9. Ryan Zimmerman – The current face of the Washington Nationals starts off our list at No. 9. In 4 full seasons in the majors, Zimmerman has averaged 23 HR and 90 RBI a season. Last season was his best season in his early career as he was selected to his 1st All Star Game and won his 1st Gold Glove Award. In his career, Zimmerman has a .284 AVG, 91 HR,  and 364 RBI. While a good young player with a bright future, I question whether he has done enough in his career to warrant a spot on this list.

8. Mike Lowell – This decade Lowell established himself as one of the better third basemen in the game despite not being particularly flashy. For the decade, he had a .282 AVG, 206 HR, and 879 RBI with the Florida Marlins and Boston Red Sox. Lowell also added his lone Gold Glove Award to his credit back in 2005. In 2007, he was named the World Series MVP as he hit nearly .400 in the series and was a vital piece for the Red Sox 2nd Championship of the decade. Lowell was also a 4-time All Star in the decade. While it is easy to overlook Lowell in today’s game, he was a solid performer over the decade despite battling some nagging injuries.

7. Eric Chavez – For the first part of the decade, Chavez was one of the premier third basemen in the game. From 2000-2006, Chavez won 6 AL Gold Glove Awards with the Oakland A’s and averaged 28 HR and 94 RBI a season. During that period, he produced two 30 HR seasons and four 100 RBI seasons. However, over the past 3 seasons, Chavez has failed to play more than 90  games in a season and faces the possibility of early retirement due to chronic back problems. For the decade, he had a .269 AVG, 216 HR, and 721 RBI. It’s a shame that injuries have taken over his career, as he was truly both a great hitter and defender when healthy.

6. Aramis Ramirez – The former Pittsburgh Pirate has become one of the best hitting third basemen in the game since his trade to the Chicago Cubs in 2003. As a member of the Cubs, Ramirez has been a constant run producer with three 30 HR seasons and four 100 RBI seasons. At his best, Ramirez is a very clutch hitter who has a knack for driving in the big runs. For the decade, Ramirez had a .289 AVG, 258 HR, and 915 RBI. The Cubs are definately not the same team without his bat in the lineup as last season’s injury-plagued season for Ramirez will attest.

5. Scott Rolen – Rolen was arguably the best defensive third basemen of the decade as he was a 6-time NL Gold Glove Award winner. He wasn’t too shabby with the bat as well as he had a .285 AVG, 201 HR, and 832 RBI for the decade. Like Chavez, Rolen has been plagued by injuries since 2007 and is looking to revert back to old form with the Cincinnati Reds next season. Barring injury, Rolen would have found his name higher on this list due to being a consistent 20+ HR and 90+ RBI threat every season along with his excellent defense.

4. David Wright – In just 5 full seasons in the big leagues, Wright has established himself as an elite third basemen. From 2005-2009, Wright averaged 29 HR and 112 RBI a season and was selected to 4 All-Star games. In 2007, Wright became a member of the 30-30 club when he hit 30 HR and stole 34 bases. He also provided excellent defense as he won back to back NL Gold Glove Awards in 2007 and 2008. For his career, Wright has a .309 AVG, 140 HR, 561 RBI, and 119 SB. While last season was a down year for Wright, the future is bright for him and the New York Mets at third base.

3. Troy Glaus – A questionable choice for the No. 3 spot on this list goes to Glaus. From 2000-2002, Glaus averaged 39 HR and 107 RBI a season. In 2002, Glaus was named the World Series MVP for the formerly named Anaheim Angels. Glaus saw his Angels career end after two injury plagued seasons in 2003 and 2004. He would go on to have another impressive run from 2005-2008, where he averaged 31 HR and 91 RBI a season with 3 teams. Glaus was nonexistent last season as he only appeared in 14 games with the St. Louis Cardinals due to injury. For the decade, he had a .259 AVG, 274 HR, and 777 RBI. When healthy, Glaus was an excellent home run hitter, however, I feel he is ranked a little too high on this list as he had 3 seasons where he was virtually non-existent in the league. Glaus recently signed a one year deal with the Atlanta Braves to play first base.

2. Chipper Jones – Chipper was the premier third basemen in the NL this decade with the Atlanta Braves. He hit .311 for the decade and won a batting title in 2008 with a .364 AVG. Chipper is one of the best switch hitters of all-time as he trails only Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray for most home runs for a switch hitter with 426 HR in his career. Like many of the players on this list, Chipper has had his fair share of nagging injuries of late, but is still a dangerous hitter when healthy. For the decade, he had a .311 AVG (as noted above), 273 HR, and 921 RBI. Chipper is considering retirement after next season as he feels his days as a premier third basemen are behind him.

1. Alex Rodriguez – The only player to find his name on the list at two different positions is none other than “ARod”.  Since becoming a full-time third basemen in 2004, ARod has done nothing to hurt his legacy as one of the best in the game. He would add 2 more AL MVP Awards to his credit in 2005 and 2007 with the New York  Yankees. In 2007, he became the 22nd player in MLB history to join the 500 HR club for his career. For the decade, ARod had a .304 AVG, 435 HR, 1,243 RBI, and 179 SB. Next season, ARod is expected to become the newest member of the 600 HR club as he needs only 17 HR to reach that number. Despite the much talked about steroids issue from last season, ARod should still find his name in Cooperstown someday as he has put up numbers very few players have ever accomplished.

The first word that comes to mind after looking at this list is injuries. The majority of the players on this list have battled injuries over multiple seasons which has hurt their overall production for the decade. I felt a few guys on this list were ranked a little high and I feel if Ryan Zimmerman is on the list, you might as well put Evan Longoria’s name on there even though he has only played 2 seasons. It will be interesting to see where the position goes from here. I expect David Wright to carry the torch for the next decade.

Up Next: Top 9 Outfielders of the Decade

The Braves must address their offensive concerns. Chipper Jones is the anchor for their offense, but he has been riddled with injury issues and declining numbers over the past few years. You can not trade him without there being a PR nightmare on your hands. Cox could consider moving Jones to first base in order to lighten the wear and tear on his body while still keeping his bat in the lineup. However, this leaves a big hole at the hot corner. The biggest concern for the Braves has to be their outfield. As it stands today they have Matt Diaz LF, Nate McClouth CF and Ryan Church RF starting for them. McClouth will stay as their centerfielder but they must seriously consider replacing Matt Diaz and Ryan Church. Diaz put up decent numbers this past year posting 13 HR, 58 RBI and a .313 BA however Church hit 4 HR, 40 RBI and a .273 BA. Church’s numbers are very low especially coming from a corner outfield position. Jason Heyward is one of their up and coming prospects who might be ready soon so this would keep the Braves from signing anyone to a long term contract. So what should they do to address this weak outfield? Money most likely will be tight this offseason like it is for most teams. The Braves must do what all teams have to do, trade from a strength to sure up a weakness.

The Braves strength going into the 2010 season is their pitching staff. With a rotation of Javier Vazquez, Jair Jurrjens, Derek Lowe, Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson the Braves can afford to “lose” a starter in order to receive some offensive help. Vazquez seems like the best candidate for a trade. Vazquez went 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 2009 and he is only signed through the end of 2010 at $11.5 million. Jurrjens and Hanson are basically off limits seeing how they are under team control for a while now and are both making near league minimum. Hudson was just signed to a 3 year $28 million contract extension which seems to be a good value. Derek Lowe might be the hardest to trade out of any of their hurlers. He turns 37 at the beginning of 2010 and is under contract at $15 million a year through 2012. He also had an alarming spike in his numbers with an ERA of 4.67 and a WHIP of 1.52 in a notoriously pitcher friendly ballpark. The bullpen issues of last year have been address through free agent signings of Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito. Raphael Soriano is also rumored to be considering accepting the Braves arbitration offer. So who should the Braves pursue to help their weak offensive attack?

Adam Dunn for Vazquez would make a lot of sense for both the Nationals and the Braves. Both are owned approximately the same amount of money with Vazquez at $11.5 million and Dunn at $12 million. The Nationals are in need of an ace and Vazquez could bring that to them.  Dunn would fit well into the Braves lineup. He would protect both McCann and Jones. He would bring some much needed power and RBI potential to their lineup. Dunn would also fit in at first base which is another hole the Braves have.

Brad Hawpe would also be an interesting option for the Braves. He has been a consistent producer for the Rockies and as always the Rockies need pitching to back up Ubaldo Jimenez. Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler and Seth Smith have stepped it up this offseason and appear to be the outfield of the future for the Rockies; making Hawpe less of a necessity. Hawpe’s contract also allows for his 2011 option to be voided if he is traded. Vazquez does have veto power for both NL and AL West teams so this could be a stumbling block for this potential fit.

Xaiver Nady may also be an interesting option for the Braves. Nady is 31 and is recovering from Tommy John surgery. He could be a bargain if signed for low contract with an option.

Jermaine Dye would be a good fit for them as well. Though his defense is suspect at best these days. His bat still seems to have life in it though his numbers did take a dive at the end of the 2009 campaign.