Rangers: Adrian Beltre no longer a top-10 third baseman

It’s hard to say but after this season, Rangers veteran Adrian Beltre no longer ranks inside the top 10 among third basemen for next season.

The Texas Rangers made a big splash by signing Adrian Beltre in the 2011 offseason. Since joining the team, he’s been one of the most consistent players in the league. However, this was the first time he played less than 100 games since his rookie season. Is Father Time catching up or can he post one more good season?

Beltre averaged 28 home runs, 94 RBI and a .308 average in 148 games per season for six seasons. He was one of the few players you could draft within the first six rounds and you would not have to worry about him.

I had him in my second tier of third basemen when I did my 2017 rankings and he was the fifth third baseman drafted in ESPN leagues with an ADP of 58.5.

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Unfortunately, any owner that drafted him this season was not as lucky. Beltre played in just 94 games and hit 17 home runs, 71 RBI and .312 in that span. The average was still good but the lack of playing time hurt his counting stats.

Trouble began when Beltre started the season on the DL. He was dealing with a calf injury. He wouldn’t return until May 29, almost two months into the season.

He was a little slow to start, which was expected. At the end of June, he was hitting .277 with five home runs and 22 RBI. Beltre missed 11 games in September as well.

When all was said and done, Beltre finished 31st among third basemen on the Player Rater. The limited games played obviously hurt his value but if he was able to hit a few more home runs and drive in runs, he may have finished closer to the top 25.

That’s all Beltre did, but it takes a few others to move him out of the top 10 after just one season. So, who stepped up in 2017?

Past the obvious names like Nolan Arenado and Kris Bryant, Alex Bregman had a great season. While he did play all over for the Houston Astros, he played the majority of this season at third base. He hit 19 homers, 71 RBI and .284 in 155 games. Bregman also had 17 steals.

Travis Shaw had his breakout season with the Milwaukee Brewers, hitting 31 home runs, 101 RBI and .273 in 155 games. I don’t expect another 30/100 season but he should be able to hit something close to it next season.

Joey Gallo has 40-home run power but the average will hurt you. Justin Turner also missed time but he still hit 21 homers and .322 in 130 games. If he can play 150 games again, I expect 30 home runs from the Dodgers third baseman.

I won’t go into detail about every third baseman, but this just proves that there are plenty of other options at the position. It’s not that Beltre isn’t good anymore, there’s still something there, it’s that the rest of the position improved.

Next: Middle Reliever Debate: Chad Green or Chris Devenski?

In AL-only leagues, Beltre is still a top-seven pick. In deeper mixed leagues, he is worth a top-100 pick. But in the garden variety, 10-team leagues, Beltre falls to the 11th round in my rankings. If you can get 22-25 home runs out of your No. 2 third baseman, that’s great value. I just think investing an early round pick in him gets you much in return anymore.

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