2017 AL East Positional Rankings: Infielders

Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is almost here, and the AL East — which sent three teams to the playoffs in 2016 — could be hotly contested once again.

How do the Orioles stack up against their division opponents?

In this three-part series, I’ll compare the five AL East teams by ranking them, first through fifth, at every position on the diamond.

We’ll end with the pitching staffs and managers.

The second installment will be outfielders, designated hitters and benches.

Up today is the infield.

An Oriole infielder finishes first just once on today’s list. And it’s probably not who you’d expect.

Ranking the AL East infielders:

Catcher

1. Russell Martin, Blue Jays
2. Gary Sanchez, Yankees
3. Welington Castillo, Orioles
4. Sandy Leon, Red Sox
5. Wilson Ramos (injured)/Derek Norris, Rays

I’m tempted to give the top spot to Sanchez, who laid waste to major league pitchers last year with 20 homers in 53 games after his August promotion. Until we see what he can do for a full, big league season, though, Sanchez slots behind Martin, who has a much longer track record of success both at the plate and behind it.

The Orioles’ new backstop, Castillo, has big shoes to fill after the departure of the popular Matt Wieters. Offensively, Castillo should be similarly productive to Wieters, but he faces questions about his defense and how quickly he’ll mesh with the Orioles’ pitching staff.

Leon had an out-of-nowhere breakout for the Red Sox in 2016, batting .310 with an .845 OPS, and now he’ll need to prove it wasn’t a fluke. Meanwhile, the Rays are patiently waiting for Ramos’ midseason return from October knee surgery. In his absence, they’re relying on the newly signed Norris, whose .583 OPS was the worst in baseball last year among hitters with 450 plate appearances or more.

First Base

1. Chris Davis, Orioles
2. Greg Bird/Chris Carter, Yankees
3. Mitch Moreland, Red Sox
4. Logan Morrison, Rays
5. Justin Smoak, Blue Jays

For a supposedly offense-heavy position, the crop of first basemen in the AL East is somewhat uninspiring. Davis is the most prolific slugger of the bunch, swatting 197 homers in the last five years. His best seasons with the Orioles were 2013 and 2015, so maybe the odd-year magic will strike Davis again in 2017.

The other noteworthy home run hitter in the division is Carter, who was non-tendered and unsigned until February despite an NL-leading 41 round-trippers last season. The Yankees got him at a good value — a $3.5 million deal — to serve as the righty-hitting side of a platoon with the young Bird, who’s returning from a torn labrum that cost him a full season.

The other three have had undistinguished careers. Are we completely sure that Moreland and Morrison aren’t the same person? Not much separates them, other than Moreland’s slightly better defense. Then there’s Smoak, whose career .223 average and .700 OPS isn’t up to snuff for a starting first baseman. Former Oriole Steve Pearce might spell him against lefties.

Second Base

1. Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
2. Jonathan Schoop, Orioles
3. Brad Miller, Rays
4. Devon Travis, Blue Jays
5. Starlin Castro, Yankees

Pedroia — a former Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, four-time Gold Glover and four-time All-Star — is still going strong as he enters his 12th major league season. The Orioles, meanwhile, hope Schoop’s 2017 numbers will resemble his first half of 2016 (.338 on-base percentage, .847 OPS) rather than his second (.252/.643).

You could’ve won quite a bit of money wagering on Brad Miller to hit 30 home runs last year. That total eclipsed his three previous major league seasons combined. However, his defense has always been a question mark, prompting his shift to second base this season instead of the more demanding shortstop position.

Toronto’s Travis is a fine player if healthy, but that’s a big if — he’s missed the equivalent of a full major league season during the past two years with a litany of injuries. Castro brings up the rear, as he was a disappointment both offensively and defensively in his first year with the Yankees in 2016.

Shortstop

1. Troy Tulowitzki, Blue Jays
2. Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox
3. J.J. Hardy, Orioles
4. Didi Gregorius (injured)/Ronald Torreyes, Yankees
5. Matt Duffy (injured)/Tim Beckham, Rays

You’ll have to forgive AL East shortstops if they’re nervously looking over their shoulders — two of them (Gregorius and Duffy) have been hit with injuries that will put them out of commission on Opening Day. Gregorius suffered a shoulder strain March 18 that could sideline him until May, while Duffy is recovering from last September’s Achilles surgery. They’ll be replaced with a motley crew of utility infielders in their absence.

Tulowitzki is no stranger to injuries himself, having logged plenty of DL time in his career, but he’s healthy for now and is still the best all-around shortstop in the division. Boston’s Bogaerts had a breakout season with the bat in 2016, though he struggled a bit with the leather. That’s not a problem for Hardy, a three-time Gold Glover, but his days as an above-average hitter are seemingly over.

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.