Early 2011 Outlook: Top 10 3B
Please note that these rankings are EXTREMELY early and there is a whole offseason worth of projections and analysis ahead.
1. Jose Bautista - His season speaks for itself.
2. Evan Longoria - Power numbers are there even with time missed due to injury. Hurt by a super-low .240 BABIP as well.
3. Adrian Beltre - Though injuries are a concern, he continued the career resurgence that he showed while in Boston last season.
4. David Wright - News that the Mets could move the fences at Citi Field in could make a big difference for Wright, who battled back problems this season..283/.359/.466, 8 HR since returning from DL.
5. Pablo Sandoval - .308/.353/.545 with 22 HR even with time on the DL due to Hamate bone fracture.
6. Ryan Zimmerman - If he stays healthy, the numbers will be there in the end.
7. Aramis Ramirez - We'll have to see where he ends up in the offseason, but he continues to be a reliable source of 25-plus HR.
8. Michael Young - Just keeps on hitting. I'm thinking the AVG comes down a bit next season.
9. Alex Rodriguez - Several leg injuries over the past few seasons have kept him from being the player of old. He'll be 35/36 in 2011.
10. Brett Lawrie - I might end up ranking him over A-Rod when the final rankings come out in early March. His lack of a MLB track record make him a little risky, even with such a strong debut. 20/20 potential.
If Kevin Youkilis falls far enough on draft day, he could be a nice bargain, though he'll have hip surgery this winter and looks like his body may have aged quickly after the move to 3B this season... Emilio Bonifacio could steal 25-plus bases with consistent playing time in 2012, but his AVG is due for a regression (.366 BABIP). I wouldn't look at him until after round 15 or so, maybe even 18-plus... I'd rather take a flier on Mike Moustakas than Pedro Alvarez in the late rounds next year.
If Kevin Youkilis falls far enough on draft day, he could be a nice bargain, though he'll have hip surgery this winter and looks like his body may have aged quickly after the move to 3B this season... Emilio Bonifacio could steal 25-plus bases with consistent playing time in 2012, but his AVG is due for a regression (.366 BABIP). I wouldn't look at him until after round 15 or so, maybe even 18-plus... I'd rather take a flier on Mike Moustakas than Pedro Alvarez in the late rounds next year.
