Major League Baseball's All-Decade Team: 2000-2009

With the decade dwindling, it's time to look at the top baseball performers over the past 10 years.

Who produced the best numbers in the first decade this millennium? Who were the figures that defined the first 10 years?

Who should make the first All-Decade team of the new millennium?

Realize this isn't an all-star team focused on the best players this season. This isn't a debate over the best players of the past couple years. Rather, it's a look at which players have been the best throughout the decade.

This is an All-Decade team. It's a big benefit to have played and produced throughout the decade.

There are four criteria I used in picking the team:

1. Numbers trump everything. There's a difference between being perceived as the best player at a certain position and having the statistics to back it up. Stats never lie.
2. Awards count heavily. Great defensive player should have a closet full of gold gloves. Great hitters should have a pile of silver sluggers. And a great player should win an MVP.
3. World Series titles are nice, but not necessarily important.
4. Perhaps more important, steroids don't matter. As I've previously written, I think the steroid crusade is a load of hypocritical crap. If a player hits .300, he hits .300. If he smashes 70 home runs, he smashes 70 home runs. No asterisk needed.

One last thing to note, it doesn't matter what a player did in 1999. This team only counts what a player does from 2000 to 2009. Hence why it's called an All-Decade team.

Anyway, let's get to the team.

Starting pitcher, Johan Santana

He hasn't thrown a perfect game like Randy Johnson. He doesn't have as many wins as Roy Oswalt. Or as many complete games as Roy Halladay.

But no pitcher has had a better decade than Santana.

The ace has fewer losses (58) and a lower ERA (3.10) than any pitcher with at least 150 decisions. He will likely own the highest winning percentage (his .674 winning percentage is second only to Pedro Martinez's .686). And he has the second-most strikeouts this decade with 1,707, second only to Johnson's 2,176.

Also remember Santana is the only pitcher this decade to win two Cy Young awards in the American League. He is one of three pitchers to win multiple Cy Youngs this decade, along with Johnson and Roger Clemens.

Johan Santana stats this decade: 120-58, .674 win %, 3.10 ERA, 1,707 strikeouts

Catcher, Ivan Rodriguez

The catcher position is a two-man race that comes down to a fundamental question: Which is more important, offense or defense?

Jorge Posada has been the best catcher in the batter's box. His five silver sluggers the past decade. Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez has been the best behind the plate. He has five gold gloves the past 10 years.

But who is the best catcher?

The coin flip goes to Pudge. Why? While Pudge won five gold gloves, he also received a silver slugger award in 2004. Posada, a far better offensive player than he is behind the plate, has never won a gold glove during his career. Rodriguez, one of the five most decorated catchers ever, also holds a 6-5 edge in All-Star appearances.

Ivan Rodriguez stats: 629 RBI's, 635 runs, 159 home runs, .300 BA, .338 OBP, .483 SLG

First base, Albert Pujols

Who else could it be?

Pujols' only serious competition is Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, who is quietly compiling numbers worthy of a first-ballot Hall of Fame induction. But Pujols is boldly producing statistics that will place him in the discussion for the greatest player ever.

No first baseman has accumulated as many RBI's (1,068), runs (1,026), home runs (353) or hit for a higher average this decade than Pujols. And The Machine didn't start his career until 2001.

But there's more to Pujols' greatness than the numbers. He's the only player in the game to finish top five in MVP voting seven times this decade. He's also the only player this decade win two MVPs, a gold glove and a World Series ring.

With promising young sluggers Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder and Adrian Gonzalez hitting their prime, there should be a fierce competition for first base All-Star next decade. But the past 10 years was a Pujols wash.

Albert Pujols: 1,068 RBIs, 1,026 runs, 353 home runs, 335 BA, .427 OBP, .630 SLG

Second base, Jeff Kent

There hasn't been a deep talent pool at second base this decade, but that shouldn't diminish Kent's inclusion on the All-Decade squad.

Kent was 32 when this decade began, but the future Hall of Famer has pieced together a tremendous decade. Even though he retired last season - and thus only played nine seasons this decade - he's the only second baseman with 850 RBI's and 750 runs. He also batted .300 and smashed more the 200 home runs.

Kent had one of the greatest World Series performances by a second baseman in baseball history with three home runs and seven RBI's against the Anaheim Angels in 2003. He's the only second baseman to win an MVP in the National League, and he added four silver slugger awards in the nine years.

Jeff Kent: 850 RBIs, 754 runs, 216 home runs, .300 BA, .371 OBP, .518 SLG

Third base, Alex Rodriguez

A-Rod isn't only the top third baseman this decade. He may be the greatest player of the past 10 years.

He leads all hitters with 1,198 RBI's, 1,153 runs and 424 home runs since 2000. Since moving from shortstop to third base in 2004, he's won all five silver sluggers.

Another plus for Rodriguez? He's the most polarizing player the game has seen in a long time. (Even more so, I'd argue, than Barry Bonds). No matter what he does - for better or worse - the guy is always in making headlines.

Sixteen seasons into Rodriguez's career, the only missing piece on his resume is a World Series ring. If he gets one of those, Rodriguez will easily pass Frank Robinson and Mike Schmidt as the greatest third baseman of all-time.

Alex Rodriguez: 1,198 RBI's, 1,153 runs, 424 home runs, .303 BA, .401 OBP, .588 SLG

Shortstop, Derek Jeter

In a lot of ways, Jeter has been the antithesis to his peer on the left side of the Yankees infield.

A-Rod has three MVPs and no World Series titles. Jeter has four World Series rings - all in the 1990s - and amazingly no MVPs.

Despite the lone glitch in his resume, Jeter is the clear-cut choice for shortstop on the All-Decade team.

Mr. November has received eight All-Star nods, three silver sluggers and two gold gloves this decade. He's just shy of 2,000 hits, has more than 1,000 runs and owns a .315 batting average.

Derek Jeter: 702 RBI, 1,043 runs, 154 home runs, .315 BA, .386 OBP, .455 SLG

Left field, Barry Bonds

Bonds is one of the rare players who deserves to make two straight All-Decade teams. The remarkable thing is - despite the controversial steroids debacle - he may have experienced a better decade in the 2000s than the 1990s.

Bonds won four straight MVP awards this decade, one more than he received in the 1990s. He became the home run king, passing Hank Aaron on a historical night in 2007. And despite playing in his late 30s and early 40s, Bonds batted .322, reached base almost 52 percent of the time and slugged .724.

Barry Bonds: 697 RBIs, 772 runs, 317 home runs, .322 BA, .517 OBP, .724 SLG

Center field, Torri Hunter

Hunter is the lone player selected to the All-Decade team because of his glove instead of bat.

On his way to becoming one of the greatest defensive centerfield ever, Hunter is only the third center fielder ever to win eight straight gold gloves. After another solid season, the three-time all-star should receive his ninth this season.

Hunter's defensive numbers speak volumes. He only has 27 errors in 1,278 games at center field and has been errorless since 2007. Meanwhile, his offense has slowly improved. Hunter has 817 RBI's, 761 runs and 221 home runs the past decade. He's batting a career-high .305 average in 2009 with 65 RBI's, 56 runs and 17 home runs.

Torii Hunter: 817 RBIs, 761 runs, 221 home runs, .275 BA, .331 OBP, .481 SLG

Right field, Ichiro Suzuki

Along with Rodriguez, Ichiro has a legitimate claim to be named the best player this decade.

He didn't reach the Major Leagues until 2001 - at age 27 - but the greatest player in Japanese history has made up for lost time. Ichiro was MVP of the American League his rookie season. He has more hits (1,945) than any player this decade, and he's won a gold glove each season. In 2009, Ichiro started his ninth straight All-Star game.

Ichiro Suzuki: 494 RBIs, 935 runs, 67 home runs, .332 BA, .378 OBP, .433 SLG