page_title: Third baseman
section_title: Baseball Hall of Fame members
hierarchical_section_title: Third baseman / Prominent third basemen / Baseball Hall of Fame members
caption_attribution_description: English: Professional baseball player Brooks Robinson
context_page_description: A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system used to record defensive plays, the third baseman is assigned the number '5'.
  The third baseman requires good reflexes in reacting to batted balls, as he is often the closest infielder to the batter. The third base position requires a strong and accurate arm, as the third baseman often makes long throws to first base. The third baseman sometimes must throw quickly to second base in time to start a double play. The third baseman must also field fly balls in fair and foul territories.
  Third base is known as the "hot corner", because the third baseman is relatively close to the batter and most right-handed hitters tend to hit the ball hard in this direction. A third baseman must possess good hand-eye coordination and quick reactions in order to catch hard line drives sometimes in excess of 125 miles per hour.
context_section_description: Frank "Home Run" Baker
  Johnny Bench (elected as a catcher, shifted to third base in last three years of his career)
  Wade Boggs
  George Brett (played first base and designated hitter in the latter years of his career)
  Jimmy Collins
  Ray Dandridge (Negro Leagues)
  Judy Johnson (Negro Leagues)
  George Kell
  Freddie Lindstrom
  Edgar Martínez (primarily a designated hitter who was the regular third baseman for the Seattle Mariners in the early years of his career)
  Eddie Mathews
  John McGraw (primarily elected as a manager, although a third baseman in his short but successful playing career)
  Paul Molitor (longtime designated hitter who played primarily third base on the field)
  Brooks Robinson
  Mike Schmidt
  Pie Traynor (First third baseman to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame)
  Jud Wilson (Negro Leagues)
  Ron Santo
  Chipper Jones
caption: Brooks Robinson played more games at third base than any other player in MLB history.
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