40.4 Checking the Locks: Third Base

[crobillard]

This is a series where I will evaluate the options in each position leading into Spring Training. This is the fourth of eleven parts. I will be taking a look into the third base position in this post.

Sure fire locks: Steven Collins III
Trying to get in the door: Miguel Deleon

Not much needs to be said about Collins. He's the Collins family's third entry into the BBA and he's started his career with 14.8 WAR over his first three seasons. In 2038, Collins looked like he was going to pick up where his 83 year old Hall of Fame inducted grandfather left off. That season he had a .340/.402/.520 batting line with 50 doubles, six triples, 19 homeruns on top of being 74 of 86 in stolen base chances. All totaling a 7.2 WAR. Last year he dipped to .327/.383/.484 batting line with 36 doubles, eight triples, 17 homeruns and 58/82 in stolen base chances for a 4.5 WAR. Not bad, but not as dominant has he was the previous year. I'm hoping he can pick it back up this season. He's probably going to be slotted into a different spot in the lineup, especially against left handed pitchers, so it will be interesting to see how he responds. The only issue I have with him, and I eluded to it with his use last season, is his defense at third base. In 2038 he committed 23 errors on a flat 0 ZR and last year was similar with 19 errors and a -0.3 ZR. He's not terrible there, but he's not great. I started last season trying him out at second base for the first 31 games and while he was learning on only committed two errors and has a -0.1 ZR. I'm glad I spent the time moving him over, so that he could be used elsewhere if I needed him to. His defense ratings have lumped a little since he was called up, so I think it's a good idea to have him usable elsewhere. In a jam he could probably cover left field as well, but he's still learning there.

Deleon was acquired in the deal that sent Jesus Ramos to Wichita last season. I like Deleon for his speed and he can get on base enough to use it. Just barely enough, but he should still be useful once he's ready. He's just turned 20 years old, so I'd prefer to hold him back another season, but I want to take a look at him in Spring Training and see if I should reconsider calling him up early since he's fully developed. He'll get a lot more playing time in AAA, so I'm leaning towards that so I can hope he bumps somewhere. He's rated 6/4/1/2/9 with 13 speed, 11 stealing and 11 baserunning, He's not terrible at third with a 7 rating and 7/6/10/4 infield defensive ratings. He wont embarrass himself too much, but he's not any better than Collins at third either. If he doesn't get called up this season, I look forward to calling him up in the future. I'm hoping we can call for a lot of pinch running and maybe use Collins' newfound versatility.