Colorado Rockies Position Preview: Third Base

September 20, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; Colorado Rockies third baseman Chris Nelson (10) throws the ball to first base against the San Francisco Giants during the second inning at AT

Third base is most likely going to be the weakest position this season for the Rockies, and most of the time it will feature Chris Nelson. Nelson played in 111 games in 2012, and had average stats with nine home runs and 53 RBIs. He’s nothing special, and an average player at best. In a non offensive way, he’s probably the worst starting position player on the team. He batted .301 in 2012, which is a nice upside, but his power numbers and run producing isn’t all that great, which is why you’ll most likely find him in the eight hole throughout the majority of the season. If he’s the everyday third basemen, don’t expect anything horrible out of him, but nothing to write home about. He’ll bat around .280, and drive in roughly 65-70 runs. 15 home runs seems about accurate for a prediction, and this is all assuming that he plays over 140 games.

There isn’t much depth at the third base position, and the only real threat to take his spot is if D.J. LeMahieu can play the third base position. On the depth chart, Jordan Pacheco and Jonathan Herrera are placed underneath Nelson, but I think LeMahieu is a solid baseball player with a good future ahead of him. Pacheco doesn’t impress me all that much, and I think Herrera will be used at second, short, and third, but LeMahieu impressed me in the games I watched last season.

The Rockies offense looks pretty decent this year, and it’s going to be the pitching staff that makes them a last place team. If I had to choose a weakness for the batting order though, I would have to go with Chris Nelson at the third base position.