Ah, third base. You say hot corner, I say black hole. Let’s call the whole thing off. It’s possible that the situation could have been worse for the Padres in 2005, but I’m hard pressed to imagine how. With what’s lined up for next year, we may yet find out.

[Previous entries in this series: catcher | first base | second base]

Offensive Capsule

	BA	OBP	SLG	BB/PA	ISO	SEC	RC/27
Padres second basemen	.254	.319	.365	.076	.111	.205	4.03
MLB rank	24	21	28	19	29	27	23
Stats courtesy of ESPN. Color key: green, top 10; yellow, middle 10; red, bottom 10.

Defensive Capsule

	FPct	RF
Padres third basemen	.960	2.64
MLB average	.958	2.77
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. Color key: green, above average; red, below average.

Sean Burroughs began the season as the starter but with his offensive production continuing in free fall, the Padres brought in veteran Joe Randa, who garnered most of the playing time down the stretch. In between, World Series hero Geoff Blum also saw action at third base, providing some of the best defense the Pads offered there in 2005. Damian Jackson, Xavier Nady, Robert Fick, Manny Alexander, and Mark Loretta round out the cast of thousands that played third for the Friars.

Sean Burroughs

Summary

Offensive Capsule

	BA	OBP	SLG	BB/PA	ISO	XBH/H	RC/27	OPS+
2004	.298	.348	.365	.055	.067	.179	4.57	92
2005	.250	.318	.299	.076	.049	.141	3.13	71
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. Color key: green, positive trend; red, negative trend.

Defensive Capsule

	FPct	RF	DP/9
Burroughs	.962	2.80	.219
MLB average	.958	2.77	.188
Stats courtesy of ESPN. Color key: green, above average; red, below average.

Expectations

From my season preview over at Baseball Think Factory:

I expected Burroughs to make steady progress last year before breaking out in 2005. Well, he didn’t exactly improve his game, but I still look for him to step up this year. The difference is, now he pretty much has to in order to remain a part of the Pads’ long-term plans.

Positives

• Good defender; quick reactions, plus range, soft hands, increasingly accurate arm.
• Still very young.

Negatives

• Hit for no power; not worried about homers but with his size and the large gaps at Petco Park, he should be hitting 35+ doubles a year.
• Rest of offensive game deteriorated as well; pulled the ball so infrequently that opponents usually stationed left fielder in and near the line so that balls which otherwise might fall for singles or doubles would be caught.

Outlook

Burroughs is at a crossroads and appears to have worn out his welcome in San Diego. He has terrific athletic ability but has had trouble translating tools into usable skills. He is still young enough to turn his career around but he shouldn’t be regressing offensively at this stage.

The lack of power is particulary alarming. Over the past two seasons, more than 83% of Burroughs’ hits have been singles. That’s slightly higher than Juan Pierre‘s percentage (82) over that same period. If you play center field, hit for a high batting average, and steal 50+ bases a year, you can get away with that for a while and call it a decent career. If you play third base and hit .250, you can be the new Wayne Krenchicki.

Joe Randa

Summary

Offensive Capsule

	BA	OBP	SLG	BB/PA	ISO	XBH/H	RC/27	OPS+
2004	.287	.343	.408	.074	.121	.295	5.02	100
2005	.276	.335	.452	.077	.176	.405	5.44	105
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. Color key: green, positive trend; red, negative trend.

Defensive Capsule

	FPct	RF	DP/9
Randa	.967	2.47	.156
MLB average	.958	2.77	.188
Stats courtesy of ESPN. Color key: green, above average; red, below average.

Randa’s numbers include his time with the Padres and the Reds. With the Pads he hit just .256/.303/.395. His defensive numbers also took a nosedive: .955 FPct, 2.19 RF, .146 DP/9.

Expectations

None. Didn’t begin the season in San Diego.

Positives

• Slight power upgrade over Burroughs.
• Killer smile.

Negatives

• After hitting well in Cincy, regressed to 2001 version on coming to San Diego; batting average and power numbers were disappointing.
• Mediocre defense; inferior reliability and range compared to Burroughs and Geoff Blum.
• Cost two good (not great) pitching prospects.

Outlook

With Vinny Castilla coming over from Washington (as well as Justin Leone from Seattle), Randa won’t be back with the Padres in 2006. But as one of the few “name” third basemen available in a weak free-agent crop, Randa will land a starting gig somewhere and likely will be overpaid on the basis of the solid numbers he posted in Cincy before his trade to San Diego.

Geoff Blum

Summary

Offensive Capsule

	BA	OBP	SLG	BB/PA	ISO	XBH/H	RC/27	OPS+
2004	.215	.266	.348	.065	.133	.397	3.10	61
2005	.229	.296	.345	.080	.116	.315	3.38	74
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. Color key: green, positive trend; red, negative trend.

Defensive Capsule

	FPct	RF	DP/9
Blum	.950	3.27	.255
MLB average	.958	2.77	.188
Stats courtesy of ESPN. Color key: green, above average; red, below average.

Blum’s numbers include time with the Padres and the White Sox. With the Friars, he hit .241/.321/.375. At third base, he had a .965 FPct, 3.20 RF, and .274 DP/9. He basically was a better defensive version of Randa who also could play other positions and who didn’t cost the Padres two pitching prospects.

Expectations

Generic backup infielder.

Positives

• Versatile; did a great job filling in for Khalil Greene at shortstop early in season.
• Decent pop in his bat.
• Cool first name.

Negatives

• Poor plate discipline.
• Poor range at second base and shortstop.
• Productivity decreased as playing time increased.

Outlook

Traded to White Sox for minor league LHP Ryan Meaux, Blum hit the winning homer in Game 3 of the World Series. Blum, who lives in Southern California and whose wife gave birth to triplets during the season, is a free agent who would like to sign somewhere closer to home, possibly with the Padres.