Third Basemen Outlook

May 25, 2007 @ 16:00:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Ryan Dodson

THIRD BASEMEN

Table: Do not bench list

Player	Team
Alex Rodriguez	NYY
David Wright	NYM
Miguel Cabrera	FLA
Aramis Ramirez	CHC
Chipper Jones	ATL
Troy Glaus	TOR
Mike Lowell	BOS

UPPER ECHELON

Scott Rolen, St. Louis Cardinals

Schedule: 7 games - @COL (4), @HOU (3)

Analysis: After spending last week at home, Rolen will no doubt be looking to head out on the road, where he has hit 29 points better so far this season (.220 at home to .229 on the road). He should do especially well at Coors Field, one of the top hitters' parks in the league. In two games against the Rockies already this season, Rolen has failed to generate a hit, going 0-for-7. He hasn't done much better against the Astros, hitting just .125 (3-for-24) with six RBI. Well it is true Rolen is struggling so far this season, he should still be used this week because of the two parks he is starting at. Keep him in your lineup for both series. 

Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals

Schedule: 6 games - LAD (3), SD (3)

Analysis: The Nationals are hoping Zimmerman can get on something of a hot streak as his numbers, especially batting average, are still quite low. He has three home runs and five RBI over the past week, however, his average still sits at .250, which is 37 points lower than he finished last year. He has yet to face the Dodgers this season, but last year, he went 7-for-26 with one home run and six RBI. In an earlier meeting with the Padres, Zimmerman had just two hits in 11 at-bats. At home this season, Zimmerman is hitting .242 with three home runs, 13 RBI and 14 runs in 24 games. He still has too much potential to sit on your bench, but he will have to turn things around quickly if he wants to remain there.

Chone Figgins, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Schedule: 7 games - SEA (3), BAL (4)

Analysis: Yet another player who is struggling, Figgins is hitting just .123 with three RBI, eight runs and three stolen bases in 20 games this season. Part of the reason for his struggles could be coming from two fractured fingertips on his throwing hand. Either way, through games Wednesday, May 23, he was mired in a 2-for-30 slump. Figgins will be playing all four games this week at home, where he is hitting .107 with one RBI and one stolen base in eight games. He has already faced the Mariners once this season, going 0-for-7 with two runs and one stolen base. He has yet to face the Orioles, but in nine games against them last year, he went 6-for-33 (.182) with one home run, five RBI and one stolen base. Like the guys above him in this list, he still has too much potential to sit, but if he doesn't turn it around soon, he should be benched.

Eric Chavez, Oakland Athletics

Schedule: 6 games - TEX (3), MIN (3)

Analysis: Even though he is hitting just .240, because of his Gold Glove-caliber defense, Chavez is not a threat to be taken out of the lineup. Chavez has already faced the Rangers once this season, going 3-for-14 with one RBI and one run. He has not faced the Twins but in 10 games against them last year, he went 10-for-34 with three home runs and nine RBI. Chavez has been a slightly better hitter at home this year than away, .244 compared to .237. He also has four of his home runs at home this season. He should be used in both series this week.

MIDRANGE

Ryan Freel, Cincinnati Reds

Schedule: 7 games - PIT (1), @HOU (3), @COL (3)

Analysis: Freel's average this season, .272, sits just one point higher than his career average. He is also on pace to equal his home run total of last year, as well as set a career high in RBI. He has faced the Pirates six times this season, going 7-for-26 with six runs and three stolen bases. Against the Astros, he has gone 6-for-28 with one RBI and one stolen base. His last series should be his best though, as he will be at Coors Field, facing the Rockies, who he went 5-for-8 against earlier this season. He also has one home run and three RBI against them in just the three games. One thing to keep an eye on however, is Freel is batting just .211 on the road compared to .322 at home. This would have a bigger effect this week if he was playing at any other park aside from Coors. Keep him in your lineup for the Pirates and Rockies series, while he isn't a bad option against the Astros either.

Melvin Mora, Baltimore Orioles

Schedule: 7 games - @KC (3), @LAA (4)

Analysis: Mora is struggling at the plate with a .247 average; however, he has five home runs, 23 RBI and 26 runs in 44 games. He should also get a slight boost from playing on the road (.250 average compared to .244 at home). In one series against the Royals this year, Mora hit .250 (3-for-12) with one RBI and one run. He has yet to face the Angels, but in 10 games against them last year, he hit .385 with five RBI, three runs and one stolen base. Mora is a decent option to start this week.

Adrian Beltre, Seattle Mariners

Schedule: 7 games - @LAA (3), TEX (4)

Analysis: Like Mora, Beltre has decent numbers aside from his average. In 41 games, he is hitting just .236 (34 points below his career average), but he has 21 runs, 21 RBI, six home runs and five stolen bases. Making matters worse, he will be on the road this week. In 18 road games this season, he is hitting .171 with three home runs and seven RBI. He hit well against the Angels earlier this season, going 7-for-25 (.280) with one home run and three RBI. He has also hit well against the Rangers, going 4-for-12 (.333) with one home run and one RBI. Well he has hit well against both these teams this season, his poor road numbers make him a bit of a risky starter this week.

OTHERS FOR CONSIDERATION

Joe Crede, Chicago White Sox

Schedule: 7 games - @MIN (3), @TOR (4)

Analysis: Crede (back) has yet to play in a game since Sunday, May 20, when he hurt his back. According to reports, if he is not able to play by Friday, May 25, he could be headed for the disabled list. If he does play, he will be facing a team he has hit well against this year. In four games against the Twins earlier this season, he hit .313 (5-for-16) with one home run and three RBI. He has yet to face the Blue Jays, but in eight games against them last year, he hit .440 (11-for-25) with two RBI and two runs. With a back injury that could force him to the disabled list, it would be best to keep him on your bench for this week. Keep an eye on KFFL for any updates regarding his condition.

Morgan Ensberg, Houston Astros

Schedule: 6 games - CIN (3), STL (3)

Analysis: Ensberg's struggles this year have resulted in a serious cutback on his playing time. He played Wednesday, May 23, but before that he didn't start since Saturday, May 19. He has been splitting time with fellow infielders Mike Lamb and Mark Loretta. For the season, Ensberg is hitting just .214 with two home runs, 11 RBI and 20 runs in 38 games. In one series against the Reds earlier this season, he hit .150 with three RBI. In five games against the Cardinals, he hit just .222 with one RBI and seven runs. Not helping his cause this week will be the six games at home he plays. In 18 home games this season, Ensberg is hitting just .167 with two RBI and seven runs. With his playing time being curtailed, not to mention his struggles at the plate, he should be benched this week.

Andy LaRoche, Los Angeles Dodgers

Schedule: 6 games - @WSH (3), @PIT (3)

Analysis: The Dodgers called up LaRoche and inserted him earlier this month as the new starting third baseman. So far he has done little to re-pay their faith, hitting just .206 with eight runs and three RBI in 13 games. With this being his first season in the big leagues, LaRoche has yet to face the Nationals or the Pirates. Because of that uncertainty, and his poor start, he should be benched this week.

Brandon Inge, Detroit Tigers

Schedule: 7 games - @TB (3), @CLE (4)

Analysis: Inge is hitting just .230 on the season, although he has eight home runs, 17 RBI and 23 runs already. His average and RBI totals are a bit down but the other numbers have him on pace to match his numbers from last season. They could take a hit this week, however, as he will be on the road for all seven games. His road average is 37 points lower than his home average so far this season (.250 at home compared to .213 on the road). He has yet to face the Devil Rays, but in eight games against them last year, he hit .206 (7-for-34) with three RBI and three runs. He also has yet to face the Indians this season. He hit well against them last year, going 17-for-59 (.288) with four home runs, 14 RBI and nine runs. His numbers are decent enough this season, however, his poor road numbers mean he should probably be benched this week.

KEY PLAYERS ON DL

Akinori Iwamura, Tampa Bay Devil Rays - Out until late May

Chad Tracy, Arizona Diamondbacks - Out until early June

Hank Blalock, Texas Rangers - Out until August

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Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.

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