| Third Baseman Rankings |
| Rank |
Team |
Player |
Avg. |
Runs |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
| 16 |
 |
Troy Glaus |
.262 |
60 |
20 |
62 |
0 |
|
Glaus put up big numbers considering he missed a third of the season with a foot injury. But he's been very injury-prone in recent years. On top of that, Glaus was accused of receiving HGH in Major League Baseball's Mitchell Report.
|
| 17 |
 |
Kevin Kouzmanoff |
.275 |
57 |
18 |
74 |
1 |
|
Kouzmanoff came on strong after a slow start, hitting .317 with 11 homers in the second half of his rookie season. But he's not going to live up to expectations having to play his home games in Petco Park, baseball's most pitcher-friendly ballpark. |
| 18 |
 |
Ty Wigginton |
.278 |
71 |
22 |
67 |
3 |
Wigginton is a solid veteran who hit .284 after being traded to Houston last season. He's coming off back-to-back 20-home run seasons.
|
| 19 |
 |
Akinori Iwamura |
.285 |
82 |
7 |
34 |
12 |
Iwamura isn't much of a power hitter, but he proved to be a solid leadoff hitter with good speed. He'll likely switch to second base once super rookie Evan Longoria is ready to play.
|
| 20 |
 |
Scott Rolen |
.265 |
55 |
8 |
58 |
5 |
|
Rolen is still decent, but he's a shadow of his former self because of shoulder problems. And playing on artificial turf in Toronto won't help him to stay healthy. |
| 21 |
 |
Eric Chavez |
.240 |
43 |
15 |
46 |
4 |
|
Chavez is still trying to find his old form. He has suffered a series of injuries over the past two seasons, including back problems in that kept him out for nearly half of 2007. He's still capable of 25 home runs and 90 RBIs if he stays healthy, though he'll probably continue to hit for a low batting average.
|
| 22 |
 |
Casey Blake |
.270 | 81 | 18 | 78 | 4 |
|
Blake has been a steady performer the past few seasons, and benefits from hitting in a strong Cleveland lineup.
|
| 23 |
 |
Josh Fields |
.244 |
54 |
23 |
67 |
1 |
|
Fields had a monster rookie season, especially considering he missed a third of the season while in the minors. But he strikes out far too often to hit for much of an average. And because he's such a bad fielder, Fields could head to the minors if he doesn't duplicate his power from last season. |
| 24 |
 |
Melvin Mora |
.274 |
67 |
14 |
58 |
9 |
|
Mora is on the downside of his career, but he's still s decent enough hitter to match last year's numbers.
|
| 25 |
 |
Jose Bautista |
.254 |
75 |
15 |
63 |
6 |
|
Bautista was solid in his first season as a fulltime starter. He has hit at least 15 homers in each of his full seasons in the big leagues.
|
| 26 |
 |
Mark Reynolds |
.279 |
62 |
17 |
62 |
0 |
|
Reynolds will have to battle veteran Chad Tracy for playing time, but the youngster proved he could play in his rookie season. The one major concern with Reynolds is his tendency to strike out. He was punched out 129 times in 111 games last season, which should keep his batting average well below .300.
|
| 27 |
 |
Mike Lamb |
.289 |
45 |
11 |
40 |
0 |
|
After four seasons as a part-time player in Houston, Lamb will have a chance to start for the Twins. He could put up solid home run and RBI numbers.
|
| 28 |
|
Joe Crede |
.216 |
13 |
4 |
22 |
0 |
|
Crede missed almost all of last season with a back injury. There's a good chance he'll be healthy for 2007, and Crede had 30 homers and 94 RBIs the last time he was healthy, in 2006. But if he isn't traded, Crede might have to battle promising youngster Josh Fields for playing time.
|
| 29 |
 |
Greg Dobbs |
.272 |
45 |
10 |
55 |
3 |
|
Dobbs played well enough to win the starting job in Philly last season. He has the ability to post good RBI numbers over a full season in the strong Phillies lineup.
|
| 30 |
 |
Maicer Izturis |
.289 |
47 |
6 |
51 |
7 |
|
Izturis could end up the Angels starter at shortstop. But even if he doesn't win the job, he has the versatility to play multiple positions and teh ability to hit for a decent average.
|
