Rankings Update: Third Base

Aloha, America! Another week means another look at the third base rankings. Just like last week, wOBA numbers are listed as “(Current, ZiPS Updated).”

The Big Three
Alex Rodriguez (.365, .388)
Evan Longoria (.409, .396)
David Wright (.393, .400)

If A-Rod’s HR/FB rate wasn’t half it’s normal level, Longoria would be the top dog. Call me crazy, but I was really tempted to move Wright down to the next tier. Striking out a ton (having a HR/FB rate close to 23% doesn’t help either) is not a good way to go about your season.

Medium Three
Ryan Zimmerman (.423, .390)
Mark Reynolds (.369, .370)
Pablo Sandoval (.340, .371)

After some careful deliberation, I have decided that I would rather have Reynolds’ power than Pablo’s average, at this point. Of course, if you are in a league that docks points for strikeouts, this isn’t the case.

Group X
Ian Stewart (.366, .354)
Jorge Cantu (.338, .338)
Scott Rolen (.359, .356)
Michael Young (.326, .346)

I’m happy to eat my words when it comes to Scott Rolen. I wasn’t very high on him coming into the year (as those of you who bought the Second Opinion will know), and even though his power may be fluky, it is entirely possible he keeps it up for awhile longer.

*Sigh*
Casey McGehee (.399, .354)
Chipper Jones (.349, .379)
Adrian Beltre (.340, .341)
David Freese (.377, .357)
Aramis Ramirez (.237, .322)

Chipper is going to be great in OBP leagues this year, but I’m not sure what he has to offer in standard 5×5 leagues. No power and a extreme BABIP? No thanks, Mr. Beltre. Aramis can’t buy a hit right now, let alone a HR, but he needs to cut down on his strikeouts if he wants to have a better chance to bounce back.

The Rest of ‘Em
Chase Headley (.333, .325)
Kevin Kouzmanoff (.281, .316)
Casey Blake (.318, .340)
Mark Teahen (.291, .321)
Jhonny Peralta (.323, .328)

Alternate group title is “Shaking My Head”. Third base is really ugly this year, which we sort of knew, but it has gotten worse as the season has progressed. You may notice I trimmed the list from 25 to 20 this week, simply because it gets really nasty after these guys, and I’m not sure if any of the other folks are even worth a shot.