MLB The Show 19: Best third basemen (3B)

Third base is one of the most important positions in baseball. The hot corner sees a lot of action in the field and requires some good athleticism to play, but the modern third baseman also has to bring it at the plate. The likes of Mike Schmidt, George Brett and Brooks Robinson set the standard for the position, but in the current game there are several strong third baseman that can produce on the diamond and at the plate. Which are the best in MLB The Show 19?

How to choose the best third basemen on MLB The Show 19's Franchise Mode

We are looking for the very best third basemen the sport has to offer. These players need to produce at the plate be it via contact or power, and at least hold their own with the glove. Having a dynamic defensive third baseman can save runs but if he is an automatic out at the plate he isn't very useful. Likewise, if he is a mashing machine at the plate but a total sieve in the field things can go downhill in a hurry. Youth is useful, but we are looking for the very best right now so we aren't too worried about age.

These are the best third basemen in MLB The Show 19 with an OVR of 80 more.

*For a full list please see the table below

Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies (OVR 99)

Age: 27

Throws/Bats: R/R

Contract: 8 years/$260 million

Secondary Position: 1B

Batting Tendency: Pull Hitter

Best Stats: Contact vs L (99), Power vs L (99), Batting Clutch (99), Durability (95), Arm Strength (92)

The Rockies superstar gets the maximum 99 OVR in The Show 19 and with good reason. Arenado comes into the 2019 season as a lifetime .291 hitter and averaging 34 homers per 162 games. He's never been much of a base stealer but with terrific power and contact skills and a superb arm he is the perfect third baseman for the modern MLB. He is starting a massive 8-year, $260 million contract with the Rockies, so he isn't going anywhere any time soon unless you hand over a huge haul of prospects. He crushed left-handed pitching in The Show (99/99) and is unlikely to succumb to the grind of the season either.

Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Indians (OVR 95)

Age: 26

Throws/Bats: R/S 

Contract: 

Secondary Position: 2B/SS/LF

Batting Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Durability (96), Batting Clutch (91), Plate Vision (91), Contact vs R (83), Power vs R (83)

Jose Ramirez enters his seventh season in the Majors as the best third baseman in the American League. In the last three years he has really exploded into the national consciousness, playing over 150 games each season (96 durability) and growing as a power hitter at the plate. In 2017 and 2018 he was an All-Star and last season he mashed 39 homers and posted his best OBP at .387. A player that can hit to all fields, Ramirez is entering his prime and can dominate at the plate while also holding his own in the field and is a threat on the base paths too, stealing 73 bases in the last three seasons combined.

Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs (OVR 94)

Age: 27

Throws/Bats: R/R

Contract: 1 year/$12.9 million

Secondary Position: 1B/OF

Batting Tendency: Extreme Pull

Best Stats: Contact vs L (96), Durability (90), Power vs L (89), Plate Discipline (88)

The linchpin of the Chicago Cubs lineup, Bryant's best season came in 2016 when he helped the Cubs finally win a World Series. That year he hammered 39 homers, registered 102 RBI, and hit .292. He has never quite matched those numbers, with injuries forcing him to miss a big chunk of the season in 2018. However, Bryant is a man in his prime and has the ability, especially against lefties (96/89), to be a force at the plate. He isn't much of a base stealer but is capable in the field and has the plate discipline to draw walks too.

Alex Bregman, Houston Astros (OVR 93)

Age: 25

Throws/Bats: R/R

Contract: 1 year, $575,000

Secondary Position: 1B/SS/LF

Batting Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Batting Clutch (97), Durability (96), Contact vs L (93), Arm Strength (87), Plate Discipline (85)

Alex Bregman was drafted 2nd overall by the Houston Astros in the 2015 draft, but his position in the great rebuild the team underwent was never as the leading prospect. And yet all he has done since arriving in the Majors is play terrific baseball. 2017 was his first full season in the Big Leagues and he hit .284 while providing plus defense at third base. In 2018 he added over 50 points to his slugging percentage and mashed 31 homers and hit 51 doubles as he added a power stroke to his game. Bregman was a key piece of the Astros run to the 2017 World Series  with his clutch performances (97) and he earned his first All-Star appearance in 2018. At 25 years old he can expect many more ahead of him.

Manny Machado, San Diego Padres (OVR 93)

Age: 26

Throws/Bats: R/R

Contract: 10 years/$300m

Secondary Position: 1B/SS

Batting Tendency: Pull Hitter

Best Stats: Durability (99), Arm Strength (92), Contact vs L (84), Batting Clutch (83), Arm Accuracy (80)

Manny Machado is the proud owner of a new $300 million contract after hitting free agency in the winter. Drafted 3rd overall by the Baltimore Orioles in 2010, Machado took a little time to grow into a Major League hitter, but his fielding prowess was immediately evident with that arm strength (99). He won a Gold Glove in his first full season in the Majors (2013) and added a second in 2015. 2015 was also the year that Machado's bat matured into a deadly force. He hit 35 homers that year and hasn't dipped below 33 since. In 2018 he was traded to the Dodgers in the summer but the move didn't slow him down as he hit .297 with 37 homers and his first 100+ RBI total (107) and posted career-high marks in OBP & OPS.

Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers (OVR 91)

Age: 34

Throws/Bats: R/R

Contract: 2 years/$32 million

Secondary Position: IF

Batting Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Contact vs L (98), Batting Clutch (88), Contact vs R (86), Plate Vision (86), Durability (83), Plate Discipline (82)

The veteran of the position group, Justin Turner starts the 2019 season at 34 years old. However his age hasn't dulled his abilities just yet. It took Turner some time to get his footing in the Major League, moving from Baltimore to the Mets and providing little at the plate. He came to the Dodgers in 2014 with single-season highs of 4 homers and a .280 average. His first year in LA he hit .340, in 2016 he mashed 27 homers and drove in 90 runs. In 2017 he claimed his first All-Star spot and stole 7 bases. Injuries have caused Turner to miss a lot of time throughout his career, but when at the plate for LA he is a reliable contact hitter against all pitching (98/86) and while he doesn't have the same power threat as others a consistently high on-base is always welcome.

Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals (OVR 90)

Age: 28

Throws/Bats: R/R

Contract: 1 year/$18.8 million

Secondary Position: 1B/2B

Batting Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Batting Clutch (96), Contact vs R (86), Contact vs L (83), Durability (83), Plate Discipline (82), Plate Vision (81)

Anthony Rendon was a first drafted in the 27th round by the Atlanta Braves but opted to attend Rice University instead. That paid off when he was then selected 6th overall by the Washington Nationals in 2011. Rendon hit the Majors in 2013 and didn't take too long to find his feet. By 2014 he was a solid .280+ hitter and was producing runs at the plate and robbing them in the field. He is yet to make an All-Star game, but over the last two years he has hit over .300 and has hit 49 homers too. He's become a key piece in the heart of the lineup for Washington thanks to his clutch hitting (96) but will hit free agency after the 2019 season, making him the most available of the top third basemen in franchise mode.

Josh Donaldson, Atlanta Braves (OVR 89)

Age: 33

Throws/Bats: R/R

Contract: 1 year/$23 million

Secondary Position: 1B

Batting Tendency: Pull Hitter

Best Stats: Plate Discipline (99), Power vs L (89), Power vs R (84), Arm Strength (81)

The 2015 AL MVP is not the force he once was at the plate. Injuries limited him to just 52 games last year and sapped him of his power. he hit just .246 with 8 homers in a very disappointing season. Atlanta gave him a one-year deal hoping to he would re-discover some of the fearsome power that made him so deadly in Oakland and Toronto. He does bring elite plate discipline (99) to your lineup even if his durability (69) and fielding ability (71) isn't what it used to be.

Matt Chapman, Oakland Athletics (OVR 87)

Age: 25

Throws/Bats: R/R

Contract: 1 year/$575,000

Secondary Position: 1B

Batting Tendency: Whole Field

Best Stats: Fielding Ability (99), Reaction (95), Durability (89), Arm Strength (89), Arm Accuracy (82)

Matt Chapman is an elite glove at third base (99) and perhaps the best fielder in all of The Show 19. Drafted 24th overall by the A's in 2014, Chapman hit the Majors in 2017 and made an immediate impact in the field, though at the plate he still had some work to do. 2018 was his first full season in the Majors and he matured some then, hitting a respectable .278 with a .356 on-base and 24 homers. He claimed what is likely to be the first of many Gold Gloves last year and also took home the Platinum Glove as the American League's best fielder. If you favor defense over hitting then Chapman is your guy.

Eugenio Suarez, Cincinnati Reds (OVR 87)

Age: 27

Throws/Bats: R/R

Contract: 7 years/$67.38 million

Secondary Position: 1B/SS

Batting Tendency: Pull Hitter

Best Stats: Durability (87), Power vs L (85), Contact vs L (84), Batting Clutch (80)

Eugenio Suarez was signed as an amateur free agent by the Detroit Tigers in 2008 and slowly rose through their farm system before getting his Major League debut with them in 2014. That winter he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds and in June 2015 found consistent playing time as a stand-in for injured shortstop Zack Cozart and would prove to be so good the Reds felt comfortable trading away their starting third baseman to make room for Suarez. Since then he has become a reliable hitter for the Reds and registered his best season in 2018. His 34 homers, 104 RB, and .283 average were all career-highs and enough to earn him his first All-Star call up. Suarez has been extremely durable (87) for the Reds in the hot corner and has been particularly effective against left-handed pitching (85/84).

All Third Baseman with 80 OVR or more