First we went over the top 20 catchers for 2008, then top 20 1st basemen for 2008 and top 20 2nd basemen for 2008. Now, as they say in the tire business, we roll right along moving onto the top 20 3rd basemen for 2008. This year third base gets the gas face. Starts off predictably with Wright, Arod, Braun then the list hits a hard left like Vin Diesel’s career after The Pacifier. Huff high, Atkins low, Mora there. The top 20 3rd basemen for 2008 list starts strong and ends up ugly like any match involving a white boxer. I’m surprised Joe Randa didn’t show up on this top 20 list. Ya know, the Patron Saint of Yawnstipating. Because, right here, we have The Joe Randa Also-Rans. Anyway, here’s the top 20 3rd basemen for 2008 in fantasy baseball and how they compared to where we originally ranked them:
1. David Wright – My preseason predictions are nearly right on for Wright. Yet, I had him ranked #2 instead of number one. It’s not as pronounced as our first basemen list, but again, we’re seeing a theme in these top twenty lists, offensive was down across the board. Preseason Rank #2, Preseason Predictions: 115/34/120/.310/20, Final Numbers: 115/33/124/.302/15
2. Alex Rodriguez – Okay, you know Arod, so I’ll tangent for a second. He’s headed to being the greatest home hitter that has ever played the game. 553 HRs at the age of 33. He should surpass Bonds in five to six years. Since 1996, he’s been a top ten fantasy player. He is arguably the best we have ever seen. That’s not really much of a limb. Now, has there ever been anyone in the history of any sport that is so roundly considered arguably the best of all-time and simultaneously ignored? (Yes, there were a lot of adverbs in that sentence. My bad.) Not to mention, Arod plays in New York. Yet no one cares about him! He should be at least as “big” as Tiger Woods, Gretzky or Jordan. He’s nowhere near them. Okay, interesting, perhaps, but what really has me puzzled is why? Is it his lack of personality? Maybe, but Gretzky, Woods and Jordan were/are/were an amalgamation of what their endorsements made them. Is it because Arod excels with such relative ease? Nah, they all were/are/were effortlessly great. Is it the lack of championships? It would appear so, but here’s the thing. Not everyone is a Yankee fan. If he helps them win 5 championships, this would piss off as many people as it would excite. So because of his lack of success for a team that many of you don’t like, you don’t respect Arod? Hmm… Maybe. Preseason Rank #1, Preseason Predictions: 120/42/130/.305/15, Final Numbers: 104/35/103/.302/18
3. Ryan Braun – I had serious reservations about how well he would come back from his insane rookie year. I discounted him as much as I could and I still thought he should be ranked third for third basemen in the preseason rankings. So, as you can see, I still liked him a lot. I was just was trying to temper expectations because I knew his unreal average from his rookie campaign would come down and it did. Preseason Rank #3, Preseason Predictions: 100/27/105/.280/12, Final Numbers: 92/37/106/.285/14
4. Aubrey Huff – Already covered him in top 20 1st basemen for 2008. Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers: 96/32/108/.304/4
5. Kevin Youkilis – Already covered him in top 20 1st basemen for 2008. Preseason Rank #16, Preseason Predictions: 90/21/115/.290/3, Final Numbers: 91/29/115/.312/3
6. Chipper Jones – I can’t say his name, even in my head, without thinking of the great Skip Caray. You’ll be missed, sir. As for Chipper, he was in some kind of zone for average, but average as a stat yawnstipates me. Rudy will have something this offseason about why average is really the least of your worries when it comes to roto. Preseason Rank #9, Preseason Predictions: 85/25/85/.315/5, Final Numbers: 82/22/75/.364/4
7. Miguel Cabrera – Already covered him in top 20 1st basemen for 2008. Preseason Rank #3, Preseason Predictions: 110/35/125/.315/4, Final Numbers: 84/37/127/.292/1
8. Aramis Ramirez – What’s that smell? Aramis. His power is going down more than Stephanie Pratt on Doug. Preseason Rank #6, Preseason Predictions: 95/37/120/.305, Final Numbers: 97/27/111/.289
9. Jorge Cantu – Already covered him in top 20 1st basemen for 2008. Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers: 92/29/95/.277/6
10. Mark DeRosa – Already covered him in top 20 2nd basemen for 2008. Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers: 103/21/87/.285/6
11. Melvin Mora – You’re traveling through another dimension — a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land where two Orioles third basemen are in the top 11. That’s a signpost up ahead: your next stop: The Twilight Zone! Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers: 77/23/104/.285/3
12. Garrett Atkins – Already covered him in top 20 1st basemen for 2008. Preseason Rank #7, Preseason Predictions: 85/34/115/.300, Final Numbers: 86/21/99/.286/1
13. Russell Martin – Already covered him in top 20 catchers for 2008. Preseason Predictions: 85/20/90/.290/15, Final Numbers: 87/13/69/.279/18
14. Evan Longoria – Didn’t start the year with the club as it looked like the Rays were purposely dragging their feet on another prospect, then he missed a month from August 8th to Sept. 13th and he’s still ranked 14th. Wow. Longoria’s going to be a good one. Preseason Rank #19, Preseason Predictions: 70/20/75/.285, Final Numbers: 67/27/85/.272/7
15. Mark Reynolds – The only player to strikeout more than 200 times in a season. I can handle 200 Ks if you’re dropping your badonkadonk more than 40 times. Reynolds’s 28 home runs? It’s not walking the dog. It’s not applying mustard to the hot dog. It’s not unbuttoning your pants after your second dessert. It just isn’t. Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers: 87/28/97/.239/11
16. Adrian Beltre – I’d like to see someone put together a list of the top ten players of the last twenty-five years who have wasted the most talent. I have to think Beltre is somewhere on that list. Imagine, if you will, a player that has Beltre’s talent and Ankiel’s desire. Preseason Rank #11, Preseason Predictions: 85/25/85/.260/7, Final Numbers: 74/25/77/.266/8
17. Troy Glaus – I thought he was going to be bad. He was bad. In the preseason, I ranked him 17th and here he is. Don’t you love how that happens. Preseason Rank #17, Preseason Predictions: 65/22/70/.255, Final Numbers: 69/27/99/.270
18. Casey Blake – Turned out to be exactly the end of the draft bargain I thought he would be. Many of you probably had Kouzmanoff, Encarnacion, Guillen, Lowell and Gordon instead of Blake, but guess who is on this list and guess who is not. Okay, no fair, you’re looking at the list. Preseason Rank #21, Preseason Predictions: 75/20/75/.270/5, Final Numbers: 71/21/81/.274/3
19. Chone Figgins – A pretty terrible season for Figgy when you look at the numbers, but if you look at how many games he played (116), it turns out he had simply a medicore season. Preseason Rank #14, Preseason Predictions: 105/5/60/.290/45, Final Numbers: 72/1/22/.276/34
20. Ty Wigginton – Already covered him in top 20 2nd basemen for 2008. Preseason Rank #18, Preseason Predictions: 70/20/70/.270, Final Numbers: 50/23/58/.285
