MLB: The 2020 All-MLB Team

ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 01: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves reacts at the conclusion of Game Two of the National League Wild Card Series against the Cincinnati Reds at Truist Park on October 1, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 01: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves reacts at the conclusion of Game Two of the National League Wild Card Series against the Cincinnati Reds at Truist Park on October 1, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images)

So many high-quality MLB pitchers, so few spots.

Starting pitcher: Shane Bieber, Cleveland Indians- AL Cy Young and MVP winner? Bieber certainly has a case to sweep both awards, but there’s no denying he was the top pitcher in baseball this season. Bieber finished with an 8-1 record, a 1.63 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and led all MLB pitchers with 122 strikeouts and 3.2 WAR.

Starting pitcher: Trevor Bauer, Cincinnati Reds- The NL Cy Young is a much tighter race than the AL, with at least four pitchers worthy of taking home the hardware. Bauer is right in that mix after going 5-4 with a 1.73 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, a .159 average against, and a career-high 36% strikeout rate and career-low 6% walk rate.

Starting pitcher: Jacob deGrom, New York Mets- Winner of the last two NL Cy Young honors, deGrom put together yet another award-worthy campaign, despite often being overshadowed by the never-ending show in the front office. deGrom averaged just under 14 K/9 IP and ended 2020 with a 2.38 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. It was the third-straight season with a WHIP under 1.00 for deGrom.

Starting pitcher: Yu Darvish, Chicago Cubs- The NL leader in fWAR (3.0), Darvish went 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA for Chicago this season, striking out more than 31% of hitters and slashing his already low 7.7% walk rate from 2019 to just 4.7% in 2020. The Yu Darvish we saw during his early days as a Texas Rangers just might be back.

Starting pitcher: Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees- Cole may have had a few bumps along the way in 2020, but the Yankees ace still went 7-3 with a 2.84 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 12 starts. He struck out nearly 33% of hitters he faced and kept opponents under the Mendoza-line for a third-straight season (.197 average against). When New York needed Cole the most, he delivered, giving up just three earned runs across his final four starts (27 IP).

Relief pitcher: Devin Williams, Milwaukee Brewers- Williams put together one of the more remarkable seasons for a relief pitcher in recent memory, going 4-1 with a 0.33 ERA, 0.63 WHIP, and a .089 average against. Opponents recorded just two hits off his elite changeup, which produced a 61% whiff rate.

Relief pitcher: Liam Hendriks, Oakland Athletics- Any team looking to upgrade their bullpen for 2021 doesn’t need to look any further than Hendriks on the free agent market. The 31-year-old finished second to Brad Hand with 14 saves and tied with Devin Williams for the league-lead in fWAR among reliever (1.4). He struck out 40% of opponents, walked just 3%, and ended 2020 with a career-low 1.14 ERA.

Who makes your 2020 All-MLB first team?