Third base

1. Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays
2. Manny Machado, Orioles
3. Evan Longoria, Rays
4. Chase Headley, Yankees
5. Pablo Sandoval, Red Sox

For Orioles fans who watch Machado’s superstar efforts every day, it’s sometimes hard to imagine there could be a better third baseman in the majors. There is, though, and he happens to share a division with Machado. Donaldson followed up his 2015 MVP season with another outstanding one in 2016, collecting 37 homers, 99 RBIs, a .404 OBP and .953 OPS. And while he’s not quite as defensively dazzling as Machado, Donaldson consistently rates as one of the league’s top-fielding third basemen.

By FanGraphs’ Wins Above Replacement, Machado was the seventh-most valuable position player in the majors last year (6.5). Donaldson had him beat, ranking fourth with a 7.6 mark. So as good as Machado is, it’s not enough to claim the top spot in this division. Not yet, anyway.

There’s little arguing the order of the other AL East third basemen. Longoria is still an excellent player who might be the best third baseman in some other divisions, but he’s a clear No. 3 in the East. The nondescript Headley is the definition of an average player. And Sandoval is a total wild card for the Red Sox. Two seasons into a five-year, $95 million contract, Sandoval has been an expensive free-agent dud so far, but he reportedly lost about 40 pounds over the winter and has crushed the ball this spring.

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