10) David Freese, Cardinals
Only injuries can keep Freese from being an All Star. Freese played in 97 games during the regular season last year and batted .297 with a .350 OBP and a .441 slugging pct. with 10 home runs and 55 RBIs. In 18 postseason games Freese had a .397 average, .465 OBP, and a .794 slugging pct. with 5 home runs and 21 home runs. He won both the NLCS MVP and the World Series MVP, becoming the fifth player to win both the LCS and World Series MVP. The others were Cole Hamels, Livan Hernandez, Orel Hershiser, and Willie Stargell.
9) Chipper Jones, Braves
Still a pretty decent hitter although he's about to turn 40 years old. Chipper batted .275 and slugged .470 last year and hit 18 home runs and 70 RBIs. Chipper made his 7th All Star team last year, and is a certain Hall of Famer after he retires. One of the best switch hitters of all time.
8) Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
Injuries and age are starting to catch up with A-Rod. He is now 36, and his days of winning MVPs are over. However, he batted .276 with a .362 OBP and a .461 slugging pct. in 99 games last year. A-Rod is also approaching some career milestones, he is 107 RBIs away from 2000 and 225 hits away from 3000.
7) Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
Ramirez had his worst season by far last year playing in only 92 games he set career lows in batting average, on base pct., slugging pct., home runs, RBIs, stolen bases, and a few other categories. Ramirez only batted .243 last year, which is almost 100 points lower than when he won the batting title in 2009 with a .342 average. Han Ram will be moving from shortstop to third this season to make room for Jose Reyes. If Ramirez can rebound from last year and adjust to his new position, he could be one of the best in the league.
6) Aramis Ramirez, Brewers
Ramirez had his best season since 2008 last year for the Cubs. He was 7th in the NL in batting average with .307 and was 10th in total bases with 288. Ramirez also hit 26 home runs and 93 RBIs. Still a good offensive player, although he is a liability on defense. Ramirez signed a 3 year deal with the Brewers in the offseason.
5) Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox
Youk was also hit by the injury bug last year, only playing in 120 games. He also hit a career low .258 last year. But he did have a very good on base pct. at .373. Youk also hit 17 home runs and drove in 80 runs. He's won a Gold Glove as a first baseman, and is a pretty good defender at third as well.
4) Pablo Sandoval, Giants
Sandoval got in better shape for 2011 and had a season more like 2009 than like 2010 when he was overweight and less productive. The Kung Fu Panda made his first All Star team last year and finished 17th in MVP voting. In 117 games he hit .315, slugged .552, hit 23 home runs, and 70 RBIs. He also has improved his defense at third.
3) Adrian Beltre, Rangers
Beltre had another good year in his first season in Texas last year. He batted .296, slugged .561, hit 32 home runs, and 105 RBIs in 2011. He also made the All Star team, won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award. Beltre also had a good postseason hitting 5 home runs during it.
2) Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals
Zimmerman was limited to 101 games last year, but hit .289 with a .355 OBP. Zimmerman is one of the best defensive third baseman in the game and when healthy is one of the best offensive ones too. He's quietly had a good career so far in 6 seasons in Washington.
1) Evan Longoria, Rays
He probably had his worst overall season in 2011, but still finished in the top ten in MVP voting. His batting average was only .244, but he did have a .355 on base pct. and batted .289 in September. Was 8th in the AL with 31 home runs and played his usual good defense at third. Played a big role in overcoming a big Red Sox lead for the wild card last year. Considering he is only 26, and is a very good all around player who's recieved MVP votes every year he's played, I would say Longo is the best third baseman right now.
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