When I was asked to take over these rest of season rankings columns, I accepted and really didn’t think it would be all that tough of an assignment. But looking back, this was a tough job. Trying to keep in mind a long-term outlook and not just focus on what a player did over the last week was pretty tough and truth be told, I missed a decent amount. For example, I bet I could 25 shots at naming the player that rated 17th among third basemen for the year and you’d never pull the name “Josh Harrison” from your butt. The dude has seven homers and seven steals with just 84 combined runs and RBIs and yet those numbers are good enough to be among the top 25 third basemen. That’s wild. Or how about that despite Isiah Kiner-Falefa stealing just one base since July 1st, he’s still ranked as the 13th best third baseman for the year. With the knowledge that we have now, the proof is in the pudding that riding the hot hand and being willing to play fringy players over struggling big names is a viable strategy. It’s certainly one that I’m going to be more open to in my daily leagues heading into next year. Let’s take a look at this week’s list and we’ll talk about some movers.
| Rank | Player | Position | Team | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jose Ramirez | 3B | Indians | – |
| 2 | Rafael Devers | 3B | Red Sox | – |
| 3 | Manny Machado | 3B | Padres | – |
| 4 | Max Muncy | 1B/2B/3B | Dodgers | – |
| 5 | Kris Bryant | 1B/3B/OF | Giants | – |
| 6 | Nolan Arenado | 3B | Cardinals | – |
| 7 | Austin Riley | 3B | Braves | +1 |
| 8 | DJ LeMahieu | 1B/2B/3B | Yankees | +1 |
| 9 | Jonathan India | 2B/3B | Reds | +6 |
| 10 | Justin Turner | 3B | Dodgers | -3 |
| 11 | Eduardo Escobar | 2B/3B | Brewers | +1 |
| 12 | Matt Chapman | 3B | Athletics | +7 |
| 13 | Josh Donaldson | 3B | Twins | +7 |
| 14 | Tommy Edman | 2B/3B/SS/OF | Cardinals | -2 |
| 15 | Ke’Bryan Hayes | 3B | Pirates | +3 |
| 16 | Ryan McMahon | 1B/2B/3B | Rockies | -6 |
| 17 | Jean Segura | 2B/3B | Phillies | -6 |
| 18 | Alex Bregman | 3B | Astros | +4 |
| 19 | Jeimer Candelario | 3B | Tigers | +5 |
| 20 | Luis Arraez | 2B/3B/OF | Twins | NR |
| 21 | Jonathan Villar | 2B/3B/SS | Mets | NR |
| 22 | Yoan Moncada | 3B | White Sox | -8 |
| 23 | Abraham Toro | 3B | Mariners | +2 |
| 24 | Kyle Seager | 3B | Mariners | -8 |
| 25 | Luis Urias | 2B/3B/SS | Brewers | NR |
I’ve expressed my excitement over Jonathan India in the past, but I can no longer hold him out of the top 10. Shockingly, Steamer agrees as they have him tied for the 10th best third baseman for the rest of the season. If you needed a kicker for India, the Reds have the second easiest schedule down the stretch, facing opponents with a combined .462 win percentage.
It only took him until mid-August, but Matt Chapman seems to have finally come out of his (most of) season-long slump (kind of). Since August 1st, Chapman is batting .283 while mashing four homers and is walking at an 18% rate. Unfortunately, the strikeouts are still up as he’s been sat down at a 32% rate. Despite the high K-rate, I’m riding the hot Chapman to the finish line.
Ryan McMahon has been a relatively steady option all year. However, as the end draws near, we have to face the facts, there are only 21 games left at Coors field. And McMahon’s splits are pretty drastic. The power has been relatively even both home and away (10 vs 8), but his batting average splits are big (.294 vs .234).
Jean Segura has hit a rough patch over the last week and for good reason. On Saturday, he took a pitch to the face that also hit his hand. Talk about a ricochet. While I’m glad he’s avoiding an IL stint, I’m hoping that he can shake those demons and get back on track. The Phillies have the easiest schedule for the rest of the season, giving me confidence that Segura will get back to business.
Jonathan Villar is a player that flew under my radar for a while but has been getting steady plate appearances in August and has been thriving. The Mets’ utility player has mashed four homers and stolen two bases over the last two weeks and should continue to see regular plate appearances while Francisco Lindor and Javy Baez are on the shelf with injuries.
Gio Urshela was in strong consideration for this list seeing as he’s slated to return next week, but I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. Another close miss was Aledmys Diaz, who’s taking advantage of the extra playing time with Alex Bregman on the IL. But if I expect Bregman to return as early as next week, Diaz’s plate appearances will be drying up.
