Alex Rodriguez posted the best statistics of any third baseman in the 21st century. No doubt about that.
But a question remains about the role played by steroids in generating those gaudy numbers. Rodriguez was suspended for the entire 2014 season for taking performance-enhancing drugs, permanently tainting his statistical record.
It seems likely that he would have been an outstanding player if he had stayed clean. He batted .309 with 189 homers for the Mariners between 1994 and 2000, a period in which he swears he did not take steroids.
Which raises the obvious question: Why would anybody with such obvious ability get involved with PEDs? Rodriguez himself has struggled to come up with an answer.
“You have a guaranteed contract for hundreds of millions of dollars,” he said in a 2017 interview. “Literally, you can sit on the couch and get fat. Right? How stupid can you be?”
That leaves us with Rodriguez’s numbers. You can believe them or ignore them, whichever you wish. But they remain part of Major League Baseball’s official records, so I have decided to include them in my rankings of the century’s best third basemen, the latest installment of my position-by-position rundown of the top players since 2000.
Rodriguez generated 2,603 runs in the final 16 years of his career, a span encompassing every season between 2000 and 2016, except for that 2014 suspension. (These rankings, of course, ignore his first six years in the majors, 1994 to 1999.) He posted a 21st century slugging average of .550 and reached .994 bases per out.
Each of those numbers is the best for any of the 69 third basemen who made at least 2,500 plate appearances since 2000, putting Rodriguez in first place in my positional ratings. The runners-up are Adrian Beltre and Chipper Jones.
Rodriguez joins these previous winners as I continue to roll out the rankings:
Wait a minute, you say. Rodriguez wasn’t a third baseman. He was a shortstop. And it’s true that he played more games at short (1,272) than third (1,194) during his career.
But these rankings are open to anybody who played at least 40% of his games as a third baseman from 2000 onward, and Rodriguez definitely meets that standard. He switched to third in 2004, playing 56% of his 21st century games there, compared to 30% as a shortstop.
It’s important to note that all of his statistics, regardless of position, are included in these rankings. The same is true for all of his competitors. If a player meets the twin standards of 2,500 plate appearances and 40% of all games at a specific position, his full statistical record is analyzed.
My 10-part formula is designed to reward both quality and longevity. It takes outstanding rates (like BA, SLG and BPO) and strong counting stats (G, H, WAR) to propel a player into the top 10. (Click here for a detailed explanation of the rating process.)
The 69 third basemen have been ranked from top to bottom, with 1,000 points assigned to Rodriguez and 0 points to the end of the list. Everybody else’s score was determined by their relative performances.
It can’t be stressed too strongly that these ratings are confined to the past 21 seasons. The top four third basemen in these standings launched their careers in the 1990s, but they’re ranked solely on their play in this century, not on their illustrious careers in total.
What follows are my profiles of the 10 highest-rated third basemen, followed by the rest of the rankings (No. 11 to No. 69). Each profile includes a player’s score, his cumulative stats for the century, and a few pertinent notes. (Click here to learn more about the 10 statistical categories.)
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Score: 1,000 points
WAR: 89.9 total, 6.8 per 162 G, 6.2 defensive
Averages: .291 BA, .550 SLG, .994 BPO
Scoring: 2,603 R generated, 197 per 162 G
Totals: 2,142 G, 2,324 H
Notes: Three MVP awards (the first as a shortstop, the latter two as a third baseman). Fourteen All-Star Game appearances. The five-time American League leader in home runs, with a pair of RBI crowns and a batting title, too. Rodriguez was the complete package on the left side of the infield, even winning two Gold Gloves at short. But his steroid use shadows all of these stats.
Score: 969 points
WAR: 89.6 total, 5.4 per 162 G, 25.6 defensive
Averages: .288 BA, .484 SLG, .782 BPO
Scoring: 2,585 R generated, 155 per 162 G
Totals: 2,704 G, 2,976 H
Notes: Beltre was a better fielder than Rodriguez, as evidenced by his 25.6 defensive WAR and his five Gold Gloves. He also was a consistent hitter, six times posting a BA better than .310. But he didn’t have the same pop, falling 66 points below Rodriguez in slugging average and a whopping 212 points behind in BPO.
Score: 773 points
WAR: 58.3 total, 5.5 per 162 G, -0.8 defensive
Averages: .304 BA, .529 SLG, .982 BPO
Scoring: 1,861 R generated, 175 per 162 G
Totals: 1,720 G, 1,855 H
Notes: These rankings miss the first six year of Jones’s Hall of Fame career, including his MVP season in 1999. But he remained effective well into the new century, winning the National League batting title at .364 in 2008. He hit more than 20 homers every year from 2000 to 2008, posting at least 100 RBIs five times during that stretch.
Score: 697 points
WAR: 54.6 total, 5.6 per 162 G, 17.9 defensive
Averages: .281 BA, .488 SLG, .851 BPO
Scoring: 1,670 R generated, 172 per 162 G
Totals: 1,573 G, 1,598 H
Notes: Rolen’s Hall of Fame candidacy is gathering steam. He received 35% support in 2020’s balloting, up from 17% the year before. He was a whiz in the field, winning seven Gold Gloves this century. His greatest season was 2004, when he batted .314, blasted 34 homers, and drove in 124 runs for the Cardinals.
Score: 657 points
WAR: 49.2 total, 5.0 per 162 G, 0.3 defensive
Averages: .296 BA, .491 SLG, .891 BPO
Scoring: 1,677 R generated, 171 per 162 G
Totals: 1,585 G, 1,777 H
Notes: Wright was an underrated force at the plate. Only three of the 69 third basemen in these rankings posted a BA higher than .290 and BPO higher than .890 for the century. Wright was one of them, joining Rodriguez and Jones. Wright also earned a pair of Gold Gloves early in his career.
Score: 637 points
WAR: 38.9 total, 5.8 per 162 G, 14.7 defensive
Averages: .293 BA, .541 SLG, .864 BPO
Scoring: 1,174 R generated, 176 per 162 G
Totals: 1,079 G, 1,206 H
Notes: Playing in Denver has boosted Arenado’s numbers. His career BA is .322 at home, compared to .263 on the road. But Colorado’s altitude had nothing to do with his eight Gold Gloves or with his ability to deliver in the clutch. He has twice led the National League in runs batted in.
Score: 621 points
WAR: 56.5 total, 5.3 per 162 G, 14.6 defensive
Averages: .266 BA, .473 SLG, .776 BPO
Scoring: 1,655 R generated, 154 per 162 G
Totals: 1,742 G, 1,752 H
Notes: Longoria ranks fourth among third basemen in wins above replacement since 2000. And he’s one of 11 players at the position to generate more than 5.0 WAR per 162 games this century. His resumé shows signs of power (at least 20 homers in 10 seasons) and grace (three Gold Gloves).
Score: 611 points
WAR: 34.2 total, 2.6 per 162 G, -5.3 defensive
Averages: .285 BA, .498 SLG, .801 BPO
Scoring: 2,079 R generated, 160 per 162 G
Totals: 2,104 G, 2,234 H
Notes: Ramirez finished seven different years with batting averages of .300 or better, peaking at .318 with the Cubs in 2004. He also topped 100 RBIs in seven seasons. He joins Rodriguez and Beltre as the only third basemen with more than 2,000 hits and 2,000 runs generated since the turn of the century.
Score: 570 points
WAR: 43.1 total, 3.9 per 162 G, 19.6 defensive
Averages: .298 BA, .399 SLG, .669 BPO
Scoring: 1,566 R generated, 141 per 162 G
Totals: 1,794 G, 2,052 H
Notes: Polanco holds a unique distinction. He is the only player to qualify for the top 10 at two separate positions (not counting designated hitter). He made 53% of his appearances this century as a second baseman, ranking sixth on that list. He spent 41% of his time at third base, earning a Gold Glove there in 2011.
Score: 555 points
WAR: 38.5 total, 3.7 per 162 G, 3.3 defensive
Averages: .279 BA, .475 SLG, .777 BPO
Scoring: 1,681 R generated, 161 per 162 G
Totals: 1,689 G, 1,784 H
Notes: Zimmerman was the very first draft pick for the fledgling Nationals in 2005, and he has played his entire 15-year career in Washington (opting out in 2020 because of Covid-19). He has risen to become the franchise’s all-time leader in hits and home runs.
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