Steve Webb
The hot corner was the subject of the most heated speculation during the Dodgers’ offseason. As the Justin Turner free agency lingered deep into the winter, all kinds of names were being floated around as a possible replacement: Nolan Arenado, DJ LeMahieu, and Kris Bryant were all names that were tantalizing dangled in front of fans’ eyes as possible replacements for JT at third.
However, sometimes the best moves in baseball are the ones you don’t make. In the end, Turner signed a deal to return to the Dodgers and after a whole winter of spekulatin’, Third Base is going to look pretty much like it did last year. Which is a good thing. Max Muncy and Matt Beaty might see some action at third this year, but we’ve already covered them on the other side of the diamond. This article will focus on the three players who will be mainstays this year at the position. The aforementioned Turner, Edwin Rios, and newcomer Sheldon Neuse.
Justin Turner (2020: .307 AVG, 4 HR, 23 RBI)
Justin Turner is more than the beating heart of this Dodgers ballclub; he’s still a damn fine third baseman. In the shortened 2020 campaign, after a slow start, the Long Beach native ended up with an impressive slash line: .307/.400/.460. And more importantly, he was as clutch as anybody on the team not named Corey or Mookie. His good numbers continued into the postseason, and there was serious talk of Turner as a World Series MVP candidate before he tailed off a bit in the last couple of games. Still, his 1.066 OPS was a big part of the Dodgers’ offense during the series, and his two homers made him the all-time Dodgers leader in postseason dingers with 12.
In the end it only took a two-year contract with an option for a third to secure Turner’s services in Dodger blue. Once the deal was announced in mid-February, Dodgers fans could breathe easily once again. Order had been restored to the universe. Let’s hope Turner can stay healthy and continue to contribute at a high level in 2021 and beyond. I would guess that Dave Roberts will make sure Justin gets plenty of rest during the year so that his 36-year-old self will still be ready for a deep run in October. Which makes the guys eating the innings up when he’s not out there even more important this year.
Edwin Rios (2020: .250 AVG, 8 HR, 17 RBI)
Even though we wanted Turner to re-sign with the Blue Crew in the worst way during the offseason, we knew that the Dodgers would be okay one way or the other. The reason? Edwin Rios. The Puerto Rican slugger who came to the Dodgers by way of Florida International University has the look of a big-time ballplayer. He’s decent in the field, but it’s that sweet lefthanded power swing that sends hearts aflutter. At this early stage in his career, he already has 12 homeruns in just 123 big-league at bats, which translates into some crazy Babe-Ruthian ratio.
Now we are not reserving a place for him in Cooperstown just yet, but we could see him getting quite a bit of playing time this year at either corner infield position. In addition, he’s a great power threat to come off the bench as a pinch hitter late in games in the right match up. As he’s already proven, most memorably in Houston last year, they haven’t built a fence far enough away to contain him.
Sheldon Neuse (2019 [AAA]: .317 AVG, 27 HR, 102 RBI)
Oakland farmhand Sheldon Neuse (whose name is pronounced kind of like “noisy”) was acquired last month in the deal that sent Adam Kolarek up to play for the A’s up in the Bay area. From what little we’ve seen of him, he could very well be a solid pickup. He can play both 2nd and 3rd base, and he has some pop in his bat, as his 2019 numbers in triple-A Las Vegas attest to. At one time he was ranked the 4th overall prospect in the A’s system. So far this spring, he’s hitting over .400. So, while he’s probably not going to make the Dodgers’ opening-day roster, he’s a handy piece to have around if the squad finds itself short-handed in the infield because of injury. Our guess is he spends most of the year in OKC.
So at the risk of sounding like a broken record, the Dodgers have plenty of solid options at third base this year. And as long as we can get some serviceable defense out of the position, we should be in very good shape in 2021.
DODGERSBEAT RATING: B+
