Braves have options for the long-term at third base

Chipper Jones manned third base for the Atlanta Braves from 1995 through 2012, with the exception of two seasons when he played left field. So, for 16 out of 18 seasons, the Atlanta Braves knew they had an All-Star at the hot corner.

Since Jones retired, third base has been a revolving door. Look at the games started by season at third base since 2013.

2013 – Chris Johnson (123), Juan Francisco (29), Ramiro Pena (6), Paul Janish (5), Tyler Pastornicky (4) and Phillip Gosselin (1).

2014 – Chris Johnson (149), Phillip Gosselin (8) and Ramiro Pena (5)

2015 – Adonis Garcia (41), Juan Uribe (37), Alberto Callaspo (24), Hector Olivera (21), Chris Johnson (20), Pedro Ciriaco (8), Kelly Johnson (6), Phillip Gosselin (4) and Daniel Castro (1)

2016 – Adonis Garcia (123), Chase d’Arnaud (16), Gordon Beckham (10), Daniel Castro (5), Reid Brignac (3), Brandon Snyder (2), Rio Ruiz (1) and Jace Peterson (1).

2017 – Adonia Garcia (37), Johan Camargo (21), Rio Ruiz (21), Freddie Freeman (16), Brandon Phillips (15), Jace Peterson (4), Sean Rodriguez (3) and Danny Santana (3)

That adds up to 24 players who have played third base in the almost five full seasons.

That’s incredible.

So, when will the Braves find a more stable situation for third base? Well, Garcia should be back before the end of this season, so he could get another chance. If Phillips is not traded, the Braves likely will have him audition there a bit more. And yes, there does seem to be the possibility the Braves could bring Phillips back to play at second and third base.

What about the kids? Who is in the pipeline to possibly give this team long-term stability at the position?

Camargo could get another shot at third when he comes off Atlanta’s disabled list. The Braves may want to see an infield of Ozzie Albies at second, Dansby Swanson at short and Camargo at third base.

Ruiz has gone back to Triple-A Gwinnett and done well. Since returning to Gwinnett following his time in Atlanta, Ruiz has hit .250 with 10 home runs, 33 RBI, 11 doubles and a .348 on-base percentage. Ruiz is still striking out too much, as he has 54 in his 221 plate appearances in his 52 games since going back.

Overall this season, Ruiz is hitting .255 in Triple-A, with 14 home runs, 49 RBI and a .331 OBP in 372 plate appearances. He has struck out 94 times in his 89 games. Last season in 133 games with Gwinnett, Ruiz hit .271 with 10 home runs, 62 RBI and a .355 OBP.

Ruiz is not a complete player, but at 23 years old, he deserves a chance. The Braves really need to bring Ruiz up to get that shot, and a trade of Phillips may be the only way for that to happen.

Then in Double-A, the Braves have 20-year-old Austin Riley, one of the team’s first-round picks in 2015. Riley surprisingly was moved up to Mississippi in mid-July and has done well. He has hit .285 in the Southern League, with six home runs, 17 RBI and a .326 OBP in 31 games.

For High-A Florida, Riley hit .252 with a .310 OBP, 12 home runs and 47 RBI. So, for the season, Riley is at .261, 18 home runs, 64 RBI and a .314 OBP.

The statistical improvement Riley has made from High-A to Double-A is encouraging. He also has been better this year defensively at third base. Last year, Riley made 30 errors in 122 games at Rome. This season he has had 16 in his 111 games between Florida and Mississippi. While he has had a few more in Double-A than he had in the Florida State League, improvement has been made with the glove.

Riley turns 21 on April 2, and he’ll likely go back to his home state of Mississippi to begin the 2018 season. But what if Riley does well in his return? He could be lined up for an audition in Atlanta late next season, or at the latest to begin the 2019 season.

For the long-term, it is expected that Kevin Maitan could switch from shortstop to third base. He’s the highly paid international prospect the Braves signed last summer. Maitan is off to a slow start with the bat in rookie ball, hitting just .231 between the GCL and Danville, with one home run, 12 RBI and a .273 OBP.

Ruiz and Riley are front of center as potential long-term options for the Braves at third base. But don’t be surprised this winter if the team still sniffs around to see other, more-veteran options for the position.

This story was originally published August 19, 2017 at 8:17 PM with the headline "Braves have options for the long-term at third base."