Washington Nationals: Who’s winning the third base competition?

There are a slew of options that Manager Dave Martinez could slot in at the hot corner, but each of them will be a downgrade to what fans are used to seeing at third base.

The Nationals entered this Spring with question marks at both corner infield positions. We should expect to see a healthy mix of Howie Kendrick, Eric Thames and Ryan Zimmerman at first base, assuming they stay healthy. However, who will be playing third base is a different type of conversation.

It’s no secret that the Nationals lost All-Star Anthony Rendon to the Los Angeles Angels in free agency in December. A year ago, Rendon led the major leagues in RBI with 126 while batting .319 with 34 home runs and a league-best 44 doubles. To say that the Nationals will struggle to fill his void both on the field and at the dish is an understatement.

Throughout the Spring, the Nationals have had an internal competition for who will be the everyday third baseman. While the winner of the said competition will have big shoes to fill, it will be the team as a whole that will need to find a way to spread Rendon’s 2019 production across the entire lineup.

Starlin Castro

Starlin Castro, who turns 30 next week, is no stranger to the Nationals. He played the past two seasons with the division-rival Miami Marlins, with previous stints with the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs. It was a bit of a surprise when the news broke that Washington was signing him to a 2-year, $12 million contract on January 3, a day before the team re-signed Cabrera.

Entering his 11th season in the majors, Castro has been nothing short of durable. Twice in his career, including last season, he appeared in each of the 162 games that his team played. That, and his history of consistency, landed him in Washington on a multi-year contract.

At the dish, Castro is less of an offensive force and more of a constant roadblock for pitchers to deal with. He’s smart, but aggressive, leading him to higher strikeout numbers than one would prefer, but he’s only finished a season with a batting average less than .250 once. In Miami, he batted .274 with 34 home runs and 140 RBI across two seasons. Lifetime, he’s carrying a .280/.319/.414 slash line with 133 home runs and 636 RBIs.

This Spring was not kind to Castro, as he finishes with a .042 batting average in 28 plate appearances with eight strikeouts and just four walks.

Like Cabrera, Castro began his career as a shortstop and excelled there early in his career. When he was traded to the Yankees before the 2016 season, he inherited second base and that’s been his primary position since. He’s played a total of 1,459 games in his career, 850 at shortstop and 564 at second base and, in 2019, he played third base for the first time in his professional career. For the Marlins, he committed four errors across 45 games at the hot corner and sports a .969 all-time fielding percentage.

Castro should see significant playing time in 2020, although it’s to be determined how the games per position will be split.

Carter Kieboom

Carter Kieboom, 22, the younger brother of former Nationals catcher Spencer Kieboom, is becoming a bit of a household name for Nationals fans and prospect followers. His permanent arrival at the big league level is very near, expected sometime in 2020, but his .233 batting average in 14 games this Spring, didn’t help his chances of breaking camp with the big-league club.

The prospect dipped his toes in the big leagues last year following shortstop Trea Turner’s finger injury. He didn’t stay long as he struggled to stand his ground against top-level pitching, hitting just .128 while striking out 16 times in 43 plate appearances. On the defensive side, Kieboom’s performance was also less-than-stellar… to the tune of four errors in just ten games played at shortstop.

While his natural position is shortstop, it’s unlikely he sees much time there in the majors while Turner is on the roster and healthy. In Washington, he’ll see regular time at second or third base, depending on which is the bigger need at the time of his promotion. For context, Kieboom has played 2,649 innings in the minors, with nearly 84 percent of those coming at shortstop. He’s played 345 innings at second with a .969 fielding percentage and six errors while holding down third base for just 82 innings with four errors on 32 defensive chances.

Long-shots

While Kendrick will suit-up predominantly at first and second base, platooning with Zimmerman and Thames at first, and Castro at second, he could see time at third base as well. Kendrick has played 33 games at the hot corner in his career, including 15 last season for the Nationals, and he’s committed just one error.

Wilmer Difo, who turns 28 in early April, is a utility defender that the Nationals re-signed in December to a 1-year, $1 million deal. He’s played 296 games with the team since 2015, including 35 at third base, and has a career fielding percentage of .982. It’s important to note that he is out of minor league options and with some uncertainty of the team’s infield, Difo could have the inside track to a roster spot.

Jake Noll and Adrian Sanchez could both see time at third base at points this season, especially if one or the other are tearing it up in the minors and there’s trouble brewing at the big-league level. Noll, who was already optioned to AAA-Fresno, batted .304 with a home run this spring. Sanchez, who is still on the active roster, but is not expected to be with Washington come Opening Day. This Spring he is batting .250, with a home run and six hits.

Prediction

The most likely outcome, given the uncertainty of when exactly the season will start and if any exhibition games will be played prior to Opening Day, is Cabrera opens as the everyday third baseman. Castro will likely be the primary second baseman, but he, Difo and/or Kendrick could spell Cabrera from time-to-time until Kieboom is promoted indefinitely.

Barring injuries or an unforeseen circumstance, it’s unlikely that we see Kieboom on the Nationals roster on Opening Day. He should begin as the everyday third baseman for AAA-Fresno – where he batted .303 with 79 RBI in 2019 – when the season begins and if he hits the ground running, we could see him in Washington by the All-Star Break.