Ranking Central: Third Base
I remember the final summer of my childhood. I was a senior in high school, and some pretty amazing things were happening. The Cubs had a young rookie pitcher who struck out 20 guys. Their right fielder hit 20 homeruns in one month. They were getting miracle production from their overweight closer who was accompanied with a fu manchu, a mullet, and shock pads to rececitate Cub fans who suffered grabbers every time he came in to save a game.
And sometime in the middle of August, they signed a third baseman to a contract after he'd been released by their heated rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. A third baseman who was 39-years-old and looked like a rat. In 37 games and 128 at bats, this miracle man named Gary Gaetti proceeded to bat .320 with 8 homers and 27 RBI as the Cubs pushed for the playoffs. It was awesome. Naturally, the Cubs signed him to a one year deal and he proceeded to show his age and tank, placing him in a long line of failed third basemen since the retirement of Ron Santo.
Five years later, the Cubs would make another mid-season trade for a third baseman, but this time it worked in both the short and long term. Aramis Ramirez has bloomed into an impressive talent. But is he the best in the division? Let's take a look.
(NOTE: Keep in mind that I grabbed this list off of ESPN.com. If it is inaccurate, blame them. And send them hate mail.)
Chicago Cubs
Defensively average, and offensively masterful. Aramis Ramirez will be 28 for the first half of the 2007 season, and he could be on the cusp of an MVP-like season. Yes, Aramis starts slow. Some people want to say he's not clutch, because he didn't single handedly carry the Cubs after Derrek Lee went down. Those same people are ignoring the fact that Ramirez has more post season homeruns than any Cub in history (and is there anything more clutch than a post season long-ball?), they are ignoring the fact that A-Ram finished the year with 38 homeruns and 119 RBI, they are ignoring that the Cubs sucked because they also had a plethora of crappy starting pitchers, and they are ignoring the fact that in his final 83 games, Aramis batted .327 with 24 homeruns and 76 RBI, and the Cubs still went 36-47 during that time.
What am I trying to say? I'm trying to say that the Cubs woes did not occur because Aramis Ramirez is a slow starter. But imagine, if only for a moment, how good the Cubs might be if A-Ram started hot. He could be the best hitter in the league, and he's a Cub. That's all I'm saying.
St. Louis Cardinals
And then there's this guy, that defensive marvel who has a league-wide reputation as one of the best, if not the best. But Scott Rolen - who may wind up a Hall of Famer - is on the wrong side of 30. He came back from a long injury last year and proceeded to hit well - a .296 AVG, 22 homers, 95 RBI, 48 doubles, an .887 OPS. Not bad.
Rolen is bound to have a good year in '07. He may never hit 30 homeruns again, he might not drive in 100 runs even on a good offense, and he may have a bad back, but he's not about to drop off the face of the planet. Don't be shocked if Rolen is an All Star game starter and a Gold Glover. But he's not the guy he used to be. I would go as far to say that he won't come close to the production of Ramirez, although he's still a good one.
Cincinnati Reds
First the Reds had Brandon Phillips, a young talent with room to improve, and now they have Edwin Encarnacion, a 24-year-old Dominican who, in 406 at bats, hit 15 homeruns, drove in 72 RBI, had 33 doubles, and batted .276 with a .359 OBP and an .832 OPS.
I have to admit, these young Reds impress me. Red Hot Mama may be rooting for a pretty damn good team. But, while Encarnacion has the potential to be a good, young third baseman, he's a guy who made a lot of errors last year (25) and he has a way to go before he surpasses Ramirez and Rolen. But, still, Reds fans have to be excited.
Houston Astros
Ensberg is an on-again, off-again kind of player. In 2003, he burst onto the scene as a 27-year-old first year starter who blasted 25 homeruns while batting .291 in just 385 at bats. The next season, Ensberg only hit 10 homers in 411 at bats while batting .275, before he rebounded with 36 homeruns and 101 RBI in 2005. As for last year, Ensberg only played in 127 games, hitting 23 homers, driving in 58 RBI, and he batted .235.
He has some positives, depsite his inconsistency. He draws a lot of walks. He doesn't strike out too much. He once saved a small child from a burning building. Okay, I made up that last one. I'm just saying, he's not a bad bat, for the most part.
Milwaukee Brewers
In a move that reaks of desperation, the Brewers are relying on career bench player Tony Graffanino to start at third base. Tony, who is 34, has never had more than 289 at bats in a season. He's never hit more than 7 homeruns, and he's sporting a career .269 AVG and .734 OPS.
Maybe the Brewers have something up their sleeve; maybe they have a youngster who I haven't heard about, due to my complete lack of research. But T-Graff is a weak link in Milwaukee; he's not about to win games for the Brewers.
Pittsburgh Pirates
He's only played 58 games there in his career. He's 26, and already in his fourth organization. He only batted .235 last year, with 20 doubles, 16 homers, and 51 RBI. He struck out 110 times in 117 games played.
Man, it must be tough to be a Pirates fan. Man. On the bright side, he's young, capable of getting better, and he can at least hit homeruns.
Ranking the Central Division Third Basemen
1. Aramis Ramirez
2. Scott Rolen
3. Morgan Ensberg
4. Edwin Encarnacion
5. Jose Bautista
6. Tony Graffanino
In the central division, the third base position is a giver of plenty for some teams, and a wasted hole for a couple of others. To me, A-Ram and Rolen are the clear one-and-two combo of the division, but I can see Encarnacion having a better year than Ensberg. Bautista might break out and have a good year, but Graffanino is not going to finish the season as a starting third baseman.
I like Scott Rolen. I mean, I hate him because he's a Cardinal, but I've followed his career and I acknowledge that he's a talent. But he's a talent on the downturn. I doubt he will ever again hit 30 homeruns, and I don't think he's going to drive in 100 RBI again. Although he's better defensively than ... okay, anybody, his defensive skills will not make up for the 10-15 more homeruns and 20-30 more RBI that Ramirez could have. Mark it. If Scott Rolen hits 25 and drives in 95, Aramis Ramirez will finish the year with 40 and 125, and that will be reason enough to place him at the top in this divisional ranking.
In fact, I may go so far as to say that A-Ram has the potential to be the best offensive third baseman in the league this year. It's possible. I look forward to watching to see if I'm right.
Chip
I think Graffy may be sharing time at 3B with Craig Counsell. Not that a Graffy/Counsell platoon makes them better than 6th. This is all because Corey Koskie is suffering from Post-Concussion Syndrome, or as I like to call it "Troy Aikman's Disease".
Of course they're all just a stop-gap until prospect Ryan Braun, who was knocking the crap out of the ball at ST, to get the callup from AAA, which will most likely be later this summer.
DPappy
Yeah, Ryan Braun was definitely killing the ball in ST for the Brewers. He was absolutely atrocious on the field though (4 errors in 16 total chances over 45 innings). Small sample size police or not, he hasn't exactly been known for his glove throughout his minor league career. I'd be surprised if he's called up early this year. Then again, I'm surprised Corey Koskie's eyes are still crossed, too.