Heroes of the Zeros: Third Base

by Slyde on Dec 21, 2009 8:00 AM EST in All Decade Team

During the aughts, the Reds had 39 different players play at least one game at 3B, including Javier Valentin, Jason Larue, Dmitri Young, and Wily Mo Pena. There was also a fan favorite, a fan whipping boy, and a guy that is more famous for a single swing on another team than anything he did with the Reds. Who do you think is the starting 3B for the Reds All Decade team? Vote in the poll after the jump.

Other ballots: Starting Rotation | Bullpen | Catcher | First base | Second base

Click header to sort table by column
	Years	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	wOBA	WAR
Aaron Boone	2000-2003	455	1889	1681	242	451	101	7	70	257	144	308	.268	.335	.462	.797	103	.339	8.4
Edwin Encarnacion	2005-2009	514	2000	1764	236	462	109	4	71	263	185	364	.262	.345	.449	.793	103	.344	1.4
Tim Hummel	2003-2004	82	219	194	19	43	9	0	3	17	16	30	.222	.285	.314	.599	58	.258	-0.9
Brandon Larson	2001-2004	109	332	291	29	52	11	0	8	37	35	86	.179	.271	.299	.570	49	.258	-1.4
Andy Phillips	2008	52	80	73	11	17	3	0	3	10	6	14	.233	.300	.397	.697	80	.307	-0.2
Joe Randa	2005	92	368	332	44	96	26	1	13	48	33	52	.289	.356	.491	.847	120	.362	1.3
Scott Rolen	2009	40	162	137	24	37	7	1	3	24	19	20	.270	.364	.401	.766	102	.342	0.9
Adam Rosales	2008-2009	105	296	259	23	55	11	1	4	21	27	50	.212	.296	.309	.605	60	.275	-0.3
Chris Stynes	2000	119	420	380	71	127	24	1	12	40	32	54	.334	.386	.497	.883	120	.378	2.5

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 12/18/2009.

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Comments

I voted Aaron Boone

Mostly because I miss the the guy so sorely. Do you guys think anyone is going to fool around with Edwin next year? No multi-year contracts in his near future. I bet he resents that. Yea, I hope he does too.

Start SEEing motorcycles

by Excalib8 on Dec 21, 2009 8:47 AM EST reply actions

I've never understood people that openly hated Edwin

I can understand wanting to get rid of him, but it seems like there are a lot of people that wish him ill. I don’t get the reason for that.

I don’t think that Edwin will be a cornerstone for anybody, if that’s what you are asking. However, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him catch on with a team in another position and put up decent though not great numbers. Then again, if his wrist never fully recovers, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him sputter around for another year or two before being out of the game all together.

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by Slyde on Dec 21, 2009 9:06 AM EST up reply actions

i know edwin had 59 more games

but find it remarkable that boone and edwin’s numbers are virutally identical, yet boone is the good guy and edwin is dirt.

Baseball worshiped here.

by Daedalus on Dec 21, 2009 12:26 PM EST up reply actions

(with one glaring exception, i know)

Baseball worshiped here.

by Daedalus on Dec 21, 2009 12:33 PM EST up reply actions

Aaron F'ing Boone!

"If it wasn't this, it'd be something else."

by ZJiff30 on Dec 21, 2009 9:56 PM EST up reply actions

I voted for Edwin, because this comment was so mean to him.

IAN! I'm on traain!

by andromache on Dec 21, 2009 2:50 PM EST up reply actions

That same logic kept Tavaras in CF this long.

There’s no crying in baseball!

Start SEEing motorcycles

by Excalib8 on Dec 21, 2009 4:42 PM EST up reply actions

what a crappy lot.

Edwin. And I still swear a move to 3B could have saved Austin Kearns’s career. Of course, so would have fixing that giant hole in his swing.

by Brian B on Dec 21, 2009 9:06 AM EST via mobile reply actions

or a well-timed hemorrhoid on Ray King's Fat Ass

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by Slyde on Dec 21, 2009 9:09 AM EST up reply actions

Boonie was a solid bat, and a nice glove over there. He's my pick.

I completely forgot about how good Stynes was that year.
-j

I write at:
Beyond the Boxscore | Red Reporter | Basement-Dwellers.com | Twitter: @jinazreds

by JinAZ on Dec 21, 2009 9:10 AM EST reply actions

It's tough to ignore the WAR

But I’m giving it to Edwin based on longevity, and the fact that Boone’s numbers aren’t really that much better than Edwin’s. Big props to Boone for his honesty (“Yes, I was playing basketball”) and for coming back from open-heart surgery. Not to mention convincing Hall o’ Famer Hal to keep writing. What a great guy.

by Brendanukkah on Dec 21, 2009 9:37 AM EST reply actions

It is tough to ignore the WAR

which is why I didn’t. Gotta go with Boone here. Edwin just had so many ups and downs, and he missed his fair share of time too, due to demotions/injuries.

Boone could be a frustrating player, but he was clearly more valuable.

If I hear the word 'perky' again, I'll puke

by nycredsfan on Dec 21, 2009 9:39 AM EST reply actions

WAR??!! Good God! What is it good for??

"Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!"

by "Red" Moskau on Dec 22, 2009 7:02 AM EST up reply actions

absolutly nothing!

"strikeouts are a lot sexier than groundouts"

by smitty3 on Dec 22, 2009 7:25 AM EST up reply actions

Stynes played in this decade?

who knew

"There is no harder thing than to have Glenn Beck outlive your child."-The Onion

by justin007000 on Dec 21, 2009 10:01 AM EST reply actions

ive always had a place in my heart

for Tim “The Collection” Hummel. that bastard was the OG Adam Rosales.

"Everything you are doing is bad. I want you to know this."

by Charlie Scrabbles on Dec 21, 2009 10:37 AM EST reply actions

How is Edwin only coming in at 1.4 WAR?

Fangraphs has him at 6.0… Does Sean Smith’s WAR dock him 4.6 WAR for his defense?

Yeah, those guys and the Cincinnati Reds. They're a terrible football team. / Because they're a baseball team? / Exactly. You know who's the worst football team? The Philadelphia Flyers. - Best Show

by RijoSaboCaseyWKRP on Dec 21, 2009 10:55 AM EST reply actions

Actually it should be 1.0 WAR

I just noticed that Smith has updated his WAR lists with 2009 data.

It looks like the biggest difference is on defense. WIth the Reds, UZR has EdE worth -35 runs, but Total Zone has him worth -55 runs. There is also a big difference in offense. FanGraphs has EdE at +20.7 on offense, but Smith only has him worth +2 on offense. I’m not sure which formula Sean is using to calculate runs, but I’m pretty sure FanGraphs uses wOBA runs. Those are the two main differences. FanGraphs also has a slightly more favorable replacement level for Edwin.

I like FanGraphs defensive model a little better, but since we don’t have that data for the entire decade, we can’t use it. The important thing is that we shouldn’t say “Fan Graphs has Edwin at 6 WAR, so he compares much better to Boone in that case” because Boone would also likely have some differences in his WAR , though in the 2 seasons we have on Fan Graphs, he rates about 0.4 WAR lower than in Smith’s system.

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by Slyde on Dec 21, 2009 11:13 AM EST up reply actions

i voted for joe randa for his opening day game-winning HR

gotta perform while the games still matter…which for the Reds usually ends after the first week of the season.

"Live every week like it's shark week. And dress everyday like you're gonna get murdered in those clothes." - Tracey Jordan

by RedinWrigleyville on Dec 21, 2009 11:20 AM EST reply actions

My choice too

What a sorry lot to choose from….or rather Such a sorry lot from which to choose.

Chris was a guy that ... was heavily misunderstood.. the only guys that knew Chris and knew how good of a heart he had, how kind he was, how gentle he was, how soft of a heart he had, were the guys in our locker room, the guys who were close to him, his family." — Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer

by Madville on Dec 21, 2009 6:36 PM EST up reply actions

Boone

Numbers are pretty clear on this one but w.i.f. does Larson think of himself for hitting .179? Crap, I could do that and I remember when Ike was president.

by johnu1 on Dec 21, 2009 12:21 PM EST reply actions

I went Ede

Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.

by Caleb on Dec 21, 2009 12:40 PM EST reply actions

i miss aaron boone ...

… should have given him one of those 1 day contracts so he could retire a red ….. he gets my vote

"Some times you get lucky; some times you get Willy Taveras." - Teh Fay

by joshuar9476 on Dec 21, 2009 12:52 PM EST reply actions

That was close for me...

I voted Boonie, but I really don’t like all the hate EdE’s getting…

People Don't Kill People. Burning Couches Kill People.

by crolfer on Dec 21, 2009 1:36 PM EST reply actions

ditto

On both counts

"Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!"

by "Red" Moskau on Dec 22, 2009 7:04 AM EST up reply actions

Scott Rolen anyone?

ok small sample siz’d but he still is by far the best player on this list. no one comes close to his defense, and he is top 3 in offense. He is one of the best 3b of the decade in the MLB not just for the reds. EE or Boone are not even in his league, even when he is 34 years old

"strikeouts are a lot sexier than groundouts"

by smitty3 on Dec 21, 2009 4:21 PM EST reply actions

Are you saying he should be the 3B of the decade for the Reds based on 40 games?

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by Slyde on Dec 21, 2009 4:27 PM EST up reply actions

noo

Im saying he is the best player on this list

"strikeouts are a lot sexier than groundouts"

by smitty3 on Dec 21, 2009 4:34 PM EST up reply actions

well, duh.

Red Reporter or follow on Twitter: @redreporter

by Slyde on Dec 21, 2009 4:36 PM EST up reply actions

so he gets my vote

i mean he qualified for the list, so im going with the best player on the list

"strikeouts are a lot sexier than groundouts"

by smitty3 on Dec 21, 2009 9:43 PM EST up reply actions

you go, maverick.

by GrooveLeg on Dec 21, 2009 9:53 PM EST up reply actions

all the mavericks in the house, put your hands up!

"If it wasn't this, it'd be something else."

by ZJiff30 on Dec 21, 2009 9:53 PM EST up reply actions

by GrooveLeg on Dec 21, 2009 10:26 PM EST up reply actions

And the moose munching the soft grass in the scintillating Alaska snow, also.

Baseball worshiped here.

by Daedalus on Dec 21, 2009 11:23 PM EST up reply actions

Incompetents invariably make trouble for people other than themselves.
Larry Mcmurtry

by Madville on Dec 22, 2009 12:20 AM EST up reply actions

james garner was young once?

Baseball worshiped here.

by Daedalus on Dec 22, 2009 12:45 AM EST up reply actions

The plaque for 2nd place is in the ladies' room...

"Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!"

by "Red" Moskau on Dec 22, 2009 7:04 AM EST up reply actions

where's Brendan??

he’s gonna be so pissed when he finds out he missed this.

"Everything you are doing is bad. I want you to know this."

by Charlie Scrabbles on Dec 21, 2009 11:31 PM EST up reply actions

he's in dayton

they don’t have interwebs there.

Baseball worshiped here.

by Daedalus on Dec 22, 2009 12:43 AM EST up reply actions

just kidding.

Baseball worshiped here.

by Daedalus on Dec 22, 2009 12:47 AM EST up reply actions

They do, he'll just see it in two weeks when the carrier pigeon arrives with the last data packet strapped to its ankle

"Santa Claus doesn't use Craigslist." -- 'tHan

by jch24 on Dec 22, 2009 2:21 PM EST up reply actions

boone for me.

obviously rolen is superior to about 90% of 3B ever to play the game, but i was a huge boone fan. when he came to the plate and everyone yelled “BOOOOOOOOOOOOONE”—i mean that was sweet.

by GrooveLeg on Dec 21, 2009 9:51 PM EST reply actions