Around The Horn 2010: Part 4 – Third Base

Written by: Bill Ivie on 4th March 2010

Around The Horn 2010: Part 4 – Third Base | read this item

Welcome to Part 4 of 2010’s “Around the horn”. Over the course of this week we will examine each position for the Cardinals, taking a look at the strengths, the weaknesses, the starters, the bench and any key minor league players at that position.

Today, we will take a look at the third basemen of the organization.

The Starter: David Freese
Last season, the Cardinals entered Spring Training with multiple position questions and decisions to be made. During the beginning of Spring 2009, David Freese was in a position to inherit the reigns to the hot corner for the Cardinals. An injury pushed him to the back of the pack, and we enter 2010 with the same mindset. Here we are in early Spring and David Freese is set to be the rookie coming North with the club as its starting third baseman. The question here is whether or not David can respond to the pressure. If he should falter at all, the backup options are spread out and a bit thin. If he lives up to the hype and can produce on some level at the major league level, he could be a part of this organization’s future for a long time to come. My prediction? I see David struggling a bit and splitting time with a myriad of players at third, but maintaining as the Cardinals’ primary third baseman this year. A .260 batting average with 12 home runs and 65 RBI would be a successful start to his career, I believe.

The Bench: Felipe Lopez
Flip was discussed at length yesterday in Part 3 of Around the Horn as a backup option at second base. Tony LaRussa loves these super utility type players that he can move all around the diamond and use to backup multiple positions. It is players like Flip Lopez that allows LaRussa to carry 12 and 13 pitchers at different points during the season. Lopez will see his at-bats while playing, in my opinion, five positions for the Cardinals this year. As a third baseman, Lopez is adequate with the glove and his offense does not seem to be influenced by his position on defense. That being said, if the Cardinals are in a position that Lopez is their primary weapon at third base, they are definitely not in the position they want to be. The loss of Mark DeRosa is not one that this team cannot overcome, he really was not that productive for the ball club last season. But Felipe Lopez is a much better option in tomorrow’s discussion about short stop options.

Baby Bird: Allen Craig
He’s billed as one of the Cardinals’ top prospects this season. Allen Craig has done nothing short of impress with his bat in his climb through the minor leagues. While making that climb, he looked to have a promising future in St. Louis. While he was listed as a First Baseman, obviously a position that is “blocked” for young players coming up through this system, he was also listed as a Left Fielder, which seemed to be a fast track to the majors. Enter Matt Holiday. Craig became blocked at both positions by two $100 million men. But Craig does offer some flexibility and has been working out at third base throughout his professional career. Craig adds some depth and, through some hard work and a good spring, could add some discussion towards the end of Spring Training. I personally do not feel that Craig is quite ready for the major leagues, but he does give the Cardinals some breathing room, which is a luxury they do not have at many positions currently.