Power rankings: Top 10 MLB third basemen entering 2021
(RADIO.COM Sports) Between 2015 and 2017, Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant was one of baseball's best players at any position.
During his first three MLB seasons, Bryant earned National League Rookie of the Year honors, won an MVP award and helped the Cubs snap a 108-year World Series drought. Over that period, the only players who were more valuable offensive performers were Mike Trout and Josh Donaldson, per FanGraphs.
In the three years since, a career that once appeared destined for Cooperstown has featured more inconsistency, with a strong 2019 for Bryant sandwiched between two perplexing seasons.
In 2018, a left shoulder injury limited Bryant, who was having an otherwise strong season, to just 102 games. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Bryant dealt with injuries to his left ring finger, wrist and oblique. In just 34 games, Bryant slashed an underwhelming .206/.293/.351.
If he's healthy, you still get the feeling that the 29-year-old Bryant would be on the cusp of being a top-10 third baseman. Still, as he enters his contract year, you're left to wonder how he went from one of the sport's most dominant forces to a relative afterthought at a crowded position.
Here are our top 10 third basemen power rankings entering the 2021 season.