Best of the decade: MLB dream team, position-by-position

Jesse Yomtov | USA TODAY

As the 2010s come to a close, we can accurately reflect on the decade that was around Major League Baseball, an era that saw the rise of some of the greatest talents in the history of the game, from Adrian Beltre to Clayton Kershaw to Mike Trout.

Our team includes MVPs, Cy Young winners, future Hall of Famers and members of championship teams. While some choices were obvious, others were heavily debated.

USA TODAY Sports' five-person baseball staff voted on the best player at every position, including five starting pitchers, a closer and the designated hitter, from 2010-2019. Let the debate begin:

Catcher: Buster Posey (Giants)

Posey was the heart and soul of this decade’s best dynasty. He’s slashed .302/.370/.456 over the past 10 seasons and considering he was Rookie of the Year in 2010, we got to watch the best years of what may very well end up a Hall of Fame career.

First base: Miguel Cabrera (Tigers)

As Albert Pujols faded, the already-great Cabrera took his game to another level. From 2010-2016, Cabrera hit .330 with a .996 OPS, averaging 34 homers and 114 RBI. He won four batting titles in that span and back-to-back MVP awards in 2012 and 2013 as the Tigers made four consecutive trips to the postseason.

Second base: Robinson Cano (Yankees/Mariners/Mets)

Cano had already established himself as one of baseball’s best second basemen in the late-aughts and carried that performance over into the new decade. From 2010-2014 with the Yankees he hit .312, averaging 29 homers and 107 RBI, before joining the Mariners on a 10-year, $240 million contract. He kept slugging in Seattle, but the decade ended on a sour note in his first year with the Mets.

Third base: Adrian Beltre (Red Sox/Rangers)

A decade ago, Beltre’s career was one of unfulfilled potential. Coming off an injury-shortened 2009 campaign, the 12-year veteran had been decidedly unremarkable – besides his 2004 contract year – and signed a one-year deal with Boston, which would be the move that opened his path to Cooperstown. He then earned himself a five-year contract with Texas, where he would lead the team to back-to-back AL championships and post a .304 average over the next eight years, finishing his career with 3,166 hits and 477 home runs.

Shortstop: Francisco Lindor (Indians)

He didn’t debut until 2015, but the superstar made his case in the latter half of the decade. Still just 26, Lindor has 130 home runs with 93 steals in five seasons and has been an All-Star each of the past four years. Recency bias may play a subconscious role in this selection, but it wasn’t a great decade for shortstops.

Outfield: Mike Trout (Angels)

One paragraph can’t describe Trout’s greatness, which included eight top-five MVP finishes – and he finished first or second in seven of the eight.

OF: Mookie Betts (Red Sox)

Didn’t become an everyday player until 2015, but the 27-year-old Betts has hit .301 with four Gold Gloves and four 20-steal seasons in five years. The AL MVP in 2018, Betts helped Boston win its third fourth World Series of the century.

OF: Andrew McCutchen (Pirates/Giants/Yankees/Phillies)

The best player on a Pittsburgh team that enjoyed a renaissance from 2013-2015, breaking a 20-year postseason drought, McCutchen won four Gold Gloves in center field and finished finished top-five in MVP voting from 2012-2015, including a win in 2013.

Designated hitter: David Ortiz (Red Sox)

Ortiz had spent the 2000s cementing his legend in Boston but somehow found a way to become even more of an icon. Following the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, Ortiz's impassioned speech energized the city and led the Red Sox to another title that year, winning World Series MVP with a .688 average (11-for-16) against the Cardinals.

Starting pitcher: Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers)

After breaking into the Dodgers rotation in 2009, the southpaw would win three Cy Young awards, five NL ERA crowns and the MVP award in 2014 over the next 10 seasons. Postseason glory has eluded him, but Kershaw will be remembered as one of the best starters of all time.

SP: Justin Verlander (Tigers/Astros)

Took the leap from good to great, winning the Cy Young and MVP awards in 2011 as the Tigers won four consecutive AL Central crowns from 2011-2014. And just when it looked like he was starting to go downhill at age 32, he bounced back in a big way, going 68-32 with a 2.87 ERA from 2016-2019, including another Cy Young and a World Series title with the Astros.

SP: Max Scherzer (Tigers/Nationals)

From 2013-2019, the right-hander enjoyed one of the greatest runs we’ll ever see, going 118-47 with a 2.82 ERA and averaging 266 strikeouts. Scherzer has won three Cy Young awards (2013, 2016, 2017) and now has a World Series ring.

SP: Madison Bumgarner (Giants)

After debuting as a teenager in 2009, Bumgarner joined the rotation in 2010 and began his postseason heroics as a rookie, posting a 2.18 ERA in 20 ⅔ innings as the Giants won their first title. He would make himself known to the world in 2014, pitching seven times in San Francisco’s championship run, going 4-1 with 1.03 ERA in 52 ⅔ innings, including two wins and a save in the World Series.

SP: Chris Sale (White Sox/Red Sox)

The lefty spent 2010 and 2011 in the Chicago bullpen to begin his career then immediately earned ace status once he became a starter. From 2012-2019, Sale had a 3.05 ERA and averaged 237 strikeouts, finishing in the top six in AL Cy Young voting on seven occasions.

Closer: Craig Kimbrel (Braves/Padres/Red Sox/Cubs)

Baseball’s active saves leader with 346, Kimbrel debuted in 2010 and dominated from the very beginning, winning NL Rookie of the Year. The right-hander had a 2.08 ERA, averaged a stunning 14.6 strikeouts per nine innings, was an All-Star seven times and received Cy Young votes in five different seasons.