Year of the Third Baseman, poor AL races and more

FIVE UP

Alex Rodriguez is in the midst of one of the greatest seasons ever for a third baseman. John Iacono/SI

Dream Seasons Ten of the finest offensive seasons ever by third basemen Player Year AVG HR RBI R E. Mathews 1953 .302 47 135 110 A. Rosen 1953 .336 43 145 115 H. Killebrew 1969 .276 49 140 106 J. Torre 1971 .363 24 137 97 G. Brett 1980 .390 24 118 87 M. Schmidt 1980 .286 48 121 104 K. Caminiti 1996 .326 40 130 109 C. Jones 1999 .319 45 110 116 A. Beltre 2004 .334 48 121 104 A. Rodriguez 2005 .312 48 134 127

MAILBAG Submit a comment or question for Gennaro. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

I. Year of the Third Baseman: Third basemen don't grow on trees. In fact, quality third basemen may be the rarest commodity in all of baseball.

Need proof? Take a trip to Cooperstown. The Baseball Hall of Fame currently features 13 total third basemen (10 major leaguers and three Negro leaguers), the least of any position. Franchises spend decades trying to find a player who can consistently produce at the hot corner.

Every so often, though, third base becomes a definitive position in our nation's pastime. Hall of Famers Pie Traynor and Freddie Lindstrom carried the torch at third in the 1920s and '30s, regularly making their way into MVP discussions. In the '60s, Brooks Robinson, Ron Santo, Eddie Mathews, Harmon Killebrew and the Boyer brothers took the position to a new level. But third base's golden age occurred in the late '70s/early-to-mid-'80s, when Mike Schmidt, George Brett, Wade Boggs, Graig Nettles, Carney Lansford, Bill Madlock and Buddy Bell manned the hot corner. There hasn't been another group of third basemen even close to as talented since then, though the current crop could eventually challenge for supremacy.

Alex Rodriguez is the obvious leader of the pack. In his fourth season at third base, Rodriguez is hitting .312 with 48 home runs, 134 RBIs, 127 runs and 22 steals. When all is said and done, this could go down as the finest offensive year ever for a third baseman (See chart). Even though Magglio Ordonez has enjoyed a fabulous season for the Tigers, A-Rod is a shoo-in for the American League MVP.

Just across the Triborough Bridge, another third baseman looks like a frontrunner for the National League MVP. Twenty-four-year-old David Wright has put together a spectacular all-around campaign (.316, 26 HR, 33 2B, 91 RBI, 94 R, 30 SB) for the Mets, who own the best record in the National League. For the sabermetricians out there, Wright leads the NL in one of the biggest Bill James stats: total win shares (29).

On top of third basemen possibly sweeping the MVP awards, another third baseman will certainly win NL Rookie of the Year honors, as Brewers stud Ryan Braun is the best rookie in either league. He owns a .334 average with 28 homers and 76 RBIs, impressive numbers made even more so by the fact that he didn't make his debut until late May.

Outside of these three monsters, the game boasts a number of talented third basemen at different stages of their careers. Miguel Cabrera, also 24, just became the third-youngest player to reach 500 RBIs, while a pair of 29-year-olds (Chicago's Aramis Ramirez and Los Angeles' Chone Figgins) are playing key roles on division leaders. Elder statesmen Chipper Jones and Mike Lowell are in the midst of huge seasons, as well.

It's too early to know if this contemporary crop of third basemen will supersede the fabled bunch from the '70s/'80s, but it's obvious that the hot corner is becoming more of an "it" position with each passing generation.

II. Garret Anderson's resurgence: There's nothing more annoying than hometown announcers who refuse to accept that a beloved veteran is far past his prime. For the last few seasons, I thought this was the case with Angels broadcasters Steve Physioc and Rex Hudler. Game after game, Physioc and Hudler endlessly hyped the aging slugger, making statements like, "Anderson is still one of the best hitters in the majors when he's healthy." And with each acclamation, I couldn't help but raise my arms and cry, "Blasphemy!" But as of late, Anderson's been tearing the cover off the ball. On Thursday he broke an Angels record by logging an RBI in his 11 straight game. Since the All-Star break Anderson, 35, leads the majors with 56 RBIs. I don't say this often, but ... touché, Fiz and Hud.

III. Pedroia's ROY campaign: Has there ever been a more underappreciated rookie than Boston's Dustin Pedroia? The scrappy second baseman hit just .182 in April, but the Red Sox stuck with him and it has paid off in a major way? Pedroia has established himself as a top-of-the-order threat, hitting .329 with 45 RBI and 71 runs. He also plays above-average defense.

IV. Cleveland's Rafaels: Last week, I lambasted Indians closer Joe Borowski (and rightfully so -- he's absolutely horrendous and will cost Cleveland at least one postseason game). But now I feel obligated to acknowledge two overlooked Cleveland relievers who embody everything that Borowski does not. Yup, it's time to give props to Cleveland's Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez.

While Hideki Okajima, Jonathan Broxton and, recently, Joba Chamberlain garner the most attention among setup men, neither has performed at the level of Betancourt. His 1.48 ERA is the second-lowest mark of any regular reliever in the American League and his 68-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio is mind-boggling. Betancourt's teammate, Perez, could be the best lefty specialist in baseball, as evidenced by his 1.56 ERA.

V. The many faces of Nick Swisher: After last season's 35-homer, 95-RBI season, Swisher entered this season with high expectations. Unfortunately for the A's, the versatile slugger will fall well short of his '06 totals. To his credit, though, Swisher has brought his "A" game all season long when it comes to his hair and facial hair. Here is a sampling of his 2007 stylings, in chronological order from left to right. (Personally, I'm digging his latest look: Derek Zoolander meets Bam Bam Bigelow.)

Photos courtesy of Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images; Brad Mangin/Getty Images/SI; AP; Larry Goren/Icon SMI.

1 of 2