The Third baseman reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Third baseman

The term third baseman, abbreviated 3B, describes the player in the game of baseball whose position is to guard third base (e.g., "Brooks Robinson was a third baseman").

The third baseman requires a strong arm to field ground balls and throw strongly to first base, quick reflexes to throw to second base in time to start a double play, as well as cover fly balls in fair and foul territory.

The third base is well known as the Hot Corner, since most right-handed hitters will tend to hit the ball hard in this direction. In this situation, the third baseman needs fine eyes-glove coordination and quick reactions in order to catch hard line drives.

Some third basemen have been converted from middle infielders or outfielders since the position does not require them to run fast. In addition, the third baseman should be able to hit with some power.

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