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ANAHEIM - Troy Glaus 26 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 ANA 154 551 132 29 0 29 85 79 71 143 240 331 450 5 1
2000 ANA 159 563 160 37 1 47 120 102 112 163 284 404 604 14 11
2001 ANA 161 588 147 38 2 41 100 108 107 158 250 367 531 10 3
      Glaus had a bit of a disappointing year, but I guess you can't complain too much about 81 extra-base hits and 107 walks. He is only 26, and will have even better years in the future; he is one of the top candidates to lead the league in home runs in 2002.
      MID-SEASON UPDATE: Has had a miserable first half, has clearly been passed by Chavez as the best in the league.
OAKLAND - Eric Chavez 24 L/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 OAK 115 356 88 21 2 13 47 50 46 56 247 333 427 1 1
2000 OAK 153 501 139 23 4 26 89 86 62 94 277 355 495 2 2
2001 OAK 151 552 159 43 0 32 91 114 41 99 288 338 540 8 2
      The numbers from 2001: .288 average, 75 extra-base hits, 114 RBI, 23 years old. Playing in a terrible hitters park. The future is looking very rosy for Mr. Chavez. He's even starting to improve against left-handers; I expect him to have another big season.
      MID-SEASON UPDATE: His average is down a bit, but he's probably still been the best third sacker in the league. With Giambi gone, Justice hurt, Dye struggling, Chavez is now clearly the big man in Oakland's lineup.
MINNESOTA - Corey Koskie 29 L/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 MIN 117 342 106 21 0 11 42 58 40 72 310 387 468 4 4
2000 MIN 146 474 142 32 4 9 79 65 77 104 300 400 441 5 4
2001 MIN 153 562 155 37 2 26 100 103 68 118 276 362 488 27 6
      A terrific, underrated player, Koskie lost some points off of his batting average, but increased his power output and had a great year stealing bases as well. He was one of the keys to the Twins' surprising season; he should remain among the better third sackers in the league in 2002.
SEATTLE - Jeff Cirillo 33 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 MIL 157 607 198 35 1 15 98 88 75 83 326 401 461 7 4
2000 COL 157 598 195 53 2 11 111 115 67 72 326 392 477 3 4
2001 COL 138 528 165 26 4 17 72 83 43 63 312 364 473 12 2
      There is a theory circulating about that suggests that hitters develop bad habits if they play too many games in Coors Field. Such is the explanation for Cirillo, who was a terrific (and underrated) hitter in Milwaukee, but a flop in Colorado. The numbers at home were good, but his road stats were unacceptable.
      Moving to Seattle, it would seem logical that his home stats will be reduced dramatically - but he might improve on the road. If he can get back to where he was with the Brewers, he can be one of the best third sackers in the league... but he is also 33 years old, so his best days may be far behind him.
      MID-SEASON UPDATE: Had a bad first half. His best days may be far, far behind him.
NEW YORK YANKEES - Robin Ventura 35 L/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 NYM 161 588 177 38 0 32 88 120 74 109 301 379 529 1 1
2000 NYM 141 469 109 23 1 24 61 84 75 91 232 338 439 3 5
2001 NYM 142 456 108 20 0 21 70 61 88 101 237 359 419 2 5
      Veteran third baseman who will plug a hole for the Yankees. Ventura is finished as a top-flight third baseman, but he still provides defence and walks, and may hit a few more homers in Yankee Stadium. He will be a more than respectable replacement for Scott Brosius... though he will need to learn how to hit miraculous home runs in the World Series. Who teaches the Yankees how to do that, anyways?
      MID-SEASON UPDATE: Had a terrific first half; pinstripes look good on him.
CLEVELAND - Travis Fryman 33 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 CLE 85 322 82 16 2 10 45 48 25 57 255 309 410 2 1
2000 CLE 155 574 184 38 4 22 93 106 73 111 321 392 516 1 1
2001 CLE 98 334 88 15 0 3 34 38 30 63 263 327 335 1 2
      Fryman's a good veteran who has lost two of the past three seasons to injury. The sudden absence of good hitters on Cleveland's roster should put Fryman back in the heart of the lineup.
      MID-SEASON UPDATE: Has struggled at the plate, and has the range of an oak tree at third base. A new career as a DH may be in order.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX - Jose Valentin 32 S/R or Joe Crede 24 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
VALENTIN
1999 MIL 89 256 58 9 5 10 45 38 48 52 227 347 418 3 2
2000 CHW 144 568 155 37 6 25 107 92 59 106 273 343 491 19 2
2001 CHW 124 438 113 22 2 28 74 68 50 114 258 336 509 9 6
CREDE
1999 AA 74 291 73 14 1 4 37 42 22 47 251 303 347 2 6
2000 AA 138 533 163 35 0 21 84 94 56 111 306 384 490 3 4
2001 AAA 124 463 128 34 1 17 67 65 46 88 276 349 464 2 1
      Neither of these guys is where they want to be. Valentin is a shortstop who was moved off the position by Royce Clayton, and spent the year playing third (among other positions). Crede is a fine young prospect who is making slow progress through the minors.
      Crede should be ready to play, but my guess is that the White Sox are more interested in winning the pennant than in breaking in some rookie. Myself, I would rather have Valentin at short and Crede at third than spend another year with Clayton, but I'm not running the show.
      MID-SEASON UPDATE: Valentin has struggled, the White Sox have struggled, Crede has been good at Charlotte... it's time for the Sox to shake things up and put Crede in the lineup.
TAMPA BAY - Aubrey Huff 25 L/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 AA 133 491 148 40 3 22 85 78 64 77 301 385 530 2 3
2000 AAA 108 408 129 36 3 20 73 76 51 72 316 394 566 2 3
2000 TAM 39 122 35 7 0 4 12 14 5 18 287 318 443 0 0
2001 TAM 111 411 102 25 1 8 42 45 23 72 248 288 372 1 3
      One of the Devil Rays' best young players, Huff finally got some playing time, but didn't hit as well as he should. It also didn't help that the Rays started sitting him again as soon as he started to struggle. Huff hit better later in the season, and I expect him to play well in 2002. The Devil Rays do not have any better options.
      MID-SEASON UPDATE: Began the year at Durham, finally got called up by Tampa, and has hit well. A good player.
TEXAS - Mark Lamb 27 L/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 AA 137 544 176 51 5 21 98 100 53 65 324 386 551 4 3
2000 TEX 138 493 137 25 2 6 65 47 34 60 278 328 373 0 2
2001 TEX 76 284 87 18 0 4 42 35 14 27 306 348 412 2 1
      Lamb is still with the Rangers; the manager and GM who sent him back to the minors last year are not. A highly touted prospect, Lamb had a so-so rookie season in 2000; the Rangers decided not to see if he could get any better, and signed Ken Caminiti to replace him. That didn't work out, and Lamb eventually found himself back in the Rangers' lineup.
      Lamb should remain a .300 hitter, but he won't rank among the better third sackers in the league unless he starts to develop some power. He may also not keep his job for long; the Rangers have another super prospect in Hank Blalock who can really hit, and might be ready to play in the majors soon.
      MID-SEASON UPDATE: Blalock struggled badly early in the season, was demoted, and Lamb has resurrected his career by hitting close to .300. He's not great, but he's better story than Carl Everett.
BALTIMORE - Tony Batista 28 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 ARI-TOR 142 519 144 30 1 31 77 100 38 96 277 329 518 4 0
2000 TOR 154 620 163 32 2 41 96 114 35 121 263 307 519 5 4
2001 TOR-BAL 156 579 138 27 6 25 70 87 32 113 238 280 435 5 2
      After a 41-homer season in 2000, Batista got off to a bad start with the Blue Jays, who then released him in June (thanks for the memories, Tony). He landed in Baltimore, and played a little better. Batista has his problems - his on-base percentage is very poor, and his wacky batting stance is a hitting coach's nightmare. but he is only 28, and will continue to hit home runs for at least a couple of more years.
      MID-SEASON UPDATE: His career has taken another curious turn. Batista played well the first half - good enough that he made the All-Star team. He's had a strange and remarkable career, and is only 28. The Orioles deserve a lot of credit for picking him up after the Blue Jays released him.
TORONTO - Eric Hinske 25 L/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 A 130 445 132 28 6 19 76 79 62 90 297 385 515 16 10
2000 AA 131 436 113 21 9 20 76 73 78 133 259 373 486 14 5
2001 AAA 121 436 123 27 1 25 71 79 54 113 282 373 521 20 7
      Hinske was the key player that Toronto received in the Billy Koch deal. He might be okay; he does a decent job of getting on base, and has both power and speed.
      On the other hand, he has no major league experience, and he may have trouble keeping his batting average over .250. And though I haven't seen him play defence, the reviews have not been positive.
      MID-SEASON UPDATE: Has hit well at the plate, and is the favourite to win the Rookie Of The Year Award. His defense is awful, but has improved a little bit since April.
KANSAS CITY - Joe Randa 32 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 KC 156 628 197 36 8 16 92 84 50 80 314 363 473 5 4
2000 KC 158 612 186 29 4 15 88 106 36 66 304 343 438 6 3
2001 KC 151 581 147 34 2 13 59 83 42 80 253 307 386 3 2
      After a pair of surprisingly good seasons with Kansas City, Randa struggled through a miserable year in 2001. I think he was an overachiever with the Royals, and now that his career is headed into a downward spiral, I would not expect it to recover.
DETROIT - Craig Paquette 33 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 STL 48 157 45 6 0 10 21 37 6 38 287 309 516 1 0
2000 STL 134 384 94 24 2 15 47 61 27 83 245 294 435 4 3
2001 STL 123 340 96 17 0 15 47 64 18 67 282 326 465 3 1
      Paquette had a solid year for St. Louis, filling in when needed. Now he's going to Detroit, where third basemen go to die.
BOSTON - Shea Hillenbrand 27 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 AA 69 282 73 15 0 7 41 36 14 27 259 298 387 6 5
2000 AA 135 529 171 35 3 11 77 79 19 39 323 355 463 3 3
2001BOS 139 468 123 20 2 12 52 49 13 61 263 291 391 3 4
      Hillenbrand surprised everyone by grabbing the third base job in Boston and delivering some big hits early in the season. His success was short-lived; Hillenbrand swings at everything, and his productivity dropped off dramatically as the season wore on. He's too old to be considered a prospect, and he's not a particularly good player; he doesn't have much of a future ahead of him.
      MID-SEASON UPDATE: Obviously, Hillenbrand has been much better than I have rated him. In fact, he started the All-Star Game. He had a wonderful start to the season, but has been coming down to earth the past six weeks; I know I'm stubborn, but I still think he's a .260 hitter.


THIRD BASE - BOTH LEAGUES
1 Scott Rolen11 Mike Lowell21 Tony Batista
2 Troy Glaus12 Aaron Boone22 Vinny Castilla
3 Albert Pujols13 Travis Fryman23 Eric Hinske
4 Eric Chavez14 Jose Valentin24 Joe Randa
5 Aramis Ramirez15 Bill Mueller25 Todd Zeile
6 Edgardo Alfonso16 Matt Williams26 Craig Paquette
7 Corey Koskie17 Aubrey Huff27 Morgan Ensberg
8 Adrian Beltre18 Ron Belliard28 David Bell
9 Jeff Cirillo19 Sean Burroughs29 Shea Hillenbrand
10 Robin Ventura20 Mark Lamb30 Fernando Tatis