A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system used to record defensive plays, the third baseman is assigned the number 5. Third base is known as the "hot corner", because the third baseman is often the

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

who stands closest to the batter—roughly 90–120 feet away, but even closer if a

bunt Bunt may refer to: * Bunt (community), an elite social group from Karnataka, India * Bunt (baseball), a batting technique in baseball * Bunt (sail), a part of a ship's sail * Bunt Island, island in Antarctica * The Bunt, nickname of the Buntingfo ...

is expected. Most right-handed hitters tend to hit the ball hard in this direction. A third baseman must possess good hand-eye coordination and quick reactions to catch batted balls whose speed can exceed . The third base position requires a strong and accurate arm, as the third baseman often makes long throws to first base or quick ones to second base to start a double play. As with middle

s, right-handed throwing players are standard at the position because they do not need to turn their body before throwing across the infield to first base.

Mike Squires Michael Lynn Squires (born March 5, 1952) is an American former Major League Baseball player who played for the Chicago White Sox primarily as a first baseman from 1975 and 1977 to 1985. He won the American League Gold Glove Award at first base ...

, who played fourteen games at third base in 1982 and 1983, is a very rare example of a third baseman who threw lefty.https://www.baseball-reference.com/blog/archives/10835 Lefty 3B since 1919 Some third basemen have been converted from middle infielders or

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

s because the position does not require them to run as fast. The third baseman must also field fly balls in fair and foul territories. Expectations of how well a third baseman should be able to hit have risen over time; in the early years of the sport, these expectations were similar to those for

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

s, the third baseman being merely the less skilled defensive player. Players who could hit with more ability often were not suited for third base, either because they were left-handed or because they were not mobile enough for the position. However, the beginning of the live-ball era in the 1920s created a greater demand for more offense, and third basemen have since been expected to hit either for a high

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

(.290 or better) or with moderate to substantial power. Since the 1950s the position has become more of a power position with sluggers such as Eddie Mathews, Mike Schmidt and

Ron Santo Ronald Edward Santo (February 25, 1940 – December 3, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman who played for the Chicago Cubs from 1960 through 1973 and the Chicago White Sox in 1974. In 1990, Santo became a member of the ...

becoming stars. There are fewer third basemen in the

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball ...

than there are Hall of Famers of any other position. Few third basemen have gone on to have successful managing careers; exceptions include John McGraw,

Bobby Cox Robert Joe Cox (born May 21, 1941) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Cox played for the New York Yankees and managed the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays. He is a member of ...

, Jimmy Dykes, and Negro leaguer Dave Malarcher.

Prominent third basemen

Baseball Hall of Fame members

* Frank "Home Run" Baker *

Johnny Bench John Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career, which lasted from through , with the Cincinnati Reds, primarily as a catcher. Bench was the leader of t ...

(elected as a catcher, shifted to third base in last three years of his career) * Wade Boggs * George Brett (played first base and

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

in the latter years of his career) * Jimmy Collins * Ray Dandridge (Negro leagues) * Judy Johnson (Negro leagues) *

Chipper Jones Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones Jr. (born April 24, 1972) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves from 1993 to 2012. The Braves chose Jones with the first overall p ...

* George Kell * Freddie Lindstrom * Edgar Martínez (primarily a designated hitter who was the regular third baseman for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

in the early years of his career) * Eddie Mathews * John McGraw (primarily elected as a manager, although a third baseman in his short but successful playing career) * Paul Molitor (longtime

who played primarily third base on the field) * Brooks Robinson *

* Mike Schmidt *

Pie Traynor Harold Joseph "Pie" Traynor (November 11, 1898 – March 16, 1972) was an American third baseman, manager, scout and radio broadcaster in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played his entire career between 1920 and 1937 for the Pittsburgh Pirates. ...

(First third baseman to be inducted into the

) *

Jud Wilson Ernest Judson Wilson (February 28, 1894 – June 24, 1963), nicknamed "Boojum", was an American third baseman, first baseman, and manager in Negro league baseball. He played for the Baltimore Black Sox, the Homestead Grays, and the Philadelph ...

(Negro leagues)

Multiple Gold Glove Award winners

* Brooks Robinson: 16 * Mike Schmidt: 10 * Nolan Arenado: 8 (active) * Scott Rolen: 8 *

Eric Chavez Eric Cesar Chavez (born December 7, 1977) is an American professional baseball coach and former third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics (1998–2010), New York Yankees (2011–2012), and Arizona Diamondb ...

: 6 * Robin Ventura: 6 * Buddy Bell: 6 * Ken Boyer: 5 * Doug Rader: 5 *

: 5 * Gary Gaetti: 4 * Adrián Beltré: 4 * Matt Williams: 4 * Ken Caminiti: 3 * Frank Malzone: 3 * Evan Longoria: 3 (active) * Matt Chapman: 3 (active) * David Wright: 2 * Wade Boggs: 2 *

Graig Nettles Graig Nettles (born August 20, 1944), nicknamed "Puff", is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman. During a 22-year baseball career, he played for the Minnesota Twins (1967–1969), Cleveland Indians (1970–1972), New York Yankee ...

: 2 * Manny Machado: 2 (active)

All-time single-season assists leaders among third basemen

: 412 (Cleveland Indians, 1971) #

: 410 (New York Yankees, 1973) # Brooks Robinson: 410 (Baltimore Orioles, 1974) # Brooks Robinson: 405 (Baltimore Orioles, 1967) # Harlond Clift: 405 (St. Louis Browns, 1937) # Mike Schmidt: 404 (Philadelphia Phillies, 1974) # Doug DeCinces: 399 (California Angels, 1982) # Brandon Inge: 398 (Detroit Tigers, 2006) # Clete Boyer: 396 (New York Yankees, 1962) # Mike Schmidt: 396 (Philadelphia Phillies, 1977) # Buddy Bell: 396 (Texas Rangers, 1982)

All-time single-season putouts leaders among third basemen

# Denny Lyons: 255 (Philadelphia Athletics, 1887) # Jimmy Williams: 251 (Pittsburgh Pirates, 1899) # Jimmy Collins: 251 (Boston Beaneaters ational League 1900) # Jimmy Collins: 243 (Boston Beaneaters ational League 1898) #

Willie Kamm William Edward Kamm (February 2, 1900 – December 21, 1988) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a third baseman in Major League Baseball from to . Kamm played most of his career for the Chicago White Sox before finishing ...

: 243 (Chicago White Sox, 1928) #

: 236 (Chicago White Sox, 1927) # Frank Baker: 233 (Philadelphia Athletics, 1913) #

Bill Coughlin William Paul Coughlin (July 12, 1878 – May 7, 1943), was a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Washington Senators (1901–1904) and Detroit Tigers (1904–1908). Coughlin spent his entire adult life (1899–1943) playing and coaching ...

: 232 (Washington Senators, 1901) # Ernie Courtney: 229 (Philadelphia Phillies, 1905) # Jimmy Austin: 228 (St. Louis Browns, 1911)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Third Baseman Baseball positions