By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer
1. Alex Rodriguez – In fantasy terms, A-Rod had his worst year since 1997 last season. And yet, the numbers were still top-5 worthy. There’s no debating he’s still the class of the third base position.
2. Miguel Cabrera – There’s a good debate, however, for who deserves the No. 2 slot. While Wright will produce more steals, Cabrera could best him in every other category. The 26 HRs were an aberration, so expect that number to creep back up this year. Surprisingly, Cabrera is younger than Wright, and it’s only a matter of time before he produces a monster .330-40-130 season
3. David Wright – The same could be said for Wright, who himself is also a future superstar. You can’t make a wrong choice between these two.
4. Garrett Atkins – While Atkins probably peaked as a player last season, there’s also a chance Coors Field produces more runs this year as well. Over the final six weeks of the season, it started looking like the Coors of old, and Atkins is in a nice situation in the heart of that order.
5. Aramis Ramirez – Since coming over to Chicago, Ramirez has turned into one of the game’s premiere hitters, never finishing a season with an OPS below .912 and a stellar 134:185 BB:K ratio over the last three seasons, showing tremendous plate discipline for a slugger.
6. Chone Figgins – After Figgins, a string of third basemen follows each with their own question marks.
7. Eric Chavez – Well, you’ll likely be able to draft him much later than this ranking. His body simply won’t allow him to reach his MVP-type season potential. Still, there remains a significant amount of upside here.
8. Scott Rolen – Like Chavez, Rolen will produce when in the lineup. His shoulder is a source of concern, however.
9. Ryan Zimmerman – It’s probably best not to count on another .323 BA with RISP, so a decrease in RBI is likely. Also, since he was successful on just 58 percent of his SB attempts, fewer steals seem to follow as well. RFK also gives him a 20-25 HR ceiling. Let someone else overpay.
10. Adrian Beltre – I love him. I hate him. After a monster 2004 campaign, Beltre has largely failed to meet expectations in Seattle. Entering June with a .594 OPS, Beltre’s final numbers actually weren’t that bad last year. He seemed to really settle into the No. 2 hole, the spot he figurers to occupy this year. I have an Adrian Beltre addiction, and I can’t stop the habit.
11. Hank Blalock – What a disappointment. After an impressive 2003 campaign, Blalock seems to get worse with each passing year. He supposedly trained hard this offseason (don’t they all), and he’s always an asset when at home. There’s another .290-30-110 season somewhere inside of him.
12. Chipper Jones – Similar to Chavez and Rolen, Jones enters the season as a huge risk/reward pick. Despite his age, he’s actually still one of the elite hitters in the game when not injured. It’s just that his frailty scares me more than Chavez/Rolen, as he has a chronic foot problem and hasn’t approached 500 at-bats since 2003.
13. Edwin Encarnacion – After dominating spring training, Encarnacion didn’t quite have the breakout season some envisioned last year. Still, there was plenty to like, and he possesses unique SB ability for a third basemen. Just 24 years old, this will be the latest you will be able to draft him for years to come.
14. Morgan Ensberg – Again, injury concerns and Phil Garner are the only things preventing Ensberg from vaulting up this list. Third base is very, very deep this year.
15. Troy Glaus – Love the power, hate the average.
16. Chad Tracy
17. Mark Teahen
18. Aubrey Huff
19. Melvin Mora
20. Joe Crede
21. Alex Gordon
22. Mike Lowell
23. Pedro Feliz
24. Akinori Iwamura
25. Andy Marte
26. B.J Upton
27. Shea Hillenbrand
28. Wilson Betemit
29. Brandon Inge
30. Ty Wigginton
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