Unless Sandy Alderson and Steve Cohen have another surprise trade up their sleeves, it looks like the Mets will be staying with J.D. Davis as the team’s starting third baseman. Davis didn’t have the best year in 2020, but third base seems to be a weak position for a lot of NL East teams this year.

It was a difficult list to put together given that many of these players have yet to start for a full MLB season, so a lot of these rankings are open to debate.

No. 5 Austin Riley

After hitting nine home runs in his first 18 major league games, it looked like the Braves’ Austin Riley would be one of the most dangerous hitters in the division back in 2019. However, Riley finished that season in an ice-cold slump, batting .192 with just a .628 OPS the reason of the way.

Riley’s struggles continued in 2020 as he posted lackluster numbers at the plate and poor results in the field. He batted .239/.301/.415 with a 86 OPS+ in 51 games, and had -8 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) in 383.1 innings at the hot corner.

Riley has just 0.1 WAR over 131 career games, so it’s tough to rank him ahead of the other third basemen in the division, even though the competition isn’t too challenging.

No. 4 Carter Kieboom

In most other divisions, Carter Kieboom would probably rank as the worst third baseman. But given how weak the position is in the NL East, he avoids the bottom of this list purely because of his potential.

Keiboom was rated the #15 overall prospect by Baseball America prior to the 2020 season. Scouts praised him for his discipline and ability to hit for contact as he batted .303 with a .902 OPS in Triple-A in 2019.

But Keiboom’s transition to the MLB did not go smoothly in 2020 for the Nationals. He posted a .556 OPS in 99 at-bats with only one extra-base hit. Since it’s a small sample size, he shouldn’t be judged too harshly. But he’ll need to prove that he can succeed at the MLB level before he could rank above the remaining third basemen in the division.

No. 3 J.D. Davis

J.D. Davis might be the best hitter on this list, but his defense is such a liability that it drops him to the third spot. In 88 career starts at third base, Davis has a -19 DRS. It’s hard to live with that kind of poor fielding even if Davis’ offer solid production on offense.

Davis batted .247/.371/.389 with six home runs and a 112 OPS+ in 2020. If given a full season of at-bats, it’s possible that his power numbers would have returned to his 2019 levels. In 2019, Davis slugged 22 home runs with a .527 slugging percentage and .895 OPS.

In order to make up for his significant shortcomings on defense, Davis will need crush the ball like he did in 2019. He’s projected to have a .254/.333/.441 batting line with 17 home runs and a 1.5 WAR this year according to Steamer projections.

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

No. 2 Alec Bohm

Alec Bohm’s rookie season was so good last year that it almost vaulted him to the top of this list. He batted .338/.400/.481 with four home runs and 23 RBI in 44 games for the Phillies. He finished second in the league in Rookie of the Year voting for his impressive efforts.

Bohm, a former top 30 prospect and third overall pick, seems to have a bright future ahead of him. But given that his 2020 numbers come in such a small sample, it’s difficult to rank him number one at the position. If he produces solid numbers over a full season this year, he would then solidify himself as one of the bright young stars in the division.

He’s projected to hit 22 home runs with a .282/.352/.475 triple slash line this year according to Steamer projections.

Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

No 1. Brian Anderson

Brian Anderson gets the top spot because of his consistency over the past three seasons. Anderson’s 7.7 WAR since 2018, is more than double than the combined career WAR of all other NL East third basemen (3.7).

Anderson averaged a .266/.350/.436 triple slash line with a 113 OPS+ over this span. He posted a .810 OPS last year, and he had 4 DRS at third base. The Marlins’ third baseman might not be a superstar, but he’s proven to be a solid all-around player, which makes him top preformer at such a thin position in the the NL East.

Previous NL East Positional Rankings

NL East Positional Rankings: McNeil vs. Albies at Second Base

NL East Positional Rankings: First Base Edition