Power of Caring
  presented by CIGNA

Sizzling youngsters man hot corner

Click here for more on this story

Posted: Thursday May 06, 1999 04:49 PM

A couple of years ago there was a group of good, young shortstops who emerged as future stars: Derek Jeter, Rey Ordonez, Alex Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra to name a few. Now there are some young third basemen who are making their mark.

Let's start here in St. Louis, where 24-year-old Fernando Tatis has received plenty of notice -- mostly for his one-in-a-zillion feat of hitting two grand slams in one inning. Tatis can run, hit for power and hit for average. He's also been the anchor for the Cardinals this season, picking up the offensive slack when Big Mac and J.D. Drew were slumping.

I'm even more impressed by Tatis' defense. He has greatly improved his defensive work at third since last season, and his growing confidence is helping him make the great plays.

Another guy who is excelling both offensively and defensively is the Dodgers' 21-year-old Adrian Beltre. Beltre has a great arm, good lateral movement to both his left and right, and he's swinging the bat great, hitting over .330. Beltre doesn't have the power that Tatis does right now but the potential is there.

In Montreal, 22-year old Michael Barrett is playing exceptionally. Barrett has forced Expos manager Felipe Alou to move him from part-time catcher to full-time third basemen simply to get him in the lineup every day. I recently saw Barrett play and was impressed by his poise at such a young age.

In the American League, Anaheim's 22-year-old Troy Glaus looks terrific. He's in the top 20 in AL batting average, and his fielding percentage is also one of the best in the league. Plus, he's pretty sneaky. How else do you explain a 6-foot-5 guy stealing three bases in his first 27 games without being caught?

This year's All-Star teams will likely have veterans at third base: Matt Williams, Chipper Jones and -- of course -- Cal Ripken. But if they keep playing like they have the first month of this season, Glaus, Beltre, Barrett and Tatis should be All-Star regulars for years to come.

 

Related information
Stories
CNN/SI's Ozzie Smith: Orioles still have time From Sports Illustrated: The Hot Corner
Multimedia
Click here for the latest audio and video
Search our site	Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day
	Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call 1-888-53-CNNSI.