of this list next year. Unfortunately, for Mets fans, his health is a huge question and the odds of him playing in over 120 games are not too likely.
3. Martin Prado (MIA)
2016 Stats: .305/.359/.417, eight home runs, 75 RBI’s, and two stolen bases in 153 games
Prado’s spot on the diamond is very safe for this year. He is a consistent veteran bat and the Marlins will most certainly rely on him to provide some leadership this year. He has been with the Marlins since 2014 and has not posted a batting average under .280 since. The lineup in Miami is actually looking pretty strong this year and once again it will likely grow in 2017.
Expect Prado to hit second or third in the lineup this year. That spot positions him around three great hitters. Dee Gordon at lead off, Christian Yelich at the spot that Prado is not in and the powerful Giancarlo Stanton batting cleanup. This will give Prado tons of opportunities to score and drive in runs.
Some may wonder why Prado isn’t even higher on this list. Honestly, based on past performance alone, he could easily slot in at two on this list as well. The two things he doesn’t prove are youth/upside and power. He will be 34 by the end of the 2017 season and he has never had a season over 15 home runs in his career.
Those two things are what separate numbers one and two on our list, the youth and the power. Although he does lack those two things Marlins fans can expect another solid year out of Prado.
2. Maikel Franco (PHI)
2016 Stats: .255/.306/.427, 25 home runs, 88 RBI’s, and one stolen base in 152 games
This is where the youth and the power really comes into play on this list. Everyone expected 2016 to be a true breakout year for Franco and if his average was a little higher it would have been. Franco is still only 24 years old and truthfully the sky is the limit for him. 25 home runs in his first full season with the Phillies is just a sign of the future.
According to Fangraphs, Franco had a strikeout rate of 16.8% in 2016, which is just a little too high. If he really wants to capitalize on his talent he will need to get that down and bring his walk rate up. Once he becomes a more refined hitter, his power numbers could go even higher. I expect that 2017 will be that breakout year we all thought 2016 would be.
As for his youth, Franco could be the star of another Phillies championship team in the years to come. They have so much around him already in this lineup. Top prospect J.P. Crawford is expected to join the fold at some point this year and he could provide another person on the bases for Franco to drive in. The combination of Franco, Herrera, Nola, Joseph and Crawford could be something that the NL East will be fearing for years to come.
1. Anthony Rendon (WSH)
2016 Stats: .270/.348/.450, 20 home runs, 85 RBI’s, 12 stolen bases in 156 games
“Tony Two Bags” tops our NL East this year for third basemen and if he can prove to stay healthy for another full year he will be at or near the top annually for years to come.
Rendon finished the year with 38 doubles and that is by far the most of any third basemen in the NL East and he had the most stolen bases as well. He also finished with the second most RBI and home runs. He will only be 26 heading into the 2017 season and his stock is clearly on the rise. He was the only third basemen in the NL East to make it on to the MLB Top Ten Right Now.
More from District on Deck
- Washington Nationals Minor League Spotlight: Robert Hassell III
- Washington Nationals Tuesday Q&A
- 3 Free Agents the Nationals Should Gamble On
- A Washington Nationals Christmas Wishlist
- Washington Nationals: Is Seth Lugo Still an Option?
While his stock is rising, so is the stock of the bats around him in this year’s Washington Nationals lineup. He will have a bounce back Harper and hopefully a repeat of last year from Turner, Murphy and the newly acquired Adam Eaton in the lineup. This is the best lineup he has ever been in and it will allow him to stack up the RBI’s in 2017.
Rendon will also likely see the best pitches in that whole lineup. Opposing pitchers will not be likely to pitch around him if the players in front of him do their job and get on base.
His performance in 2017 could determine whether the Nationals repeat as NL East champions. If he continues to improve his bat he will likely be at the top of this list again come this season.
Next: Nats Upgrade Bench With Lind Addition
Who knows he may even have a Silver Slugger Award to go right next to his NL Comeback Player of the Year Award.