We’re on to the hot corner for our 2017 MLB positional ranking series.



Let’s take a look at the top 15 third basemen heading into the new season. If you haven’t already, you can also check out our top 15 first basemen, second basemen, and shortstops.

15. Nick Castellanos, Detroit Tigers

2016 stats: .285/.331/.496, 18 HR, 58 RBI, 1.6 WAR

Castellanos played in only 111 games last season due to a broken left hand. Still, he enjoyed the best campaign of his young career. As long as he can stay off the disabled list, 2017 will be the year we see what 24-year-old is capable of. I firmly believe he’ll be higher on this list for next season’s rankings.

14. Alex Bregman, Houston Astros

2016 stats: .264/.313/.478, 8 HR, 34 RBI, 1.8 WAR (49 games)

Alex Bregman is a guy everyone will have their eyes on this year. If you’re a casual fan and unaware of who the Astros’ prized prospect is, here’s a brief intro. He was drafted second overall by Houston in the 2015 amateur draft. The 22-year-old was a stud at LSU and all signs point to him being a stud at the major league level. His MLB career got off to a cold start when the Astros promoted him last season, but he ended up figuring things out and giving everyone a glimpse at his star potential. He’s ranked on the bottom part of this list for now since he still has plenty to prove, but don’t be surprised if he’s better than half of this list in 2017.

13. Todd Frazier, Chicago White Sox

2016 stats: .225,/.302/.464, 40 HR, 98 RBI, 3.4 WAR

You pretty much know exactly what you’re going to get out of Todd Frazier at this point. His first season in south-side Chicago wasn’t much different than his prior years in Cincinnati. He did have career highs in homers and RBI, but overall his numbers were almost identical to years past. It’ll be another year of high power and low OBP for the 30-year-old.

12. Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals

2016 stats: .240/.301/.500, 7 HR, 13 RBI, 0.7 WAR (27 games)

Moose suffered a torn ACL that kept him out for most of the 2016 season, hence the numbers above. Assuming he stays healthy this year, he’ll be an integral part of that Kansas City lineup. 2015 was by far the best season of his career, so he’ll look to put the injury behind him and return to the All-Star caliber player he proved he’s capable of being.

11. Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Indians

2016 stats: .312/.363/.462, 11 HR, 76 RBI, 3.9 WAR

Expectations are high for Jose Ramirez as he’s coming off a breakout 2016 season. The 24-year-old surprised everyone with the productive season he had at the plate. Cleveland is undoubtedly feeling pretty great about having him and Francisco Lindor holding down the left side of their infield.

10. Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals

2016 stats: .270/.348/.450, 20 HR, 85 RBI, 4.1 WAR

Rendon made up for his injury-plagued 2015 by returning to form and having a great 2016 campaign. With guys like Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy on the team, Rendon gets unfairly overlooked. It really isn’t a huge stretch to say Rendon has the potential to be a top-five third baseman in the game. Don’t forget, he finished fifth in the 2014 NL MVP voting.

9. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays

2016 stats: .273/.318/.521, 36 HR, 98 RBI, 3.8 WAR

Simply put, Evan Longoria is ol’ reliable for Tampa Bay. The 31-year-old actually had his career high in home runs in 2016. You can basically count on him to get 25+ homers and around 100 RBI, not to mention he’s been one of the most durable players in the game the past few seasons.

8. Jake Lamb, Arizona Diamondbacks

2016 stats: .249/.332/.509, 29 HR, 91 RBI, 2.6 WAR

D’Backs fans should be pretty damn excited about their lineup in 2017. The NL West is tough, but Arizona is a serious sleeper candidate. Jake Lamb is one of many reasons why. The 26-year-old broke out in a big way last season. It was the first full season of his three-year career, and those offensive numbers above point to him having a promising future.

7. Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers

2016 stats: .275/.339/.493, 27 HR, 90 RBI, 4.9 WAR

The Dodgers smartly re-signed Turner this offseason after his career year. To put it in perspective, the 32-year-old played well enough to earn a four-year, $64 million deal. It’s hard to imagine he’ll match last season’s level of production, but Turner and his wonderful red beard should be a huge asset to this Dodgers lineup once again.

6. Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners

2016 stats: .278/.359/.499, 30 HR, 99 RBI, 6.9 WAR

In 2016, the spotlight was on Kyle Seager’s brother Corey- who won the NL Rookie Of the Year and is our No. 1 ranked shortstop- but Kyle was spectacular for Seattle. The 29-year-old had a career-high OPS of .859, and if he comes anywhere close to repeating that success he’ll be a major reason why the talented Mariners make a run in the AL West.

5. Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers

2016 stats: .300/.358/.521, 32 HR, 104 RBI, 6.4 WAR

Adrian Beltre is a national treasure. He mostly makes headlines throughout the season for his hilarious antics and hatred of head-touching, but the fact is the 37-year-old is still playing at an MVP-caliber level. He’s hit 20+ homers in EVERY single season since his 1998 rookie campaign. That’s bananas. There’s no reason to expect anything to change for Beltre this year.

4. Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays

2016 stats: .284/.404/.549, 37 HR, 99 RBI, 7.4 WAR

Here’s where forming rankings becomes next to impossible. You easily could argue that Donaldson belongs at No. 1 on this list. After all, he was the AL MVP in 2015. His 2016 was stellar too, but he was overshadowed by the guys ranked above him. Regardless, he’s a bonafide star.

3. Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies

2016 stats: .294/.362/.570, 41 HR, 133 RBI, 6.5 WAR

If you follow my content at all, you know I have an enormous man crush on Nolan Arenado. Not only does he rake, his glove at third base is unbelievable. He averages like two web gems per game. I don’t have any stats to prove that, but that’s definitely what it seems like. Arenado greatly improved his plate discipline in 2016, doubling his career-high in walks with 68. That helped him also establish a career-high in OBP (.362). This Rockies lineup will be stacked from top to bottom in 2017, with Arenado again right in the middle.

2. Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs

2016 stats: .292/.385/.554, 39 HR, 101 RBI, 7.7 WAR

It isn’t fair. Bryant is an MVP with model looks and a World Series ring to boot. He also seems like a genuinely good guy. That isn’t how life works. No one is supposed to be so great at everything in life. Nonetheless, Bryant does it all. He led the NL in WAR last year at age 24 while I led my household in pizza rolls eaten at age 23.

1. Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles

2016 stats: .294/.343/.533, 37 HR, 96 RBI, 6.7 WAR

I’ll be honest, I panicked and didn’t know whether to put Bryant or Machado at number one. I pretty much just shrugged and put Machado here because he’s been producing for a longer period of time. Plus, he plays flawless defense regardless of whether you throw him at shortstop or the hot corner. Like Bryant, he’s only 24 years old and will be among the most exciting players to watch for a long, long time.