Colorado Rockies Countdown: Top Five Third Basemen

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Jul 7, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; General wide view of Coors Field during the seventh inning of the game between the Philadelphia Phillies against the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies defeated the Phillies 11-2. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

In our last countdown, we featured the Colorado Rockies’ greatest second basemen, which is not a traditionally sexy offensive position, and although the club does have a unique combination of power and speed at the two bag, we are moving onto a much more offensively productive position in third base.

To compile our rankings, we used FanGraphs‘ list for career Wins Above Replacement (fWAR), which serves as a great guideline for positional players. The fWAR statistic allows one to evaluate a player’s contribution over time with a specific team. Therefore, fWAR allows us to completely negate what a player has done in their career while not wearing the purple and black.

Also as a general rule, this list consists of players that have at least 500 plate appearances with the club. The 500 PA rule gives a large enough sample size for accurate evaluation. As an added stipulation, the players on our list needed to have played a majority of their innings in the field at the position being evaluated. In reference to third base, this ‘majority rule’ didn’t prevent anyone from making it into our rankings.

Without further ado, here is Rox Pile’s list of the top third basemen to ever sport purple pinstripes. Let us know in the comments section what you think!

Next: Show Me The Rankings!

Jun 28, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; General view of the stands of Coors Field during a hail and rain storm causing a delay in the start of the game between the Toronto Blue Jays against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Charlie Hayes (1993-1994, fWAR 4.8)

As a member of the inaugural 1993 squad, Charlie Hayes is the “original” Rockies third baseman, starting at the hot corner for Colorado’s first-ever game. Hayes’ stint in Colorado didn’t last long however with no thanks to a strike-shortened 1994 season.

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In his lone full season in Denver, Hayes made a significant offense impact as he led the National League in doubles with 45. Hayes would set career bests in RBIs (98) and home runs (25) in that lone Colorado season. Among Rockies all-time two-baggers, Hayes ranks second with an impressive .298 AVG.

The most memorable moment of Hayes’ stint in purple and black came on June 15, 1993. In a game against those lovely Los Angeles Dodgers, things got testy and the breaking point happened when Hayes charged the mound after being plunked by Ramon Martinez. Hayes’ charge ignited one of the biggest brawls in Colorado history.

Hayes, originally a fourth-round draft pick by the San Francisco Giants in 1983, enjoyed a 14-year career spread out between seven different organizations. There are a few interesting facts about Charlie. The first is that Hayes played in the 1977 Little League World Series. As for the other fact, well, you know how every no-hitter has that one spectacular defensive play that seems to signal that a higher power is involved? For Charlie Hayes that moment came when he sealed a Terry Mulholland no-hitter by snaring a line drive to end the game when he was a member of the Phillies.

Next: Hit His Peak on Black Street

Jun 22, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A bat rests inside a baseball glove at an MLB game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Jeff Cirillo (2000-2001, fWAR 6.9)

A Pasadena native, Jeff Cirillo was sent to the Colorado Rockies during the 1999 winter meetings via a three-team trade between Colorado, Oakland and Milwaukee. Among Rockies to ever man the hot corner, Cirillo ranks first in on-base percentage (.379) and average (.320). Cirillo didn’t bring a lot of pop to the position, however, as he ranks last on our list in home runs with only 28. For context purposes, Charlie Hayes hit 35 home runs in 200 fewer at-bats.

Like Hayes, Cirillo’s tenure in Colorado was short, but also very sweet as he made the All-Star Game in his first year on Blake Street. Cirillo would last only one more year in purple pinstripes. The reasoning for not holding on to Cirillo can be that the Rockies weren’t contending and they would acquire the franchise’s best closer in Brian Fuentes via Cirillo’s departure.

While hitting for average, Cirillo excelled on defense. In 295 games, Jeff only made 22 total errors. In regards to base running, a much underappreciated ability indeed, Cirillo is the only one our list with a positive FanGraphs base running score (BsR).

Also like Hayes, Cirillo enjoyed a great 14-year Major League career, making stops with six different clubhouses. Originally an 11th-round draft pick by the Brewers, only twice in his career did Cirillo posted a negative WAR (none while in Colorado). Cirillo would play his last game on September 30, 2007 against the Rockies as a member of the Diamondbacks.

Next: 2006 Rockies Player of the Year

May 15, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; General view of a Colorado Rockies cap and glove in the fifth inning of the game against the New York Mets at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Garrett Atkins (2003-2009, fWAR 7.7)

As a promising rookie, Garrett Atkins would lead the 2005 rookie class (a class that featured Robinson Cano) with a .347 OBP and 89 RBI. The following season would be his best in a Rockies uniform, batting .329 with 29 home runs and 120 RBIs earned him the club’s player of the year award. By 2007, Atkins had solidified himself as a middle of the order star for Colorado, and backed it up by helping lead the team to a National League pennant.

Atkins would have one more good offensive season with Colorado in 2008 before basically falling off of the map. Atkins would only hit .226 in 2009 and ultimately lose his job to Ian Stewart (yeah, remember him?). Once Atkins’ bat left, there wasn’t much reason to keep him around as he is by far away the worst defender on our list (fDEF of -25.0).

Rockies fans have a lot of pride in Atkins, however, as he was a home grown product. Drafted in the fifth round of the 2000 draft out of UCLA, Atkins played on the same Bruins infield as Chase Utley.

Garrett would ultimately only play eight years in the Majors due to his rapid offensive decline. Seven of those years would be with the Rockies. In that time, Atkins is currently second all-time among Rockies third baseman in home runs (98), runs (394), RBIs (479), and OBP (.354).

Next: The Franchise and The Future

May 6, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) rounds third base on his way to home plate during the second inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Nolan Arenado (2013-Present, fWAR 13.2)

Well you knew he was going to be on the list somewhere, and barring the unspeakable, he will top our list sooner rather than later. Arenado is an absolute wizard, both at the plate and with the glove. In only three years in the league, Arenado already has three Gold Gloves, led the National League with 42 home runs, 130 RBI, and 354 total bases a year ago, and is headed to his second consecutive All-Star Game. Not bad for a guy with only three full seasons under his belt.

Drafted in the second round of the 2009 draft, scouts never figured Arenado as one to have a whole lot of pop in his bat although they knew he could rake. Before exploding for 42 home runs and winning his first Silver Slugger last year, Nolan had only hit 28 in his first two seasons combined. When you factor in his defense mastery, Arenado has to be considered among the top 10 position players in the game, and that’s being conservative.

In regards to just defense, Nolan has already secured his place as Colorado’s all-time greatest third baseman with the glove. According to FanGraphs’ DEF score, Nolan is sitting atop the list with a score of 48. Jeff Cirillo is second at a score of 33.3.

If you watch Rockies games regularly, you don’t need “scores” to tell you how great Nolan is defensively, you can see his wizardry on a nightly basis.

In only three full seasons, Nolan already ranks third among Rockies third basemen in nearly every major offensive category including home runs (93), runs (263), and RBI (313). Arenado should surpass Atkins for second in these categories fairly soon … and he should move into second in home runs by season’s end.

Just to prove baseball is romantic and weird, Nolan hit for a .287 average in 2014, which just happens to be the same exact average he would wind up with in 2015. At the time this article was written, can you guess what Nolan’s average was? Yeah … .287.

Next: The G.O.A.T.

Jun 28, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; General view of the game clock at Coors Field as the game ends between the Toronto Blue Jays against the Colorado Rockies. The Blue Jays defeated the Rockies 14-9. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Vinny Castilla (1993-1999, 2004, 2006, fWAR 15.5)

The Mexican-born Vinny Castilla is widely revered as one of the top five greatest ballplayers to come from our southern neighbor. Naturally, Vinny is the Rockies all-time greatest third baseman … albeit it might not be for much longer. Castilla made his way into Rockies fans hearts as a middle of the order anchor during the Blake Street Bombers days. In nine seasons with Colorado, Castilla mashed 30-plus home runs six times, and 40 or more on three separate occasions. You know what they say, chicks (and fans in general) dig the long ball.

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Interesting enough, when the Rockies selected Castilla in the expansion draft, Castilla played mainly at shortstop, but once Charlie Hayes was out of the picture, Castilla took over the hot corner permanently in the 1995 season. Castilla would wind up (surprisingly) making the 1995 All-Star squad, which proved to be the turning point of his amazing Rockies career.

Castilla would have three total stints with the club over a wonderful 16-year career. Vinny’s best season for the Rockies came in 1998 when he played in all 162 games while batting in 144 runs and belting 46 home runs with a .319 average. The 144 RBI in 1998 wasn’t good enough to lead the National League, but once Vinny returned to Coors in 2004, he would finally lead the National League in that category with 131.

If three stints with the club doesn’t signal a strong and romantic bond between the Rockies and Castilla, then you should know he is now serving as a special assistant on the Rockies coaching staff.

Next: Why Isn't Nolan in the Home Run Derby?

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.

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Colorado Rockies Countdown: Top Five Third Basemen

25 years of Major League baseball in the Rocky Mountains is nearly upon us. In celebration, Rox Pile is taking a journey through Colorado Rockies history and taking a look at the best players at every position. Our next stop? Third base.

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