Top 25 Third Basemen Rest of Season – Where’s the Cream?

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “The cream always rises to the top.” What happens when there’s no cream? In doing these lists, one of the major parts is taking a look at the injuries from the last two weeks. Once I look into how serious the injuries are, I slide players up or down depending on how long they’re expected to miss. Third base has been pretty rough this year and this week is no different. Anthony Rendon hit the IL, while Josh Donaldson remains forever DTD and there were a handful of others that were DTD over the weekend, but returned to the lineup – Jose Ramirez, Eduardo Escobar, and Yoan Moncada. Will teams be smart and just let them stay out through the break and return healthy? Or will they try and play through the injuries? Neither is good for these rankings, but things got further complicated by struggling hitters – Kiner-Falefa, Riley, McMahon. I ended up leaving Alex Bregman relatively high, even though he’s going to be out until late July. If you’re dealing with injuries or struggling players, you can look for relief with the likes of Wilmer Flores and Starlin Castro. Just ride those hot streaks until they dry out completely. Let’s check out the list and then we’ll talk about some of the movers.

We had a change at the top for the first time on this list. Jose Ramirez was DTD with an elbow injury over the weekend. While he has since returned to the lineup, it was easy to slide him below Rafael Devers and Manny Machado. Devers has been raking all year, piling up 20 taters and an eye-popping 70 RBIs. Since returning from the IL, Machado has been a man possessed, hammering 9 homers and chipping in 3 steals while batting above .315.

The Cubs gave Kris Bryant a pair of days off last week and it appears that was just what the doctor ordered. Since returning to the lineup, he’s gone 6/12 with a homer and all is right in the world. It may not pop in terms of “big movers” but I slid Nolan Arenado down a spot. The Cards’ third baseman just hasn’t popped since his exit from Colorado and even a return to Coors field didn’t light a fire under him as he went 2/14 in the four-game set.

A pair of Dodgers – Max Muncy and Justin Turner – continued to contribute solid stats, so it was easy to slide them above the struggling Yoan Moncada and Anthony Rendon, who just landed on the IL. I’d expect Rendon to rest up and hopefully return after the All-Star Break fully healthy. With Turner, because of his age, I’m always nervous of injury, but the man has been a beast this year. He’s kept his average up near .300 and has popped 13 homers in the middle of a potent Dodgers lineup.

Of course two weeks after the full “Isiah Kiner-Falefa endorsement” he falls off a cliff. Since June 22, he’s 6/47 with zero extra-base hits and just 2 walks. The good news is that he’s kept his strikeout rate at 20% and his zone-contact rate is still at 96%. To me, these are just some BABIP issues and shouldn’t be long-term.

The biggest mover this week is Gio Urshela. With Urshela it’s been a case of “slow and steady wins the race” this year. He’s been relatively consistent all year, but since the start of June, he’s really turned it up a notch batting over .300 while hitting 6 homers. The only wrinkle that I don’t love is the 31:3 strikeout to walk rate. That’s going to lead to some tough dry spells when his balls aren’t finding the holes.

I already mentioned Starlin Castro and Wilmer Flores if you’re in a pinch, but another lower-owned player to keep your eye on is Luis Arraez. The Twins’ utility man has been leading off against righties and can help your team in batting average and runs.