This will not be your typical “All-Decade” team list for the 2010’s, I’ll start with that. Most players from most of those lists are still playing today, as we’re only a few years removed from the 2019 Major League Baseball season. Who we’ll be looking at in this list are players who only played from 2010 through 2019. They made their debut in the 2010 season, and played their final MLB game in the 2019 season (or earlier, in some cases). We’re looking at a decade of baseball and picking the best players at the following positions: 3 Outfielders, one at each Infield position, a Starting Pitcher, Relief Pitcher, and a Utility Player.
Starting Pitcher – Jeremy Hellickson
Relief Pitcher – Alexi Oganda
Outfield – Peter Bourjos, Austin Jackson, Desmond Jennings
Catcher – Welington Castillo
First Base – Mark Trumbo
Second Base – Danny Espinosa
Third Base – Pedro Alvarez
Shortstop – Ruben Tejada
Utility Player – Daniel Descalso
“What happened to these guys??” Is the first question you might be asking, as I’m sure there are a few names that stand out. In total, these players amassed a bWAR of 105.9, and only one World Series winner in total as a team over their careers. You’ll come to find that some shined quite a bit brighter than others, much much brighter.
Starting with our lone Rookie of the Year Award winner, as well as the only Gold Glove Award winner on this team, we have Jeremy Hellickson, who quickly made waves during his first full season in 2011 after debuting in 2010. Posting a sub-3 ERA while throwing two complete games, one of which was a shutout, Hellickson easily coasted into the #1 position for ROY. In 2012, it was the Golden Glove, and things were looking up for the 25-year old. Unfortunately, the two times that he pitched for his team in the Playoffs, the 2011 ALDS against the Rangers and in the 2013 ALDS against the Red Sox, they lost. His career slowly went downhill after an elbow injury that required surgery in 2014.
Following the path of pitchers, we have Alexi Ogando slotted as our Reliever, although he did have two seasons where he was used as a Starter. Funnily enough, after being brought up in 2010 and being used purely out of the bullpen, it was the 2011 season when the Rangers first used him as a Starting Pitcher that he made his one and only All Star Game. He did well enough to go back to the bullpen, only to once again be called on as a Starter in 2013. After that season where he only started 18 Games, he was used exclusively as a Relief Pitcher throughout his Major League career. He did have a brief one year stint in the KBO in 2017, before coming back state-side and making one final appearance in the MLB for Cleveland in 2018.
The Outfield consists of three players who were looked at more for their glove than their bats, as they only hit a combined 163 Homeruns; Only Jackson and Jennings had a career OPS+ of 100 or better. Bourjos and Jackson led the AL in Triples with 11 each in 2011, while Jennings was pretty much average all around from 2011-14 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays posting a 105 OPS+ and hitting .249/.327/.402 while getting on base via the walk, and moving around the diamond with about 22 Stolen Bases each year. His seven year career with the Rays came to an end in 2016 as they released him towards the end of his worst offensive productive year that came on the heels of an injury riddled season in 2015.
The Infield starts with one of your most important players on the diamond, the Catcher. Welington Castillo peaked between 2013-16, where he had an odd 2015 spending time with his original club whom he debuted with in 2010, the Chicago Cubs, before being traded to the Seattle Mariners in May of 2015, then traded again to the Arizona Diamondbacks in June. The Mariners got in return Mark Trumbo, who also makes this list, and Vidal Nuno for Castillo and three other players. Welington unfortunately dipped off in performance after posting a decent second half with Arizona and having a good 2016 to follow. He retired with White Sox in 2019 posting a career 98 OPS+ with a .254 Batting Average and hitting 98 HR.
Following Castillo, we have Mark Trumbo, Danny Espinosa, Ruben Tejada, and Pedro Alvarez. This group is probably the most decorated as they bring in three All Star appearances, and two Silver Slugger Awards. Mark Trumbo actually came in second behind Hellickson for ROY in 2011, after hitting 29 bombs and 31 Doubles in just 149 Games played. In the NL, Danny Espinosa didn’t do so bad himself as he landed sixth overall in the ROY voting for 2011; That would also be his only season posting an OPS+ of 100 or higher. He would only become to be known as the Second Baseman who consistently struck out 100 or more times in a season for Washington, until the Angels decided to sign him at 30 years old in 2017, and he ended up spending time with Seattle, as well as Tampa Bay that year, before calling it quits. Over at Third we have Pedro, our other Silver Slugger Award winner of the group, as well as our final All Star. He managed to lead the NL in both HR with 36 and Strikeouts with 186 in 2013 while being an All Star and bringing in a Silver Slugger Award. By 2015, Pedro had transitioned to First full-time, and ended his career in 2018. Finally we have one of our more memorable names, Ruben Tejada of the New York Mets from 2010-15, who then fell from grace, seemingly not able to hit a baseball in 2016 while putting up a .167 Average over 78 Games with the Cardinals and Giants. He played 41 Games in 2017 (partially in place of an injured Manny Machado) for Baltimore, then elected Free Agency November of 2018. This allowed Tejada and the Mets to reunite in 2019 on a Minor League deal, and he would only play in six more MLB games before once again electing Free Agency after being sent to the Minors.
Our last player on the list, Daniel Descalso, is not only the Utility Player of the 2010’s, but also the only one with a World Series ring, with the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals. That year, Descalso played at every Infield position for the Cards except for First and Catcher, as well as being a Pinch Hitter over 148 Games. This would be the most games that Daniel ever appeared in a full season for any team throughout his career. Descalso is also the only other player besides Hellickson and Ogando on this list to take the mound, appearing in six games on the bump. Throughout the entirety of his career, Daniel Descalso played every position on the diamond except for Catcher and Center Field, including being a DH in 14 Games.
