Although various Gregorian calendars and no less than an organ like the Farmer’s Almanac would probably disagree, it is said here that we are almost halfway through the current decade, i.e. years 2020. As such, this remarkable moment provides us with the necessary justification to verify how the MLB The All-Decade team forms at the halfway point.
The main consideration is quite simple: which player, at each position/role, has brought the most value on the field from the 2020 season through the final season of 2024? How players plan to perform in the second half of the current decade is irrelevant for these purposes. It’s about who has been the best over the last five seasons. Determining which is best is of course a subjective matter, and the writer welcomes your objections to the upcoming choices as long as he never hears about them.
Now let’s look at the “halftime score” when it comes to what the eventual team of the decade will one day look like, assuming the miserable and fetid human species persists long enough to that such a thing would come true.
(Note: For hitters to be considered eligible for a position, they must have played at least 51% of their total games at that position since the start of the 2020 season.)
All-2020 team (so far)
There have been better offensive receivers than Realmuto over the last five seasons, but none are up to his defensive work. Additionally, he is also a productive hitter by the position’s standards. Since the start of the 2020 season, he has an OPS+ of 115, and twice during that span he has surpassed 1,100 innings captured in a season.
Finalist(s): Willson Contreras, Salvador Perez, Will Smith
Freeman for the decade so far has a slash line of .313/.403/.526 with 116 homers and 189 doubles to his name. Freeman won the NL MVP Award for the abbreviated 2020 season, and he has topped 25 WAR for the decade so far.
Finalist(s): Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Paul Goldschmidt, Matt Olson
Tough call at the keystone, but Semien gets the nod for his best-in-class defense at the crucial position in tandem with his high level of plate production and base running. For the 2020s, he has an OPS+ of 114, and over that span, he has averaged 26 home runs and 13 stolen bases per 162 games played. Semien is exceptionally durable and he has never produced more than nine double plays in a season during the 2020s. His glove, however, truly gives him an advantage over his peers.
Finalist(s): José Altuve, Andrés Giménez, Ketel Marte
Third base: José Ramírez, Keepers
From tough call to easy call, as the ruthlessly consistent and ruthlessly excellent Ramírez is the obvious choice at the hot corner. Over 681 games (remember the 2020 season was shortened to 60 games due to COVID), J-Ram this decade has a slash line of .278/.353/.523 with 29 home runs and 25 steals for 162 games played. That, along with his strong third-down rollup, gives Ramírez a 27-plus WAR for the 2020s.
Finalist(s): Nolan Arenado, Matt Chapman, Manny Machado, Austin Riley
This was a difficult decision. Ultimately, however, Lindor’s overall value and base running and durability outweighed Corey Seager’s superior hitting. For the current decade, Lindor has a 120 OPS+, 118 home runs, 92 steals and more gloves at the most prestigious positions.
Finalist(s): Corey Seager, Trea Turner
Judge is baseball’s ultimate slugger and has been for several years. Over the last five years, Judge has a slash line of .298/.414/.635 with 205 home runs. He’s won two MVPs in that span, and he set the AL single-season home run record in 2022. As for the best overall player of the 2020s so far, it’s between Judge and a DH about to be nominated soon.
The decade began with Betts helping the Dodgers win the World Series, and that’s also how the first half ended. Along the way, Betts, from when he was 27 to when he was 31, had a 145 OPS+ with power. He’s a brilliant defender in right field, and he’s also spent a lot of time over the last five years at three middle spots. To boot, he was the best baserunner of the decade.
Soto, 26, just signed a $765 million contract for a reason, and that reason is that he is one of the best pure hitters in living memory. For the decade, he has an OPS+ of 168; strong power numbers; and, incredibly for a contemporary home run hitter, 582 walks against 465 strikeouts.
Finalists: Ronald Acuña Jr., Kyle Tucker, Bryce Harper
Would Ohtani have this spot if he wasn’t also an ace-quality starting pitcher when healthy? There is no need to answer this question, since Ohtani East an ace quality starting pitcher when healthy, which significantly increases his overall value. As a DH during this decade, Ohtani hit .280/.377/.587 with 185 home runs and 123 stolen bases. Along the way, he’s won three MVPs over the past four seasons and authored the first 50-50 season in MLB history. He’s the obvious choice, and that’s before you even factor in his throwing.
Finalist: Yordan Álvarez
Starting pitcher: Zack Wheeler, Phillies
Wheeler has been the dominant pitcher of the 2020s thus far, and it’s not really that close. For the decade, he has a 2.92 ERA (142 ERA+) and a 2.96 FIP, and over those five seasons, he has struck out 27.1% of opposing batters. Wheeler’s 829 ⅓ innings for the decade are just behind teammate Aaron Nola’s 850.
It’s difficult to choose between Burnes and Gerrit Cole, but Burnes’ innings advantage – 816 ⅔ to Cole’s 759 – helps tip the scales. This is also the case for Burnes’ advantage in ERA+ over Cole by a margin of 142 to 134. Overall, Burnes this decade has a 2.88 ERA and a 3.01 FIP. Additionally, he won the Cy Young in 2021 and finished in the top 10 of the voting every other season in the 2020s.
Finalists: Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Logan Webb
How much dominance has Cleveland’s closer enjoyed over the past five seasons. Since the start of the 2020 campaign, Clase has posted a 1.62 ERA and 2.31 FIP with 281 strikeouts against just 44 unintentional walks in 289 ⅓ combined innings. In those five seasons, only four pitchers made more appearances than Clase’s 297.
Runner-up: Devin Williams
