The best MLB Players, pound for pound, at every position of the decade
This past decade brought upon a new crop of MLB players, catapulting the game to a new level. Here are the best players, pound for pound. at every position of the 2010s.
The 2010s will mostly be remembered by the game’s acceptance of the analytical approach to building a team. It will also be the decade in which MLB Players adopted the launch angle and exit velocity, the idea that grounders in the big leagues are outs unless you hit the ball hard as hell.
On the other side, we saw pitchers throw harder than ever before and fool batters with breaking balls that resembled those you threw in your backyard Wiffle Ball games. Bullpens played a larger role in games as the data provided more insight into a starter’s effectiveness later in games.
In other words, the game was revolutionized and barely resembles that of even the decade prior. With the change came fewer viewers and declining stadium attendance numbers as purists struggled to recognize the game they grew up loving.
In the end, It’s their loss as the slew of talent the game has produced appears to be better than ever before. With hitters like Mike Trout threatening to take the mantle of greatest of all time by a wide margin and pitchers like Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander dominating hitters late into their 30’s, there has never been a time like this in baseball.
In an effort to recognize the game’s increased level of play, I’ve decided to compile a list of MLB players who are the best, pound for pound, at every position. To determine this, I’ve taken the all-encompassing fWAR stat and divided it by the number of games played in an effort to determine how much of each game a player impacts.
At some positions, the answer is quite predictable. In others, you might feel a sense of shock. At the end of the day, bias was taken out of the equation and each player was determined strictly by the numbers.
Without further ado, here the best MLB Players at every position of the 2010s.
The Best MLB Players at Every Position of the 2010s
The Position Players
- C – Buster Posey (.042 fWAR/G)
- 1B – Joey Votto (.034 fWAR/G)
- 2B – Robinson Cano (.031 fWAR/G)
- SS – Francisco Lindor (.038 fWAR/G)
- 3B – Josh Donaldson (.040 fWAR/G)
- RF – Mookie Betts (.047 fWAR/G)
- CF – Mike Trout (.061 fWAR/G)
- LF – Christian Yelich (.037 fWAR/G)
- DH – Nelson Cruz (.024 fWAR/G)
Predictably, Trout is the best player in baseball by a long shot. The next best player, Betts, trails Trout by .014 fWAR/G and he is followed by Posey, who trails Betts by .005 fWAR/G.
Surprisingly, however, Donaldson is the only other player to crack the .040 fWAR/G marker, making him the 4th best player in all of baseball during the 2010s.
Some areas that might have come as a surprise to you are at the 2B, SS, and DH positions. Off the top of my head, I would’ve guessed Jose Altuve, Troy Tulowitzki, and David Ortiz, but the numbers say otherwise.
At 2B, Cano (.0319 fWAR/G) actually came in a virtual tie with Dustin Pedroia (.0318 fWAR/G), Altuve actually trailed them both by .003 fWAR/G.
At SS, Lindor and Carlos Correa dominated the top of the lists. Tulowitzki placed third on the list and barely. Xander Bogaerts is just .005 fWAR/G away from eclipsing “2LO” on the list.
Finally, our collective reaction is to crown “Big Papi” the greatest DH of the decade. He did single-handedly win the Boston Red Sox the 2013 World Series. Unfortunately for Ortiz, he trailed Cruz by a single point in fWAR/G.
The Best MLB Players at Every Position of the 2010s
The Rotation
- Clayton Kershaw (.202 fWAR/G)
- Chris Sale (.184 fWAR/G)
- Max Scherzer (.172 fWAR/G)
- Justin Verlander (.168 fWAR/G)
- Stephen Strasburg (.154 fWAR/G)
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This starting rotation, and its order, should come as little surprise to anyone who views it. In 12 big-league years, Kershaw has posted an ERA of 3 or higher twice. The second time, just barely.
Some pitchers that you may be surprised not appear in this rotation might include Gerrit Cole, Zack Greinke, and David Price. In Cole’s case, his dominance has come in only the last two seasons; Greinke and Price are literally in the next tier, which still happens to have a significant separation from the tier after that.
For the 2020s, we’d fully expect Cole to appear on the list alongside pitchers like Walker Buehler and 2x NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom.
As the game continues to evolve, the role of the starter is becoming less and less significant. Pitchers don’t go deep into games the way they used to.
That’s because of the advent of dominant relief pitchers. Guys who can hit triple-digits with ease and make batters look foolish 1-2 innings at a time.
This brings us to the All-Decade bullpen.
The Bullpen
- Aroldis Chapman (.035 fWAR/G)
- Dellin Betances (.0314 fWAR/G)
- Kenley Jansen (.0311 fWAR/G)
As a fan of the New York Yankees, I was pleasantly surprised by the results. In my mind, I thought Craig Kimbrel would be the best reliever in baseball by a long shot. According to the numbers, however, he’s not even in the top 3.
Next. Ranking the top 3 teams in need of Josh Donaldson. dark
Despite featuring a lesser fWAR than more than half of the players on the list, in games in which he appears, Betances was one of the most effective relievers in MLB. Unfortunately, he missed just about all of the 2019 season, so there’s no telling what kind of pitcher he will be while with the New York Mets in 2020.