Ranking the 5 AL West third basemen entering the 2023 season

In the 2019 offseason, the Los Angeles Angels thought they had their third baseman for the next seven seasons when they signed Anthony Rendon to a massive deal. Rendon had a good season in the shortened 2020 campaign but has struggled to stay on the field and give the Angels anything close to the production they expected when they brought him in.

Rendon has an opportunity to prove all of his doubters wrong with an excellent 2023 campaign. If he fails to do so, the Angels finally have the depth necessary with players like Gio Urshela and Brandon Drury ready and able to fill in admirably.

Where does Rendon rank among the rest of his AL West third basemen peers?

5) Jace Peterson - Oakland Athletics

Jace Peterson is listed as the Athletics projected third baseman according to the Athletics depth chart on FanGraphs, so that's who I'm going with as their third baseman. it could be someone like Jonah Bride or Kevin Smith at third, but regardless, Oakland has the worst third baseman in this division.

Peterson played in 112 games last season and slashed .236/.316/.382 with eight home runs and 34 RBI. His best asset is his versatility as he has appeared in at least one game at every single position except catcher. Yes, he's appeared in four games as a pitcher.

Peterson is a fine bench player but shouldn't be starting many games. Playing for a bad Oakland team Peterson appears to have a shot at an everyday role.

2) Anthony Rendon - Los Angeles Angels

It's hard to really rank Anthony Rendon because he's barely played since the Angels signed him. Going by what we've seen, Rendon would be toward the back of this ranking. Going by the player we all know he was and can be, he'd be first on this list. With the AL West being pretty weak at third base, I think ranking Rendon second is fair. If you want to put Suarez ahead of him I wouldn't be mad at that.

Rendon at his peak was an MVP-caliber player for the Nationals. He was an MVP finalist in 2019, finishing third in the balloting. We've seen him at his worst, a guy who doesn't play games.

The hope is that players like Urshela and Drury can give Rendon days off more frequently and keep him healthy. A healthy Rendon could mean very good things for the Angels as it's another superstar bat in a lineup that already has two of them.

1) Alex Bregman - Houston Astros

After a period where it looked like Alex Bregman might not be the superstar he once was, he bounced back in a big way in 2022. Particularly in the second half. Bregman had an .894 OPS in the second half and had a good postseason as well.

Overall, he slashed .259/.366/.454 with 23 home runs and 93 RBI. In addition to his good bat, Bregman is a really good defender, ranking in the 94th percentile in outs above average. He's one of the better third basemen in the game and is absolutely the best in this division.