To tell you something you already know, the youngster in Baltimore, that kid named Machado, is a pretty fine ballplayer. Had a very creditable run at the all-time doubles mark before slowing down in the dog days. And, a very steady job at 3rd base – silky smooth hands and footwork, an effortless gun for an arm, and a particular highlight reel play that I, for one, will not soon forget. Mind-boggling to think that he just turned 21.

But, there’s another young 3rd baseman who has received very little ink indeed. Name of Nolan Arenado, a 22 year-old rookie in Colorado. Hasn’t yet shown much of a bat, but take a look at his defensive totals, currently showing 3.4 dWAR in just 109 games (Nolan didn’t get called up until the end of April).

Here’s the kicker: barring injury, Machado and Arenado will post the two best defensive third base seasons ever, as measured by WAR Fielding Runs.

More after the jump.

Hard to believe? Here’s the list of 3rd base seasons by WAR Fielding Runs.

With a bit more than a sixth of the season still to play, Machado and Arenado are clearly on pace to move into the top two positions on this list.

Looking just at players aged 24 or younger, Machado already tops that list and Arenado should move into 2nd spot in another week or so.

And, don’t forget about another young 3rd baseman, Toronto’s Brett Lawrie. Injuries  have thwarted his progress, preventing him from logging a full season this year or last. Those injuries result, in part, because Lawrie plays full bore all the time. And, he’s a bit of a hot head, which has hurt his team and his reputation. Both of these traits should temper themselves as Lawrie matures. Despite these bumps, his career to date puts him in some pretty exclusive company. Below are the 3rd baseman who, in their first three seasons, had at least 1000 PAs and compiled WAR at a rate of better than 1 per 102 PA.

Of this group, Lawrie is clearly the only one making the list primarily because of his defense.

Finally, this confluence of young talent is nothing new. Take a look at the list below showing career WAR Fielding Runs for seasons playing 50% of games at third base. I’ve color-coded the players to group those debuting within a few seasons of each other.