After a brilliant spring training and a stellar May, it's quickly becoming clear that any hopes the Dbacks had of making Ryan Roberts a cheap/permanent fix at 3rd base are quickly dissolving.
In March/April, Roberts hit .313 with an OBP of .413 putting him near the top of the NL in both categories. However, the drop from there has been dismal and heartbreaking for a guy who plays so hard. In June, Roberts is hitting .232 with an OBP of .267. He has only walked times compared to the 16 walks he drew last month. Roberts has also increased his strikeouts month over month and has 20 in June so far. Roberts is a fan favorite and his fielding % is right at the league average but he will not be at lock at this position past this year. At least his WAR at least is 2.0
Melvin Mora has been terrible this year at the plate and below average in the field. His WAR is -.4 and he is hitting .230 in 41 games this year with no home runs. Kurt Gibson has pulled him out of the lineup just before game time recently without any reason. He is being paid $2 million to sit on the bench and get the occasional AB. He will not be returning next year in all probability.
Now let's look into the minors for a second and see if there is a legit 3B candidate down there.
Sean Burroughs had a brief stint with the Dbacks recently but was sent back down to AAA to make room for Wily Mo Pena. He was at one time the pride of the Padres far system and their 3rd baseman of the future. He is hitting .412 in the minors and is an average fielder but proved to be decently clutch when he was with the Dbacks. He is not a long term fix but could provide some much needed plate discipline and OBP at the 3rd base position.
Also at AAA is 35 year old Cody Ransom. He is hitting .321 through 75 games this year with 20 homers and 70 RBI. He is no spring chicken anymore but could help a Dbacks team that is struggling to get any pop out of 3B. Look for him to get a call up if the Dbacks continue to be competitive late into the season.
The next and last 3B prospect can be found at Visalia the High-A affiliate of the Dbacks. Bobby Borchering was taken in the 1st round of the 2009 draft and has moved through the system as a good pace. At 20 years old he is hitting .271 with 14 HR this year for Visalia. Borchering's glove is suspect as his fielding % is barely .900. The 14 HR are only one HR behind his 15 he hit all of last year. If Borchering can get the fielding issues worked out he may provide the pop the Dbacks need at 3rd base for years to come. The Dbacks have said they may move him to 1B permanently but with their lack of depth at 3B it may be wiser to keep him there. His upside is he turns into a Mark Reynolds type player with plus power and a .270 average with better plate discipline.
