Any discussion of who the finest third baseman in baseball history should include Eddie Mathews and Chipper Jones. So this was not a simple decision. Mathews has the higher bWAR and fWAR (Baseball Reference's and FanGraphs' WAR models). He also had more total votes from our panel (10 to 9). But when it comes to voting for the best third baseman of all time, we would have to go with Jones.
Here are the other candidates: Mike Schmidt (bWAR: 16.5; fWAR: 17.8), Joe DiMaggio (bWAR: 14.2; fWAR: 15.4), Robin Yount (bWAR: 13.0; fWAR: 13.9), George Brett (bWAR: 12.2; fWAR: 12.7)
It's hard to argue with the results of our poll. Jones is one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, so it's no surprise that he finished first. Mathews is also a strong candidate for "best ever," but he didn't quite make it out of the top five.
Mathews has the higher bWAR and fWAR (Baseball Reference's and FanGraphs' WAR models). He also played third base for the Braves his whole career, while Jones played left field for a little more than two seasons.
Jones, Chipper Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones Jr. (born April 24, 1972) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman who spent his entire 19-year MLB career, as well as his entire 23-year professional baseball career, with the Atlanta Braves.
Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones Jr. (born April 24, 1972) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) player and current broadcast commentator from the United States. Jones was the Atlanta Braves' first-round choice in the 1990 MLB draft and served as the team's main third baseman from 1995 through 2012 (with the exception of 2002-2003, when he predominantly played left field).
Jones was an eight-time All-Star who earned the 1999 NL Most Valuable Player Award as well as the 1999 and 2000 NL Silver Slugger Awards for third basemen. In 2008, he won the MLB batting title, hitting.364. Jones had a.303 batting average, 468 home runs, and 1,623 RBI in his career.
Mathews has the higher bWAR and fWAR (Baseball Reference's and FanGraphs' WAR models). He also played third base for the Braves his whole career, while Jones played left field for a little more than two seasons.
During his eight-year MLB career, Nolan Arenado has been the finest fielding third baseman in baseball. He is a two-time Gold Glove winner and a three-time All-Star. His defensive skills have made him one of the most coveted players on the trade market. In 2019, he finished second to San Diego's Diego Garcia with 29 saves possible.
The only other third basemen to win the Gold Glove are Brooks Robinson (three times), Dave Winfield (once), Alex Rodriguez (once), and Joe Inglett (nine years from 1957 to 1965). Although Arenado isn't the first player to ever win multiple gold gloves, he is the first since Winfield in 1992 and 1993.
Arenado is also the first third baseman to win the MVP award since Robin Yount in 1983. He is the first third baseman to finish first in MVP voting twice since Yount (1981, 1982).
The third batter is expected to be the team's greatest all-around hitter. He should be able to hit for average and power, as well as run the bases proficiently. The fourth batter, sometimes known as the cleanup hitter, is thought to be the best power hitter. When the top three hitters reach base, it is his responsibility to drive them in. The five-hole hitter has the job of getting on base by any means necessary, whether through batting leadoff or hitting before the pitcher.
In order to determine who is the best hitter at each position, statistics have been used for many years. The most popular statistic is batting average, which shows how often a batter hits for home plate across all games played in a season. It is calculated by dividing the number of bases scored by the player's total chances to get a base hit. For example, if a player reaches base safely on nine occasions when he has the chance to bat ten times, his batting average is 90%. If a player gets an extra base on one occasion when he has the chance to bat twice, his batting average would be 50%.
Other statistics include on-base percentage, which is calculated by dividing the number of bases walked by the player's total chances to get a base on balls (including sacrifices). A batter with a high on-base percentage gets on base easily and stays out of trouble while batting below the beltline, such as playing inside against left-handed pitchers. Hitters who walk a lot tend to get hit by pitches.
Groh was one of, if not the, greatest third basemen of his day, and the Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants were thrilled to have him. Groh was the finest third baseman in the National League in the late 1910s and early 1920s, captaining two championship teams, the 1919 Reds and the 1922 Giants.
As the National League's finest third baseman of the 1960s, a guy with power, on-base ability, and Gold Glove defense, he should have entered the league much sooner. —David Schoenfield, senior writer for ESPN.com
Some of you may recall him playing for the Expos alongside Tim Raines, Gary Carter, and Andre Dawson. Devlin was a powerful third baseman who spent most of his career with the New York Giants, from 1904 to 1911, with a brief time with the Boston Braves from 1911 to 1913.
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