2024 Positional Rankings: Third Base

By: Jacob Zanolla

Welcome to our 2024 Third Base rankings! We each ranked our top 10 third baseman for the 2024 season, along with a few honorable mentions that just missed our list. We then combined them in order to create one consensus list. Enjoy, and let us know what you think!

Jose Ramirez

Jram has been one of the best players in baseball for the better part of the past decade. Just 2 hitters have more fWAR since 2016–Mookie Betts, and Mike Trout. That is some ELITE company. There isn’t even really anything he doesn’t do well–good plate discipline, plus power (though the past two years have been a bit of a down year in terms of exit velocities), and he is a great defender and baserunner. I wish he was on the Cubs.

Jake’s rank: 1

Jacob’s rank: 2

2. Rafael Devers

Devers was someone who the Cubs were a rumored fit for, if he had hit free agency. To the relief of Boston locals, he inked a 10 year contract worth $313.5 Million. He’s one of the best hitters in all of baseball, the face of the franchise for the Red Sox. In the last four full seasons, he combined for 18.8 fWAR. While his defense is subpar, the value he brings offensively makes up for it, and then some. His hard hit rate was 55.1%, which was in the 98th percentile. With an average exit velocity of 93.1 MPH, he had a 12.7% barrel rate. He has 98 home runs over the last three seasons, already well on his way to 300 home runs.

Jake’s rank: 3

Jacob’s rank: 1

3. Austin Riley

Austin Riley is an absolute menace, and one of the best hitters in all of baseball. His defense is average, but his baserunning and hitting are incredible. Not only did he hit 37 home runs last season, he had an .861 OPS and 127 wRC+. Riley has finished top seven in the MVP voting three years in a row, and has been an All-Star in the last two. He earned 5.2 fWAR in 2023, the 20th most in all of baseball. He won the World Series with Atlanta in 2021, and hopes to help bring them back. Along with most of the Braves, RIley is locked up long-term. He is in year two of a ten year contract, which will earn him $212 Million. About to turn 27, he has the prime of his career ahead of him. There is no doubt he will continue to be a staple in the loaded Atlanta lineup.

Jake’s rank: 2

Jacob’s rank: 3

4. Manny Machado

Manny Machado has been in San Diego for five straight years, he has been a constant force at third base. His best season was in 2022, where he had a 153 wRC+ and 7.5 fWAR. This past season he put up 3.5 fWAR, and 30 home runs with 91 RBIs. Along with his power behind the plate, he put up 11 outs above average this past season. There have been rumors that San Diego will trade him to lower their salary in the past, but I think it’s clear that they love his presence and he is there to stay.

Jake’s rank: 6

Jacob’s rank: 4

5. Gunnar Henderson

Gunnar Henderson is coming off of an amazing rookie campaign that earned him the American League Rookie of the Year. He had a 4.6 fWAR, which is very impressive for a rookie. He also hit 28 home runs, scoring an even 100 runs. He did strike out a lot, with a 25.6% K rate his debut year. A 123 wRC+ was complemented well with a .346 wOBA. ZiPS projects him to improve in 2024, predicting him with a 4.8 fWAR and .350 wOBA. The Orioles are going to be a powerhouse for years to come, with Henderson being part of the next core.

Jake’s rank: 7

Jacob’s rank: 5

6. Alex Bregman

Bregman started off his career by winning the 2017 World Series, which of course will be forever tainted by the Astros cheating scandal. In 2023 he had a 4.3 fWAR, along with a 125 wRC+. Not only does he have great batted ball rates, but he has one of the best eyes in baseball. His chase %, K %, and Whiff % are all 95th percentile or higher. Along with this, a walk rate of 12.7% was 89th percentile. Chosen second overall in the 2015 draft, there were high hopes for Bregman to be the next big thing. He was a top prospect right away, and has produced ever since. He isn’t amazing baserunning wise, but he makes up for it with the top tier bat. About to enter his contract year, I expect big things from him as he prepares to enter free agency.

Jake’s rank: 4

Jacob’s rank: 8

7. Royce Lewis

Royce Lewis is the second youngest player on this list, as he is currently 24 years old. Lewis should have been on this list a few years ago, but big injuries sidelined him for multiple years. He didn’t play at all in 2020 or 2021, and then had his 2022 season cut short 12 games in. Once he finally got called up in 2023, he did nothing but hit for the Twins. In only 58 games this season, he earned 2.4 fWAR. This means he was on pace for almost 7 fWAR, if he were to have played the whole season. He hit a few grand slams, which really helped get his RBIs up to 52. If Correa can get back to his normal self, Lewis and Correa will form a very dangerous left side of the infield for opponents.

Jake’s ranking: 5

Jacob’s ranking: 7

8. Nolan Arenado

Nolan Arenado is one of the best defensive players we have ever seen. He’s one of the best defenders in baseball, and close to a lock for the Hall of Fame. After getting traded from Colorado the St. Louis, he only continued his defensive magic. It’s hard to put into perspective how good Arenado is defensively. During his first 10 seasons in the majors, he won the NL Gold Glove. Ten straight seasons where the 3B Gold Glove was his. In those ten seasons, he won the NL Platinum Glove award SIX TIMES. If this had been last year I (Jacob) would have had him higher. The main reason he wasn’t around the 8-9 level is because of that defense. However, similar to his Cardinal teammates, the offense just wasn’t there in 2023. He had a 107 wRC+, which is good for most players. For Arenado, this is his lowest wRC+ (not counting 2020) since his rookie year in 2013. Nonetheless, he’s Nolan Arenado. He’ll be back.

Jake’s rank: 10

Jacob’s rank: 6

9. Matt Chapman

Matt Chapman was one of the most confusing players on the free agent market this winter. Similar to Arenado, he is known for his defense. He has won four Gold Gloves, including one this past season in Toronto. Along with these four Gold Gloves, he has won two Platinum Gloves. THe main problem is his streaky offense. In April of 2023, Chapman had a .372 average, .479 wOBA, 214 wRC+, and a slugging of .691. If he were able to keep that up, or even somewhere relatively close, he would have earned himself a hefty contract. Instead, he fell off of a cliff. Thankfully he did not actually fall off of a cliff, but you get what I mean. From May until the end of the season, his offensive stats were really bad. He had a .205 average, .291 wOBA, 84 wRC+, and a slugging of .361. According to the advanced metrics, he was getting a lot of hard contact. In fact, his hard hit rate of 56.4% was the best in all of baseball, with his barrel rate and average exit velocity not far behind. His expected batting average of .230 is what ended up coming true, killing what was a chance at a historic season. Due to this, he had to sign an opt-out heavy deal with the Giants. If he can get back to normal, and turn those line drives into hits, we will most likely see him on the open market come next winter.

Jake’s rank: 8

Jacob’s rank: 9

10. Ke’Bryan Hayes

Remember when I mentioned that Arenado had his Gold Glove streak broken, but I didn’t mention who the player was that broke it? It’s this guy, Ke’Bryan Hayes. Hayes won his first Gold Glove this past season, and he absolutely deserved it. The reason he isn’t higher on this list is mainly due to the mid-tier offense. His wRC+ was 101, and he had an OPS+ of 105. The defense is clearly there, so don’t be shocked if he moves up this list before next season.

Jake’s rank: 9

Jacob’s rank: 10

Honorable Mentions/Just Missed (Alphabetical Order):

Isaac Paredes

Josh Jung

Christopher Morel

Max Muncy

Jeimer Candelario

As a Cubs blog, it was tough to not put Morel in the top 10. However, with his defense being absolutely horrid, there were easily 10-12 names better than him. If he works on the defense, he can work his way up. Jung is another name who I expect to make the top 10 next year, as he’s a really promising young bat who can hit for a lot of power. All of these honorable mentions have potential, as they clearly just missed the list. While those are the two I expect to move up, others being promoted wouldn’t surprise me either.

Jake’s Top 15: