Atlanta Braves State of the System: Third Base

The Atlanta Braves are lucky enough to have the perpetually underrated Austin Riley manning third base at the major league level. 

But if, for some reason, Riley wasn't available for an extended period of time in a future season, there's still talent in the minor leagues that could one day man third base. 

(That wasn't necessarily the case at first base, and it's questionable which bucket the shortstop position should be in.)

Let's look at some of the options below the major league level:

Major League Depth in AAA Gwinnett

Luke Williams: Williams, who was claimed off of waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, got nine at-bats across seven games last season as a bench bat (and occasional backup designated pinch-runner). He's on a minor league deal and, as of now, projects to start the season in AAA Gwinnett, where he batted .251 while spending time in left field, right field, third base and first base. 

Phillip Evans: The 31 year-old Evans, who has spent major league time with the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates, spent last season with Arizona's AAA affiliate and battd .312 while spending time at all three non-shortstop positions.

Cade Bunnell: The 26 year-old Bunnell, who was a 40th rounder by Atlanta in the 2019 Draft, batted .201 across 113 games in AA Mississippi last season. Primarily an infielder in his career, he spent time at all four infield positions last season (including shortstop for two games) and five games in left field.  

Yolbert Sanchez: Sanchez, a 2019 IFA out of Cuba who signed with the Chicago White Sox for a $2.5M bonus, was released after a frustrating 2023 season with AAA Charlotte. He batted .271 but also hit only three home runs, and was thrown out nine times out of twenty stolen base attempts. Primarily a second baseman and shortstop earlier in his minor league career, he spent the majority of his time in 2023 playing the hot corner and projects to be an average defender there. 

Prospects in the minor leagues

David McCabe: McCabe, a 4th rounder in the 2020 draft out of UNC-Charlotte, has played primarily third base in his professional career after being a first baseman in college. Despite his 132 games there in his professional baseball career, McCabe profiles as a below-average defender that's going to need to move to third base if he wants to play at the major league level. He's a good contact and on-base bat with plenty of pop, but also enough strikeouts and a lack of foot speed that he portrays as a complimentary piece rather than a first division regular. 

Keshawn Ogans: Ogans, a 20th rounder in the 2022 MLB Draft out of UC-Berkeley, is an undersized infielder that's spent time at all three non-first base positions last season for High-A Rome. Batting .266/.360/.397 with 9 homers and 10 stolen bases in 113 games, Ogans showed a high floor but a low ceiling that is solid, but not spectacular, at every infield position. 

Beau Philip: A 2nd rounder in 2019 out of Oregon State, Philip is a low power bat with  a great arm and defensive chops that's struggled to hit in pro ball. Putting up a combined .202 average across four seasons, Philip has moved off of shortstop in favor of rotating between 2nd and 3rd base, as he did last year in AA Mississippi.  

Nick Ward: Interesting story for Ward, a former 34th rounder in 2018 who made it all the way to AAA with the Oakland A's before finding himself out of affiliated ball for multiple seasons. He signed with Philadelphia and played in High-A Jersey Shore and AA Reading last season, batting a combined .256 with 10 homers while playing all four infield positions. The 28 year-old is now with Atlanta, still searching for that first MLB call-up. 

Sabin Ceballos: Atlanta's 3rd round pick last summer, out of the University of Oregon, Ceballos was a collegiate Rawlings Gold Glove recipient for his glove work at third base last season. Staying there after the draft, Ceballos is a studious and hard-working defender that stills does shortstop drills to maintain the defensive agility of a middle infielder. Reports are that the organization is planning on challenging him with some shortstop work as he progresses through Atlanta's farm system.    

Luis Sanchez: Sanchez, a 2022 international free agent out of Panama, just finished his first season stateside, batting .240 in Florida Complex League "rookie ball" action. He's another versatile defender, spending a majority of time at third base but also covering some second base and even a little shortstop. At 5'7, 165, the hope is that Sanchez can continue physically developing to add more impact at the plate. 

John Gil: An international free agent in the 2023 class out of the Dominican Republic, Gil handled himself well in DSL action, batting .285 in 48 games while stealing 20 bases and spending time at third, short, and first. He's got good contact skills and good speed in an athletic, 6'1 frame, but where the power ceiling comes in will ultimately determine how high up the prospect rankings he climbs. He's currently ticketed to come stateside this summer for Florida Complex League play. 

What would Atlanta do if Austin Riley missed time? 

At this point, Atlanta's major league depth for third base consists of Luis Guillorme and David Fletcher, who have a combined 220 games of experience at the position. With Williams in AAA and having spent 41 games at third base in his career, it feels like Atlanta would probably plug one of those guys in were Riley to miss time, potentially platooning the lefety Guillorme and the righty Fletcher. 

Unlike the first base situation we discussed recently, Atlanta has multiple defenders capable of stepping in and holding down the hot corner defensively, although they'd all be a significant downgrade offensively from Austin Riley. 

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