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Matt Davidson could be 3B of the future for D-backs

The Arizona Diamondbacks need hope for the future coming off a disappointing 81-81 season, and that hope might come in the form of minor league third baseman Matt Davidson. Davidson hit 23 home runs in 2012 and appears to be the Diamondbacks' third baseman of the future.

By Aaron Torres
Doug Pensinger

While the Arizona Diamondbacks have made several moves to strengthen their roster this off-season, the help they need at third base may come from within the organization. With numbers that rival several current major league players at a similar age, top prospect Matt Davidson seems destined to be the Diamondbacks' third baseman of the future.

During the 2012 season, Davidson hit .264 at Double-A Mobile, while also adding 23 home runs, 76 RBI and 81 runs. Those numbers were very comparable to Davidson's 2011 season in Single-A Visali where he batted .277 with 20 home runs in a much more hitter-friendly league.

And according to statistics crunched by AZSnakePit.com, those numbers are also quite similar to the production of baseball's top third baseman at a similar age. Only Alex Gordon (.325 BA, 29 home runs) and Evan Longoria (.307 BA, 21 home runs) were significantly better, while current major leaguers Will Middlebrooks, Mat Gamel and Juan Francisco had numbers comparable to Davidson's. More importantly, all three did it in their age-22 seasons. Davidson meanwhile just completed Double-A at the age of 21.

Davidson is currently rated as the Diamondbacks' third-best prospect by MLB.com.