The best player of the 2010s is not just the one who accumulated the most WAR at his position for the calendar decade. While my articles tend to be sabermetrically-oriented, I looked at more than just wins above replacement, wins above average (WAA), or OPS+, which compares a hitter’s performance at the plate to that of an average hitter in an average stadium.

Home runs are a big indicator of success, as are RBIs, runs scored, steals, and the slash line statistics – batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. I looked at All-Star selections, Gold Glove awards, Rookie of the Year or MVP awards, and even team success like World Series championships.

A player doesn’t have to have been active for the entire decade to be on the list, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a player that can make this team without playing at least the great majority of the decade.

 

Catcher: Buster Posey

Years Active (of this decade): 2010-2019

Stats: .302/.371/.458, 140 HR, 673 RBI, 23 SB, 128 OPS+

Sabermetrics: 42.2 WAR, 26.0 WAA

Awards: 8 All-Star appearances, 1 MVP, 1 ROY, 1 Gold Glove, 3 rings

There’s really not a lot of competition for Buster Posey as catcher on the 2010s All-Decade Team, but it’s not as if Posey was a pushover. In fact, he was productive enough in his decade as a starter that he may even wind up in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Posey was the key player on San Francisco Giants teams that won three World Series championships. He’s a former Rookie of the Year and the only National League catcher to be named MVP since the Johnny Bench days.

Catchers aren’t usually great hitters, but Posey is a five-time .300 hitter who won the batting title in 2012 (.336) and led the NL in OPS+ as the league’s best overall hitter. He didn’t have 30 HR power but still led all catchers for the decade in hits (1,378), extra-base hits (419), and slugging percentage (.458).

Behind the plate, Posey won a Gold Glove and rated as +54 defensive runs saved in over 8,300 innings. He’s Baseball Reference’s third overall catcher in terms of fielding excellence. Yadier Molina edges out Posey for overall fielding runs saved, but Posey provided much more offensive value throughout the decade.

 

First Base: Joey Votto

Years Active (of this decade): 2010-2019

Stats: .306/.428/.516, 231 HR, 759 RBI, 67 SB, 152 OPS+

Sabermetrics: 52.1 WAR, 33.5 WAA

Awards: 6 All-Star appearances, 1 MVP, 1 Gold Glove

Without getting carried away, Joey Votto is one of the greatest left-handed hitters in National League history. This is a guy who batted .306 over a full decade and led the NL in on-base percentage a ridiculous seven times in a nine-year span. His plate discipline is unparalleled; he’s led the league in walks five times and his career 152 OPS+ is on par with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.

Votto was the 2010 NL MVP, but that probably wasn’t even his best year. He topped 7.0 WAR on three occasions, averaged 5.2 over a full decade, and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting six times. Votto was a good fielder (+48 defensive runs saved) and probably a top-five overall player for the decade.

 

Second Base: Robinson Cano

Years Active (of this decade): 2010-2019

Stats: .300/.359/.496, 237 HR, 878 RBI, 34 SB, 132 OPS+

Sabermetrics: 54.2 WAR, 32.7 WAA

Awards: 7 All-Star appearances, 2 Gold Gloves

A PED suspension sure doesn’t help Robinson Cano’s eventual HOF chances, but it’s not enough to give the edge to Jose Altuve over Cano for the All-Decade Team. Cano stalled at the end of the 2010s, but he still batted .300 for the decade and averaged close to 25 home runs per year. In terms of pure contact hitters, he was one of the best for close to a decade.

While Cano never finished higher than third in the MVP voting, he was in the top six for five consecutive seasons. He was a good fielder as well, winning multiple Gold Gloves and probably deserving even more. That contract (10 years, $240 million with four years at $96 million total still remaining) is going to be a doozy by the end; in fact, it may already be. But Cano has done enough on the field that he has a case to be mentioned as one of the 10-12 greatest second basemen ever.

 

Third Base: Adrian Beltre

Years Active (of this decade): 2010-2019

Stats: .307/.358/.514, 227 HR, 801 RBI, 10 SB, 130 OPS+

Sabermetrics: 51.0 WAR, 32.5 WAA

Awards: 4 All-Star appearances, 3 Gold Gloves

Adrian Beltre’s major league career is one of the more remarkable you’ll find. At the start of this decade, he was a 31-year-old .270 career hitter with no All-Star appearances. He had hit 250 home runs and nearly won an MVP award in 2004, but there was nothing about him that suggested he would tear up the American League during the 2010s.

Whatever it was, Beltre played himself into the first-ballot Hall of Fame conversation. Beltre earned MVP votes in each of his first seven seasons of the decade. He batted .300 six times and won a handful of Gold Gloves. Only 10 position players in history have accumulated more WAR after the age of 31 than Beltre’s 51.0. If you go by Wins Above Average, which factors in positional value, only nine players have topped Beltre’s 32.5.

 

Shortstop: Andrelton Simmons

Years Active (of this decade): 2012-2019

Stats: .268/.316/.380, 67 HR, 396 RBI, 65 SB, 91 OPS+

Sabermetrics: 36.9 WAR, 23.1 WAA

Awards: 4 Gold Gloves

Shortstop is probably the weakest position on the 2010s All-Decade Team. The halfway mark brought on some budding superstars in Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa, but they would fit better on a 2015-2024 team than a 2010-2019 team. Elvis Andrus leads the position in games played and at-bats for the decade, although his year-to-year dominance is nonexistent. And Troy Tulowitzki flashed but also suffered through a myriad of injuries.

So that leaves us with Andrelton Simmons, who lacks the offensive firepower you might expect but dominates on the defensive side of the ball like few players we’ve ever seen before in the history of the game. Simmons is a below-league average hitter (-36 career offensive runs above average). In the field though, he’s an absolute wizard who has been deserving of a Gold Glove every year of his career. He’s still just 30 years old and his +189 career defensive runs saved are the seventh-most ever.

In a world in which light-hitting/excellent fielders like Ozzie Smith, Brooks Robinson, and Rabbit Maranville have been enshrined to the Hall of Fame, don’t be stunned if Simmons one day makes it too.

 

Left Field: Christian Yelich

Years Active (of this decade): 2013-2019

Stats: .301/.383/.492, 139 HR, 500 RBI, 124 SB, 137 OPS+

Sabermetrics: 33.6 WAR, 21.4 WAA

Awards: 2 All-Star appearances, 1 MVP, 1 Gold Glove

I’m stretching the limits by putting Christian Yelich in left field, considering he won the 2018 NL MVP as a right fielder. But he’s actually played significantly more defensive innings in left field (4,162 innings) than center field (2,141.2 innings) or right field (1,618.1 innings).

For the first five years of his career in Miami, Yelich wasn’t the superstar he is now, although he was actually a pretty underrated player. Yelich batted close to .300, walked a lot, had medium range power, stole bases, and played good defense. Since joining Milwaukee, he’s won consecutive batting titles and one MVP award, and there’s a good chance he would have won it again this year if he hadn’t fractured his kneecap.

Interestingly enough, he’s still just 27 years old, so he actually has a good chance to be a starting outfielder on the 2020s MLB All-Decade Team as well.

 

Center Field: Mike Trout

Years Active (of this decade): 2011-2019

Stats: .305/.419/.581, 285 HR, 752 RBI, 200 SB, 176 OPS+

Sabermetrics: 72.5 WAR, 54.9 WAA

Awards: 8 All-Star appearances, 2 MVPs, 1 ROY

Major League Baseball is better because of Mike Trout. At just 28 years old, he’s already one of the greatest five-tool players to ever wear a uniform, and he’s the closest thing the modern sports world has seen to Willie Mays. Trout has ‘only’ won two AL MVP awards but he’s finished runner-up a ridiculous four times (and will probably do it again this year).

Trout’s finest gift as a baseball player is his ability to get on base. He hits for power, steals bases, and because of how many walks he draws, he’s led the AL in OPS+ five years running (and six times in all). His career OPS+ of 176 is a mark that’s been topped by only Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Barry Bonds, and Lou Gehrig. And remarkably, Trout is still getting better – his OPS+ the last three years is 190, which would tie Teddy Ballgame for the second-best mark ever.

In the field, Trout has been deserving of multiple Gold Gloves, and it’s surprising he hasn’t won any. He’s an elite baserunner with an 85 percent career stolen base rate. He doesn’t ground into many double plays and he takes a high percentage of hit by pitches. He’s the closest thing to a perfect baseball player you will ever find.

 

Right Field: Mookie Betts

Years Active (of this decade): 2014-2019

Stats: .301/.374/.519, 139 HR, 470 RBI, 126 SB, 134 OPS+

Sabermetrics: 42.4 WAR, 30.4 WAA

Awards: 4 All-Star appearances, 1 MVP, 3 Gold Gloves, 1 ring

Mike Trout is the best player in baseball, but Mookie Betts is 95% of the player Trout is. Since 2016, Trout has accounted for 35.5 WAR; Betts is at 33.8. Betts won the AL MVP in 2018, leading the league in batting average (.346), runs scored (129), and slugging percentage (.640), while posting a 30 HR/30 SB season, winning the Gold Glove, and leading the Boston Red Sox to a World Series title. That’s a simply phenomenal season.

Baseball Reference has a little-used stat called defensive runs saved. They track Betts at +112 for his six-year career with multiple seasons of at least 30; he’s one of just five players ever to do that. Betts is a .300 hitter. He routinely puts up 20 HR/20 SB seasons or even 30/30. And he hits righties and lefties about the same (.886 OPS vs. righties/.914 vs. lefties). Even in just a sample of 3,629 plate appearances, Betts has done enough to edge out Giancarlo Stanton for this spot.

 

Designated Hitter: Nelson Cruz

Years Active (of this decade): 2010-2019

Stats: .281/.350/.538, 346 HR, 961 RBI, 50 SB, 138 OPS+

Sabermetrics: 34.3 WAR, 14.0 WAA

Awards: 5 All-Star appearances, ALCS MVP

I didn’t consider Miguel Cabrera for this position since he only spent 207 games there, so Nelson Cruz is the perfect baseball player to play DH in today’s environment. At this stage in his career, he’s evolved into a perennial 40-HR player, even as he hits his upper thirties in age. Cruz led the AL in home runs in 2014 (40), RBIs in 2017 (119), and he’s averaged 41/105 for the last six years. For the decade as a whole, he was first in home runs (346) and second in RBIs (961).

 

Starting Pitcher: Clayton Kershaw

Years Active (of this decade): 2010-2019

Stats: 156-61 (.719), 2.31 ERA, 1,996 IP, 0.962 WHIP, 5.02 K:BB

Sabermetrics: 59.3 WAR, 43.4 WAA

Awards: 8 All-Star appearances, 1 MVP,  3 Cy Youngs, 1 Triple Crown, 1 Gold Glove

In terms of the regular season, Clayton Kershaw is a top-five starting pitcher in major league baseball history. Maybe top three. He’s a three-time Cy Young award winner and two-time runner-up. He’s won an MVP, a pitching triple crown, and led the league in ERA five times and WHIP four times.

Kershaw’s 157 career ERA+ is the best mark of all-time among starting pitchers. Even in the ‘decline’ phase of his career, he’s been ridiculously dominant. In 2016, Kershaw was limited to just 149 innings due to injury but posted a 1.69 ERA and an absurd 15.64 strikeout-to-walk ratio. This year, Kershaw posted the first 3.00+ ERA of his entire career. When a 3.03 ERA is your worst ERA as a pro, you’re a pretty special player. The playoff failures don’t help Kershaw’s case, but it’s not enough to keep him from being the No. 1 starting pitcher of the decade.

 

Starting Pitcher: Justin Verlander

Years Active (of this decade): 2010-2019

Stats: 160-86 (.650), 3.10 ERA, 2,142 IP, 1.077 WHIP, 3.98 K:BB

Sabermetrics: 56.2 WAR, 36.5 WAA

Awards: 6 All-Star appearances, 1 MVP, 1 Cy Youngs, 1 Triple Crown, 1 ring

As it stands right now, Justin Verlander has won ‘only’ one Cy Young award, but he has a good chance to edge out Gerrit Cole for his second. He won an MVP award in 2011, making him the only AL starting pitcher since Roger Clemens to do so. And his career resurgence since joining Houston in the middle of 2017 is one of the most incredible we’ve ever seen.

Verlander is 42-15 with a 2.42 ERA in 73 starts with Houston. He has a 0.837 WHIP and a 7.54 strikeout-to-walk ratio, numbers that make him arguably the best pitcher in the game today even at age 36. Verlander has thrown three no-hitters (two this decade), and he won the ALCS MVP and led Houston to a World Series title in 2017 and an appearance in 2019. This not only cements his place in the Hall of Fame, but puts him in the conversation of one of the 15 or so greatest pitchers who ever lived.

 

Starting Pitcher: Max Scherzer

Years Active (of this decade): 2010-2019

Stats: 161-74 (.685), 3.12 ERA, 2,063.2 IP, 1.068 WHIP, 4.59 K:BB

Sabermetrics: 56.1 WAR, 38.2 WAA

Awards: 7 All-Star appearances, 3 Cy Youngs, 1 ring

You could realistically make a case for any of Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, or Max Scherzer as the best pitcher of the 2010s. Scherzer leads the trio in wins (161) and strikeouts (2,452). He’s led the league in wins/WHIP/K:BB ratio four times each and strikeouts three times each, which makes him the most dominant power pitcher of the decade, and he’s fresh off a strong performance in Game 7 of the World Series.

I gave Kershaw the edge because of a vastly superior ERA and Verlander the edge because of the slightest difference in ERA, especially in a league in which he has to face the DH. Still, Scherzer’s single-game bests are insane: multiple no-hitters, multiple immaculate innings, and a 20-strikeout game. He’s making a $210 million contract look like a bargain, and he’s now a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame one day.

 

Starting Pitcher: Chris Sale

Years Active (of this decade): 2010-2019

Stats: 109-73 (.599), 3.03 ERA, 1,629.2 IP, 1.035 WHIP, 5.37 K:BB

Sabermetrics: 45.4 WAR, 30.0 WAA

Awards: 7 All-Star appearances, 1 ring

With Chris Sale’s funky windup, we keep on expecting him to break down every season. But he’s averaged 192 innings for the last eight years and while he’s never won a Cy Young, he’s perennially been a top-five pitcher in the game.

Sale is a ridiculous strikeout pitcher. Three times he’s led the league in K/9 rate. He struck out 308 batters in 2017, becoming the first AL pitcher to do it in almost 20 years. His career 5.37 strikeout-to-walk ratio is the highest in league history, and he’s only getting better with age. Sale’s 140 career ERA+ is a higher lifetime mark than that of Cy Young, Christy Mathewson, or Greg Maddux.

 

Starting Pitcher: Zack Greinke

Years Active (of this decade): 2010-2019

Stats: 155-70 (.689), 3.18 ERA, 1,984 IP, 1.109 WHIP, 4.24 K:BB

Sabermetrics: 44.0 WAR, 27.4 WAA

Awards: 5 All-Star appearances, 5 Gold Gloves

For such a great pitcher, it’s amazing how many teams Zack Greinke has been on. He’s been with six teams, been moved at the trade deadline twice, and impressively enough, he’s been effective wherever he’s been. He’s fourth among the decade’s pitchers in starts (311), innings pitched (1,984), and wins (155), and fifth in strikeouts (1,872).

Greinke should have won the 2015 NL Cy Young when he had a 1.66 ERA, the lowest single-season mark by a pitcher with at least 200 innings pitched since Greg Maddux 20 years earlier. He’s a five-time Gold Glove winner, and we all saw that on display in Game 7 of this year’s World Series. He’s even a Silver Slugger winner at the plate, where he’s added nine home runs.

 

Closer: Craig Kimbrel

Years Active (of this decade): 2010-2019

Stats: 31-23 (.574), 2.08 ERA, 346 SV, 0.945 WHIP, 4.14 K:BB

Sabermetrics: 19.6 WAR, 11.6 WAA

Awards: 7 All-Star appearances, Rookie of the Year, 1 ring

Even with his forgettable 2019 campaign, Craig Kimbrel still wins this decade’s award for best reliever. He was a perennial force on the mound, making a mockery of even the game’s best hitters and racking up saves with ease. Kimbrel led the league in saves four straight years from 2011-2014, then changed teams and gave San Diego one strong year before making three straight All-Star teams and winning a World Series with Boston.

Kimbrel doesn’t have enough appearances or innings to qualify on the career leaderboards, but if he did, he would rank first all-time in WHIP (0.945), hits allowed per nine innings (5.0), and strikeouts per nine innings (14.6); second in adjusted ERA (195), and third in FIP (2.19).

 

 

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