Rankings Update: Third Base

I bet some of you fine folks are wondering where your catcher rankings are, right? Well, I am alternating weeks with catcher rankings and corner infield rankings. At this point in the year, rankings won’t change much week to week, so this is a much better option.

Big Four
Evan Longoria
Alex Rodriguez
David Wright
Ryan Zimmerman

In all of my updates, the top spot has changed hands. I mentioned before that I was tempted to move Longoria up to the top slot, and I finally worked up the stones to do so. Zimmerman has shown he deserves to be mentioned with what used to be the “Big Three.”

Medium Four
Mark Reynolds
Scott Rolen
Casey McGehee
Jorge Cantu

If I owned any of these guys, I wouldn’t feel too bad. Rolen’s injury history still scares me, but I hate predicting that a guy will get hurt. McGehee is showing that his power is for real, but how long will he sustain peak performance? He’s already 27, so he may not be able to improve anymore.

Surprised?
Pablo Sandoval
Michael Young

Pablo’s BABIP may be catching up with him, but his lowered line drive rate isn’t helping matters. Is the power he showed last year a fraud?

I Am Jack’s Third Baseman
Ian Stewart
Adrian Beltre
Jose Bautista

Now that Jack owns a catcher and a first baseman, he needs someone to man the hot corner. If Bautista was capable of hitting .250, he’d be in a higher tier.

Prospect Alert!
David Freese
Kevin Kouzmanoff
Pedro Alvarez

At first, it looked like Alvarez would be up during this very week, but now it looks like the Pirates are going to hold off. He will, however, be up by the end of the month. Freese needs to add some power to his game, but the batting average is still nice and shiny.

The Rest of ‘Em
Casey Blake
Chase Headley
Chipper Jones
Edwin Encarnacion

Chipper’s latest injury problem and lack of overall production forces him to the lowest tier. He still might be worth holding onto in OBP leagues, but should be on the waiver wire in standard leagues.