Welcome back to Bleacher Report's series of the 25 greatest players at each position in modern MLB history. Up next, the third basemen.

The first step in this exercise was to decide what "modern" means for the sake of this discussion, and we settled on everything from the 1969 season forward.

That was the first year of the "divisional era" when each league expanded from 10 to 12 teams and split those clubs into two divisions. That also meant an expanded postseason format, with the ALCS and NLCS played for the first time that year after the playoffs had previously just been the World Series.

That gives us 54 years worth of players to consider for a spot in our rankings, but we didn't simply ignore what happened prior to 1969. A pair of top 10 lists were also created for the dead-ball era (pre-1920) and the pre-divisional era (1920-68).

Players were ranked throughout based on a combination of their overall body of work and their peak performance, with postseason success also taken into account.

Catch up on our other Top 25 All-Time lists: Shortstops

Top 10 Dead-Ball Era (Pre-1920)

Top 10 Dead-Ball Era

1. Home Run Baker
2. Jimmy Collins
3. Heinie Groh
4. Deacon White
5. John McGraw
6. Larry Gardner
7. Lave Cross
8. Art Devlin
9. Denny Lyons
10. Bill Joyce

Home Run Baker was part of the "$100,000 Infield" for the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1910s, a group considered by some to be the greatest infield in MLB history. He piled up 41.9 WAR over his first six full seasons in the majors, leading the league in home runs three times and RBI twice during that stretch.

John McGraw is in the Hall of Fame as a manager, but he also hit .334 with a .466 on-base percentage in 1,100 games as a player. He posted an on-base percentage over .500 three times, and had 836 walks and 155 strikeouts in 4,946 career plate appearances.

Jimmy Collins and Deacon White are the other Hall of Famers from this group.

Top 10 Pre-Divisional Era (1920-68)

Top 10 Pre-Divisional Era

1. Eddie Mathews
2. Ron Santo
3. Ray Dandridge
4. Ken Boyer
5. Stan Hack
6. Pie Traynor
7. Judy Johnson
8. George Kell
9. Bob Elliott
10. Al Rosen

With 12 All-Star selections, 512 home runs and 96.1 WAR in 17 seasons, Eddie Mathews has a strong case for being the second-best third baseman in MLB history. He teamed with Hank Aaron throughout the 1950s and early 1960s to form one of the most productive tandems of all time.

Ron Santo ranked fifth among all position players with 57.6 WAR during the 1960s, trailing only Willie Mays (84.2), Aaron (80.9), Roberto Clemente (66.8) and Frank Robinson (64.6).

Ray Dandridge is widely regarded as the best all-around third baseman in Negro League history, while Judy Johnson was viewed as the league's equivalent to Brooks Robinson defensively.

Nos. 25-21

25. Justin Turner

The final spot on this list was an extremely difficult decision, with Anthony Rendon, Troy Glaus, Kyle Seager, Mike Lowell, Pablo Sandoval, Ryan Zimmerman, Toby Harrah and Doug DeCinces all receiving serious consideration. In the end, the late-blooming Turner got the nod thanks to his 34.7 WAR and stellar postseason track record.

24. Ken Caminiti

Winning the 1996 NL MVP when he hit .326/.408/.621 with 40 home runs, 130 RBI and 7.6 WAR, Caminiti was an admitted steroid user who had a quietly productive prime before exploding for that career year at age 33. He was a three-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and tallied 33.4 WAR in 15 seasons.

23. Aramis Ramirez

Traded from Pittsburgh to Chicago in one of the most lopsided deals in recent MLB history, Ramirez halted a revolving door at the hot corner for the North Siders. He hit .283/.341/.492 for a 115 OPS+ with 386 home runs and 1,417 RBI in an underrated 18-year career spent entirely in the NL Central.

22. Eric Chavez

Arguably the best defensive third baseman of the 2000s, Chavez won six straight Gold Gloves with the Oakland Athletics. He also logged a 122 OPS+ while averaging 33 doubles, 29 home runs, 96 RBI and 4.8 WAR during that six-year stretch, and he would rank much higher if injuries had not limited him to 449 games after his age-28 season.

21. Ron Cey

Cey spent 12 seasons as a staple at third base for the Los Angeles Dodgers before later helping the Chicago Cubs to a long-awaited postseason berth in 1984. The six-time All-Star had a 121 OPS+ with 316 home runs, 1,139 RBI and 53.8 WAR in 17 seasons, and he had one of the most underappreciated careers of anyone on this list.

Nos. 20-16

20. Robin Ventura

Ventura had a 58-game hitting streak during his sophomore season at Oklahoma State in 1987, a mark that still stands as the NCAA record. He never quite found MLB stardom, but he was a rock-solid contributor with nine 20-homer seasons and six Gold Glove Awards. His 46.1 WAR led all third basemen during the 1990s.

19. Bill Madlock

One of the best pure hitters in baseball during the 1970s and early 1980s, Madlock won four NL batting titles on his way to a .305/.365/.442 career line and 123 OPS+ in 15 seasons. He was a below-average defender and spent most of his career playing in the shadow of Mike Schmidt and George Brett, but his bat-to-ball skills are worthy of more recognition.

18. Josh Donaldson
17. Evan Longoria

The side-by-side comparison is an interesting one.

Donaldson had the better peak, racking up 28.5 WAR during a four-year stretch from 2013 through 2016 that spanned his final two years in Oakland and first two years in Toronto. He won AL MVP in 2015 and was at least a 6.9-WAR player every year during that span.

Meanwhile, Longoria had nine 3-WAR seasons during his time in Tampa Bay, and he still stands as the greatest player in franchise history. His consistency and sizable edge in career WAR (58.1 to 46.7) is enough for him to take the head-to-head battle.

16. Darrell Evans

Only Mike Schmidt (548), Eddie Mathews (512), Adrián Beltré (477) and Chipper Jones (468) have more home runs among third basemen than Evans, who launched 414 long balls and tallied 58.8 WAR in 21 big league seasons. He had a 34-homer, 99-RBI season at age 40 in 1987, almost two decades after making his MLB debut.

Nos. 15-11

15. José Ramírez

With five top-six finishes in AL MVP voting in the last six years, Ramírez is in the midst of a peak that rivals anyone's at the position over the last 30 years. The 30-year-old still has work to do to build his legacy before he can climb these rankings, but his mix of power, speed and defense makes him one of the best players in the game today.

14. Sal Bando

The captain of the Oakland Athletics teams that won three straight World Series in the 1970s, Bando accumulated 61.5 WAR in 16 seasons. He was a four-time All-Star, finished in the top-five in AL MVP voting three times and closed out his career with 242 home runs and 1,039 RBI while playing a solid third base.

13. Matt Williams
12. David Wright

Both of these players were arguably the best third baseman in baseball for a brief time.

Williams was one of the most feared sluggers of the 1990s, bridging the gap between the George Brett/Wade Boggs era and the Chipper Jones era for the top spot at the position. He posted a 113 OPS+ with 378 home runs and 1,218 RBI while also taking home four Gold Glove Awards.

Wright had a much shorter prime before injuries derailed his career, but at his best he was a 30/30 threat and a Gold Glove defender. In 2007, he hit .325/.416/.546 with 42 doubles, 30 home runs, 107 RBI, 34 steals and 8.3 WAR for one of the greatest individual seasons by a third baseman in the modern era. He played just 77 games after his age-31 season yet still accumulated 49.2 WAR for his career.

11. Buddy Bell

Bell is the most underrated third baseman in MLB history. The six-time Gold Glove winner trails only Brooks Robinson and Adrian Beltre in total defensive WAR among third basemen, and he posted a 109 OPS+ with 2,514 hits, 201 home runs and 1,106 RBI in 18 seasons. His 66.3 WAR is right in line with the marks of Scott Rolen (70.1) and Ron Santo (70.5).

10. Graig Nettles

Stats: 2,700 G, 110 OPS+, 2,225 H, 390 HR, 1,314 RBI, 1,193 R, 32 SB, 68.0 WAR

Accolades: 6x All-Star, 2x Gold Glove

Graig Nettles was a staple at third base for the New York Yankees throughout the 1970s and into the early 1980s, and his 250 home runs in pinstripes are good for 10th on the storied franchise's all-time list.

He won back-to-back World Series with the Yankees in 1977 and 1978 and took home ALCS MVP honors in 1981 when he went 6-for-12 with nine RBI in a three-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics.

Now that Scott Rolen has been elected to the Hall of Fame, Nettles' 68.0 WAR is once again the highest total among eligible third basemen who are not enshrined.

9. Manny Machado

Stats: 1,445 G, 126 OPS+, 1,597 H, 283 HR, 853 RBI, 839 R, 85 SB, 52.0 WAR

Accolades: 6x All-Star, 2x Gold Glove, 1x Silver Slugger

Aside from a knee injury early in his career, Manny Machado has been a model of consistency and durability throughout his time in the big leagues, which started back in 2012 shortly after his 20th birthday.

Over the past eight seasons, he has hit .282/.348/.508 for a 132 OPS+ while averaging 33 doubles, 35 home runs, 101 RBI and 5.5 WAR per 162 games, and he helped carry the San Diego Padres to the NLCS last year while fellow star Fernando Tatis Jr. watched from the sidelines.

The 30-year-old might have the best chance of any active player to join the 3,000-hit club if he can continue to stay healthy and productive, and he is on a Hall of Fame trajectory.

8. Nolan Arenado

Stats: 1,384 G, 124 OPS+, 1,520 H, 299 HR, 968 RBI, 803 R, 23 SB, 52.2 WAR

Accolades: 7x All-Star, 10x Gold Glove, 5x Silver Slugger

On defense alone, Nolan Arenado is already one of the best third basemen in MLB history, having won the NL Gold Glove each of the past 10 seasons since taking home the hardware as a rookie in 2013.

He also happens to have seven 30-homer, 100-RBI seasons, and if he keeps producing into his late 30s, he has a realistic shot at joining the 500 home run club before he calls it quits.

Perhaps most important for his legacy, he has continued to produce at a high level since joining the St. Louis Cardinals, helping to shake the stigma attached to calling Coors Field home for the first eight years of his career.

7. Scott Rolen

Stats: 2,038 G, 122 OPS+, 2,077 H, 316 HR, 1,287 RBI, 1,211 R, 118 SB, 70.1 WAR

Accolades: 7x All-Star, 8x Gold Glove, 1x Silver Slugger

After six years on the ballot, Scott Rolen was the lone player to earn Hall of Fame induction by the BBWAA in 2023, receiving 76.3 percent of the vote to narrowly eclipse the 75 percent threshold.

He accumulated 45.9 of his 70.1 WAR before his age-30 season, including a stellar rookie year in 1997 when he hit .283/.377/.469 for a 121 OPS+ with 35 doubles, 21 home runs and 92 RBI to win NL Rookie of the Year honors unanimously over Florida Marlins right-hander Livan Hernandez.

Despite missing time to injury late in his career, he still stands as one of the best two-way third basemen in MLB history, and he was a deserving Hall of Fame selection.

6. Adrián Beltré

Stats: 2,933 G, 116 OPS+, 3,166 H, 477 HR, 1,707 RBI, 1,524 R, 121 SB, 93.5 WAR

Accolades: 4x All-Star, 5x Gold Glove, 4x Silver Slugger

Adrián Beltré was a phenom when he first broke into the majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers, making his MLB debut shortly after his 19th birthday.

He hit .334/.388/.629 with 48 home runs, 121 RBI and 9.6 WAR in a contract year in 2004, earning him a five-year, $64 million deal from the Seattle Mariners in free agency. However, his time in Seattle proved to be disappointing, and he settled for a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox when he hit the open market again at age 31.

From that lone season in Boston in 2010 through the end of his career in 2018, he hit .307/.358/.514 for a 130 OPS+ with 1,466 hits, 227 home runs, 801 RBI and 48.9 WAR to go from solid player to likely first-ballot Hall of Famer.

His 3,166 hits are the most ever by a third baseman, and he was also the first Dominican-born player to reach the 3,000-hit mark. He'll appear on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2024.

5. Wade Boggs

Stats: 2,439 G, 131 OPS+, 3,010 H, 118 HR, 1,014 RBI, 1,513 R, 24 SB, 91.4 WAR

Accolades: 12x All-Star, 2x Gold Glove, 8x Silver Slugger

Wade Boggs could flat-out hit, winning five batting titles in the span of six years during his prime with the Boston Red Sox.

His .328 career average trails only Ted Williams (.344), Tony Gwynn (.338) and Stan Musial (.331) among qualified players who debuted after 1930, and he hit .301 in his final season with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999 at age 41.

Even with only 118 career home runs in 10,740 plate appearances, he still had a 131 OPS+ for his career thanks to his stellar on-base ability, and he finished with almost twice as many walks (1,412) as strikeouts (745).

4. Brooks Robinson

Stats: 2,896 G, 105 OPS+, 2,848 H, 268 HR, 1,357 RBI, 1,232 R, 78.5 WAR

Accolades: 18x All-Star, 16x Gold Glove, 1964 AL MVP

There is little debate that Brooks Robinson is the greatest defensive third baseman in MLB history, and the gap between him and the No. 2 player on that list might be the widest at any position on the diamond.

His 16 Gold Glove Awards are more than Ozzie Smith (13), Iván Rodríguez (13), Willie Mays (12), Roberto Clemente (12) and countless other elite defensive players won in their careers, and his 39.1 defensive WAR is the third-highest total ever among all positions.

He was also a middle-of-the-order presence on some great Baltimore Orioles teams, winning the 1964 AL MVP when he hit .317/.368/.521 with 28 home runs and an AL-leading 118 RBI. He also won World Series MVP in 1970 when he went 9-for-21 with two home runs and six RBI while providing a highlight reel's worth of defensive gems.

3. George Brett

Stats: 2,707 G, 135 OPS+, 3,154 H, 317 HR, 1,596 RBI, 1,583 R, 201 SB, 88.6 WAR

Accolades: 13x All-Star, 3x Silver Slugger, 1x Gold Glove, 1980 AL MVP

Fun fact: George Brett is the only player to win a batting title in three different decades, taking home AL honors in 1976 (.333), 1980 (.390) and 1990 (.329) en route to a .305 career batting average.

He was hitting .400 on Sept. 19 during the 1980 season before finishing with a .390/.454/.664 line that included 33 doubles, 24 home runs, 118 RBI and 9.4 WAR on a Kansas City Royals team that reached the World Series.

Despite a rather modest home run total relative to some of the other all-time greats, he quietly ranks 38th on the all-time list with 1,596 RBI thanks to a .307/.410/.481 career line over 3,387 plate appearances with runners in scoring position.

No player is more definitively the greatest in his franchise's history than Brett, who spent his entire 21-year career in Kansas City.

2. Chipper Jones

Stats: 2,499 G, 141 OPS+, 2,726 H, 468 HR, 1,623 RBI, 1,619 R, 150 SB, 85.3 WAR

Accolades: 8x All-Star, 2x Silver Slugger, 1999 NL MVP

One of the greatest switch-hitters to ever play the game, Chipper Jones is also one of the few players to truly live up to being the No. 1 overall pick in the draft as he was the top selection in 1990 by an Atlanta Braves team on the rise.

He was front and center for most of the organization's run of 14 straight division titles, winning a ring during his first full season in the majors in 1995 when he was runner-up to Hideo Nomo in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

His 141 OPS+ ranks fourth all-time among third basemen, behind only the No. 1 player on this list, dead-ball era star Bill Joyce and fellow Braves legend Eddie Mathews. He won NL MVP in 1999, and nine years later he won the NL batting title with a .364/.470/.574 line in his age-36 season.

Jones likely could have reached 3,000 hits if he wanted to play a few more years. He was still going strong in his final season when he hit .287/.377/.455 for a 124 OPS+ with 23 doubles, 14 home runs, 62 RBI and 2.8 WAR at age 40.

1. Mike Schmidt

Stats: 2,404 G, 148 OPS+, 2,234 H, 548 HR, 1,595 RBI, 1,506 R, 174 SB, 106.8 WAR

Accolades: 12x All-Star, 10x Gold Glove, 6x Silver Slugger, 3x NL MVP

Mike Schmidt is an easy choice for the No. 1 spot.

He is the all-time leader among third basemen in OPS+ (148), home runs (548) and WAR (106.8), and he was also a good enough defender to take home 10 Gold Glove Awards during his Hall of Fame career.

On top of that, he is one of just 11 players in MLB history to win three MVP awards, and he finished in the top 10 in voting six other times over an 18-year career spent entirely with the Philadelphia Phillies.

He led the NL in home runs eight times, and his 13 30-homer seasons trail only Hank Aaron (15), Alex Rodriguez (15), Barry Bonds (14) and Albert Pujols (14) for the most over the course of a career.

All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference.