Ranking the projected starting National League third basemen for 2019

The 26-year-old Machado becomes the face of the San Diego franchise after agreeing to a 10 year, $300 million deal with them last week. With the Orioles and Dodgers last season, he batted .297 with 37 homers, 35 doubles, 107 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases. He is expected to move back to third base where he is a former two-time Gold Glove winner.

The next season that the slick-fielding Arenado does not win a Gold Glove will also be the first time as he owns six in six seasons. Oh yeah, he rates on offense too. In 156 games last year, the 27-year-old hit .297 with 38 homers, 38 doubles, 110 RBIs, and 104 runs. It was the third time he has at least shared for the National League-lead in home runs. Arenado finished 2018 third in National League MVP voting, the fourth-straight season he had a top-eight finish.

The 28-year-old Rendon finished 11th in National League MVP voting in 2018 after finishing sixth in 2017. In 136 games last year, he ended with a .308 average, 24 home runs, and 44 doubles (tied for the National League lead). He made just six errors in 2019 and only 22 over the last three seasons.

A shoulder injury may have caused Bryant to put up the worst season of his four-year career in 2018. In 102 games, the 27-year-old went on to bat .272 with 13 homers and 28 doubles. He never displayed the power that helped him hit 94 homers and 104 doubles during his first three years. The 2016 National League MVP has performed adequately in the field during his career.

Carpenter looked like a National League MVP favorite before fading to end the season. The 33-year-old still finished ninth in voting during a season where he hit .257 with 36 long balls, 42 doubles, 111 runs, and 102 walks. It was the second straight year that Carpenter walked more than 100 times. With the addition of Paul Goldschmidt, the majority of his time will be spent at third base after splitting between there and first in 2018.

The 34-year-old Turner continued his late-career renaissance in 2018. Despite playing in only 103 games, he finished 14th in National League MVP voting. He ended the season with a .312 average, 14 home runs, and 31 doubles. It was the third time in his five years with Los Angeles that he batted over .300. While he doesn't have the most range in the field, he also doesn't commit a lot of errors.

The 2015 American League MVP, Donaldson is joining the Braves on a one-year deal after an injury-plagued 2018. He was only able to play in 52 games with the Blue Jays and Indians finishing with a .246 average, eight homers, and 14 doubles. Those numbers pale in comparison to the .285 average and 37 long balls he averaged from 2015-17. While still above-average in the field, the 33-year-old no longer is one of the standouts at his position.

The 27-year-old Suare was named an All-Star for the first time in 2018. His excellent season consisted of a .283 average, 34 home runs, and 104 RBIs. He has seen all of his offensive numbers steadily improve since his first year receiving regular time in 2016. Suarez's nine errors in 2017 may be an outlier as he committed 23 in 2016 and 19 last year.

Shaew is expected to man third base while recently re-signed Mike Moustakas will play second according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The 28-year-old hit over 30 home runs for the second straight year in 2018 (32) while also batting .241 with 78 walks. He fields his position well both at third and second base.

Lowrie unfortunately suffered a knee sprain and may miss Opening Day. He joins the Mets after earning his first All-Star trip in 2018 with Oakland. He even received some love in American League MVP voting as he had a 20th-place finish. The 34-year-old played in 157 games finishing with a .267 average, 23 home runs, 37 doubles, and 99 RBIs. If he does play third base, he has made only 14 starts there over the last two seasons.

Escobar is getting ready for his first full season with Arizona after being traded there last July from the Twins. In 151 games with the two teams in 2018, the 30-year-old performed well with a .272 average, 23 homers, and 48 doubles. The home runs and doubles were a career-best as was his .824 OPS. He made just five errors in his 124 starts at third base.

Anderson's first full season in the majors last year saw him finish fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting. The 25-year-old hit .273 with 11 home runs and 34 doubles. He is expected to spend most of his time at third base this year after splitting time there and in right field last year.

The 33-year-old Longoria isn't quite the same player who was named an All-Star three times. Last season, he tied a career-low with a .244 average and set a career-worst with a .694 OPS. In 125 games last year, he also hit 16 home runs and 25 doubles. Despite his advancing age, he remains good in the field even winning a Gold Glove in 2017.

While Franco has three straight seasons with over 20 homers, it still feels like he can do more. The 26-year-old played 137 games in 2018 batting .270 with 22 home runs. He doesn't walk much leaving his on-base percentage subpar (.314 in 2018, .303 for his career). Nobody would ever mistake Franco for being a Gold Glove-caliber player.

Entering the 2018 season with just 16 career games in the majors, Moran played nearly every day for Pittsburgh last year. In 144 games, the 26-year-old hit .277 with 11 home runs and 19 doubles. He is a career .279 hitter with 28 homers in 196 Triple-A games. Defensive metrics rate him on the lower end of the fielding scale.