I'm trying something new this week. With some owners now looking to build for next year, I'm publishing a very, very preliminary set of 2009 rankings for keeper leaguers. I'll be doing the usual position rankings and an overall top 100. These rankings are for 2009 only, so I'm not giving top prospects credit for what they might do in 2010 and beyond.
One note: I've fixed some, but there's still probably a few players here listed with their old teams. I was using my preseason spreadsheet for the new rankings.
In more interesting news, I'll be in Stamford for the next two weeks providing commentary for the live Olympic baseball broadcasts on NBCOlympics.com. So, if you want a glimpse of some top prospects like Matt LaPorta and Trevor Cahill or potential imports such as Kenshin Kawakami and Yu Darvish, be sure to check it out. I will still be posting columns as usual.
Click to see other 2009 Rankings:
Relief Pitcher Rankings
Starting Pitcher Rankings
Outfielder Rankings
Catcher Rankings
First Basemen Rankings
Second Basemen Rankings
Shortstop Rankings
Third basemen Rankings
Top 100 Overall Rankings
Rank - Third Base - Team
1 - Alex Rodriguez - Yankees
2 - David Wright - Mets
3 - Evan Longoria - Rays
4 - Aramis Ramirez - Cubs
5 - Alex Gordon - Royals
6 - Garrett Atkins - Rockies
7 - Chone Figgins - Angels
8 - Chipper Jones - Braves
9 - Ryan Zimmerman - Nationals
10 - Carlos Guillen - Tigers
11 - Edwin Encarnacion - Reds
12 - Mark Reynolds - Diamondbacks
13 - Adrian Beltre - Mariners
14 - Mike Lowell - Red Sox
15 - Hank Blalock - Rangers
16 - Troy Glaus - Cardinals
17 - Kevin Kouzmanoff - Padres
18 - Jorge Cantu - Marlins
19 - Joe Crede - White Sox
20 - Ian Stewart - Rockies
21 - Josh Fields - White Sox
22 - Bill Hall - Brewers
23 - Andy LaRoche - Pirates
24 - Scott Rolen - Blue Jays
25 - Melvin Mora - Orioles
26 - Casey Blake - Dodgers
27 - Eric Chavez - Athletics
28 - Blake DeWitt - Dodgers
29 - Dallas McPherson - Marlins
30 - Pedro Feliz - Phillies
31 - Wes Hodges - Indians
32 - Mat Gamel - Brewers
33 - Jose Bautista - Pirates
34 - Andy Marte - Indians
35 - Brandon Wood - Angels
36 - Willy Aybar - Rays
37 - Brian Buscher - Twins
38 - Morgan Ensberg - Indians
39 - Omar Infante - Braves
40 - Mike Lamb - Twins
- Alex Gordon has turned in disappointing first halves in both of his major league seasons, yet he again appears to be stepping up with the arrival of August. Ranking him fifth ahead of Garrett Atkins and Chipper Jones could be considered excessive, but he still figures to blossom into a 25- to 30-homer guy and he can steal bases. Batting average is the question, especially given his high strikeout rate. He'll have to get into the .270-.280 range to justify the lofty ranking, and I probably will drop him a couple of spots if he doesn't' continue to make progress during the final seven weeks of this year.
- The young players in the second 20 provided some of the toughest calls here. Ian Stewart still has great numbers despite striking out in more than a third of his plate appearances, so the Rockies may be forced to clear room for him by dealing Atkins or paying someone to take Todd Helton. Josh Fields could well hit 25-30 homers in the majors next year, but might be a below average regular while doing it. The White Sox may not want to go to him at third base. Andy LaRoche needs to recover his power after suffering ligament damage in his hand this spring. A big-time wild card is Mat Gamel. His bat may be ready next year, but he's not going to be an option at third base. Since the Brewers don't figure to move Ryan Braun or Corey Hart to center to make room for him in the outfield at the start of the year, he comes in at No. 33.
- Falling a little short were Ty Wigginton, Jose Castillo and Neil Walker. The Astros and Giants both figure to try to upgrade at third base over the winter, and Wigginton and Castillo could be relegated to reserve roles, either with their current teams or elsewhere. Until the Andy LaRoche acquisition, Walker would have been in the 30-40 range despite having a disappointing season in Triple-A. Now it seems virtually guaranteed that he'll repeat at Indianapolis.
