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Nationals' Zimmerman says he's no longer above average at 3B: 'The truth hurts sometimes'

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Zimmerman has come to grips with reality. 

The Washington Nationals star admitted that his diminishing skills at third base should force him off the position for good starting next season. 

"Obviously, I love playing third base. But some of the injuries over the last two or three years made it tougher for me to be an above average third baseman," Zimmerman told MLB.com's Bill Ladson. "It's hard to accept that, but I think that's the truth. Sometimes, the truth hurts sometimes."

Anthony Rendon filled in admirably at the hot corner this season while Zimmerman spent multiple stints on the disabled list. Zimmerman, a 10-year veteran, believes it's time to pass the torch. 

Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche is an impending free agent, which would create an opportunity for Zimmerman to move across the diamond. 

"Anthony has a great chance to be very good over there," Zimmerman said. "I could be an above average first baseman if I work at it during spring training and the rest of this offseason. But that's not just my decision."

From 2007 to 2010, Zimmerman ranked second among all third basemen in Defensive Runs Saved, an advanced fielding metric found on FanGraphs.com. Zimmerman's defense has steadily declined since then in terms of DRS and Ultimate Zone Rating/150, another advanced fielding statistic, which measures how many runs a player is above average per 150 games.

Year DRS UZR/150
2014 -1 4.0
2013 -1 -14.9
2012 -1 -1.0
2011 -5 -3.5
2010 11 17.9
2009 22 12.2
2008 9 4.2
2007 18 15.5

Rendon graded well in both metrics this season.

Zimmerman has battled persistent right shoulder problems over the years, something that has ultimately affected his throwing. He spoke to the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore about it in April, explaining that he was re-learning how to throw after altering his mechanics. 

To his credit, Zimmerman has still produced at the plate, batting .281/.347/.462 since 2011, including hitting at a .280/.342/.449 clip this season.

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