It’s a hot corner in a hot division! Except, unlike 2019, the scene at third base is quite vacant. The hot corner has been gutted of the best of the best, as the Nationals lost superstar Anthony Rendon to the Los Angeles Angels and the Atlanta Braves were outbid by the Minnesota Twins for productive veteran Josh Donaldson. With a fairly bare scene throughout the division, let’s rank the teams in order of their depth at third base.
5. Atlanta Braves
In a rather unfortunate turn of events, the team that would’ve been at number two last year will fall to the bottom this year.
The Atlanta Braves lost their star third basemen Josh Donaldson to a bidding war with the Minnesota Twins this past offseason and are now stuck with two young players bidding for the position who have not had the greatest starts to their careers.
Johan Camargo is the most likely taker of the starting position. Camargo hit .233/.279/.384 over 98 games in 2019, not a particularly great stat line for a 26-year-old entering his third year in the show.
Still, let’s not forget that the kid came into the league and hit a point below .300 in his first season, and then hit posted a 116 wRC+ over 134 games with Atlanta in 2018. If he can replicate that in 2020 (or, whenever we end up having baseball again), Atlanta may not have a problem at the hot corner.
Their backup is Austin Riley, who played a majority of his time in the outfield last year. Riley could see himself pick up time there, as well as at the corner infield positions of first and third, in 2020. His stat line was unimpressive at .226/.279/.471, but he is still only 22 years old, and he was tearing up AAA prior to his promotion. Look for him to insert himself where needed for the Braves in 2020.
4. Miami Marlins
Let’s talk Fish.
The Miami Marlins lost infielder Starlin Castro to the Nationals this past offseason and are now in a position of flux in their infield. As discussed in my second base rankings, Miami brought in Jonathon Villar, who could see time at second, third, or the outfield during his time in the Sunshine State.
Villar had a successful 2019 offensively, hitting .274/.339/.453 with a .341 BABIP. His defense was well below average, but he was a plus-defender in 2018, and he has had experience with all the infield positions excluding first.
If Villar doesn’t get the start at third, 26-year-old Brian Anderson will take the spot. Anderson played 67 games there in 2019 and spent the remainder of his 126 games in the outfield. He hit .261/.342/.468 last season with a 114 wRC+. Anderson put up 3.1 WAR and was highly impactful at the plate.
Defensively, Anderson posted a 4.2 UZR at third base in 2019, which was by far the best offering of his young career.
3. Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies’ situation at third base is much like their position at second. Didi Gregorius will play shortstop, so where does that leave Scott Kingery and Jean Segura.
Segura hit .280/.323/.420 in 2019 and put up 2.2 WAR. While he has never had any major league experience at third base, Segura strictly played the hot corner in spring training.
Kingery, on the other hand, has had experience at third. He played 41 games at third in 2019, posting a 4.5 UZR at the position. Kingery’s hitting wasn’t all that great, amassing to just one point above average in wRC+ at 101.
In spring training, the Phillies played Kingery at second base, but he can always swing over to play third in a pinch. The team could also look to veterans Logan Forsythe and Neil Walker to play if any injuries or complications come up.
2. Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals, like the Braves, lost their superstar third basemen to an AL team this offseason, as Anthony Rendon departed to go be buddies with Mike Trout on a mega contract with the Angels.
Still, Washington does have quite a few options for their hot corner. Carter Kieboom did not exactly have the best start to his career, but he is a promising prospect who had an OPS of over .900 in AAA before being brought up to the major league squad. He only played 11 games at the Major League level, but it was quite bad, as he hit .128/.209/.282 in 43 plate appearances.
Still, the 22-year-old hasn’t had a long enough window to showcase his talents, and could prove to be a valuable member of the team in 2020.
Starlin Castro is also an option at third for the Nats. Signed in the offseason, Castro can be used all around the infield. He played 45 games for the Marlins at third in 2019, posting a 0.5 UZR. Castro’s bat is still highly effective, and although he had a slight down year last season, he could easily bounce back to an above average wRC+.
Castro could also get some reps at second, leaving the spot open to Asdrubal Cabrera. Cabrera hit .260/.342/.441 in 2019 and fielded for a 3.4 UZR at third over 98 games played there.
1. New York Mets
Coming in the top spot are our lovely New York Mets. The Mets haven’t had an All-Star third basemen since David Wright, but that drought could end this year.
Jeff McNeil, as we all know, is a jack-of-all-trades and can be used almost anywhere. However, now that Todd Frazier left the team in free agency, McNeil appears set to find a singular home at third base.
Last year, McNeil was phenomenal in his first full season, hitting .318/.384/.531, with 23 home runs and 38 doubles. McNeil posted an outstanding 143 wRC+, which was tied with Pete Alonso for the ninth-best mark in all of baseball. Defensively third base should be a nice home for McNeil, as he has been quite good at the position (3.1 UZR) throughout his career.
Along with McNeil, J.D. Davis could also factor into the conversation at third base as well. Davis played 31 games for the Mets at third in 2019, although he primarily played left field after the All-Star break.
After hitting just .175/.248/.223 for the Astros in 2018, Davis established himself as a dominant hitter in Queens, hitting .307/.369/.527 over 140 games. Davis’ 136 wRC+ was way above average and he had an astounding .895 OPS. Though he did struggle defensively at third base, with a -1.6 UZR in 2019. Behind Davis, Luis Guillorme and Jed Lowrie represent more depth at the position if needed.
When ranking the third baseman in the NL East, McNeil stands out above all the rest as the best player at the position. After posting his first All-Star campaign in 2019, there is no reason to doubt McNeil’s potential to become a perennial All-Star for the New York Mets.