MLB Network Somehow Left Manny Machado Off Their "Top 10 Third Basemen" List
MLB Network came out with their top 10 third basemen list for their “Top 10 Right Now” show last night and it is a god damn joke. The main reason is because Manny Machado wasn’t on the list. Host Brian Kenny included him at number 10, but Mike Lowell and “The Shredder” left him completely off. That is so mind bottling it isn’t even funny. It’s actually irresponsible. Brian Williams-esque. At least Williams was in Iraq so it’s kinda the same as being shot down. Leaving Machado off the top 10 third basemen list is way more egregious.
Their top 10 list reads….
10. Nolan Arenado, Colorado
9. Juan Uribe, Los Angelos
8. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay
7. Matt Carpenter, St. Louis
6. Kyle Seager, Seattle
5. David Wright, New York
4. Anthony Rendon, Washington
3. Josh Harrison, Pittsburgh
2. Josh Donaldson, Toronto
1. Adrian Beltre, Texas
Where do I begin on how jacked up this list is?
-Arenado made some great plays in the field last year, very Machado-esqe. Young guy who will only get better.
-No A-Rod?? Are you kidding me? (Joke, at least they got that one right.)
-This isn’t the Longo of old folks, average starting to dip a bit, still scares the shit out of me.
-David Wright, adios. Solid player, but not a top 10 guy anymore.
-Kyle Seager should be higher, hit more home runs at gigantic Safeco Field than he did on the road, that’s impressive.
-Anthony Rendon should be top 3, that guy scared the shit outta me when the O’s played the Nats, going to be a lot of web gems from the third base positions in the DMV for years to come.
-Josh Harrison only played 66 games at third last year, but batted .344. Small sample size at third but if he keeps those numbers up he deserves to be that high. Too high for me right now.
-Donaldson is a schmuk, but the guy can play. Fantastic in the field, drops bombs, and even pleases the sabermetrics nerds with his high WAR. Think 2 is a good spot for him.
-Beltre is great. Should be a future Hall of Famer in my book. Makes all the plays in the field, great hitter, and everyone knows about the head touching. Easily #1.
RDT’s Top 10 Third Basemen
10. Nolan Arenado, Colorado
9. Pablo Sandoval, Boston
8. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay
7. Todd Frazier, Cincinnati
6. Josh Harrison, Pittsburgh
5. Kyle Seager, Seattle
4. Manny Machado, Baltimore
3. Anthony Rendon, Washington
2. Josh Donaldson, Toronto
1. Adrian Beltre, Texas
The show is called “Top 10 RIGHT NOW”, and right now, being healthy as a horse, Manny Machado is the fourth best third baseman in the MLB. He was absolutely murdering the ball before he got hurt, batting .355 in 28 games in July and August. It’s a shame he got hurt, the O’s may have won the division by 20 games if he stayed healthy. I fully expect to see Manny back playing at an All-Star level this season.
You already know how he is in the field, one of the top 5 defenders at any position in the league. Countless “holy shit, did you see that” plays, and there’s no one better at the barehanded play. Pretty good for a guy who didn’t even play third base until 2012. Buckle up guys, this kid will be around the top 3 of this list for a while.
He wins off the field too.
