How Many MLB Stars Of The 2010s Can You Name?
- by D_Lamoureux
- – on
- in Sports
Major League Baseball has certainly had its share of stars over the last decade, and what makes them great is they're all their own unique player. There's players who've made a living with the same team for their entire careers, and players who switch teams looking to make the playoffs. There's players who hit for contact, and those who hit for power. There's fast players, slow players, big players, small players, closing pitchers and starting pitchers, and a heck of a lot of personalities. As the stars of the 2000s retire, new stars are primed to take their place at the forefront of baseball.
With the sheer amount of stars in the league, and the access to games being easier than ever before, it's tough to figure out why baseball's had a drop in viewership over the years.
Maybe the power hitters can return fans to their seats. MLB has had a record amount of home runs across the league this season which was set back in 2000, after having a 17-year low in dingers in 2014. As long as there is no controversy surrounding the use of performance enhancing drugs in the coming years as there was in 2000, it wouldn't be out of the question to expect the new crop of young sluggers to bring baseball back into popularity.
Who is this?
Well we’ll start off the quiz with a player that fits the description of a “star from the 2010s” perfectly: the MVP of the 2010 MLB All-Star Game. He earned MVP by knocking in the only three runs the NL scored all game in their 3-1 win. This player was a catcher for the Atlanta Braves at this point, and was making his fifth All-Star appearance. He was actually the first Braves player to be selected as an All-Star in each of his first three seasons in the MLB.
Who is this?
This is a player that flies under the radar, on a team that also flies under the radar. Nobody in the MLB thought much of the Kansas City Royals until they won the World Series in 2015. Yes, that’s what it took. This player has quietly been one of the most well-rounded left fielders in the game. He has four Gold Gloves in the 2010s, can hit for power and contact, and has decent steal numbers. He even hit the 5,694th home run of the 2017 season, setting an MLB record.
Who is this?
Very rarely are relief pitchers considered “stars” but we gotta give these guys some credit for being the best at their position. This pitcher has played with the Braves, Padres, and Red Sox, and has brought that weird, sea gull stance with him at every stop. It clearly works for him. This pitcher is the only player to strikeout over half of the batter’s he’s faced while pitching 60+ innings in a season. If Boston can find their way to another World Series, he has the chance at being the overwhelming option for best relief pitcher of this decade.
Who is this?
There's been no player that's benefitted as much from the designated hitter position than this player. Standing 6’3”, 230 lbs, when he puts his weight behind the ball, it's gone. 541 home runs over 20 years, and a big part of the Red Sox first World Series since the Curse of the Bambino makes this player a surefire Hall of Famer. But dingers aren't the only reason Big Papi is so loveable. He led the league in home runs once, but he probably led the league in smiles every year.
Who is this?
There’s gotta be something in the water in Dallas, Texas. Two of the greatest arm talents of the 2010s came out of the same Highland Park High School. One was Matthew Stafford, a football quarterback drafted with the first overall pick. Since then, he’s led the Detroit Lions to several 4th quarter comebacks, including eight in a single season. As of 2017, Stafford is the highest paid player in the NFL. The other is this pitcher, a 7-time MLB All-star with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Strangely, neither has found much success in the playoffs.
Who is this?
This veteran of the game has been manning the hot corner since 1998, and has no signs of slowing down. Well, to be fair, he might have slowed down running-wise, but his production has been consistent. He’s won five Gold Gloves between 2007 and 2016, and four Silver Slugger awards between 2004 and 2014. That’s longevity. Part of the reason he’s been able to do it is his love for the game. He’s known for goofing around in the dugout, and sometimes even on the field. He’s always a good reminder that sports are supposed to be fun.
Who is this?
This player lit up the league in his very first game in 2010, setting a franchise record with 14 strikeouts in his debut. The rest of his career has been really good as well. Through his first two campaigns in the nation’s capital city, he had a .262 ERA and a 6-4 record on a pretty poor team. He’s improved on his win-loss ratio, going from 60% to around 65%, led the NL in strikeouts in 2014, and even has a Silver Slugger Award in his trophy shelf after batting .277 with a home run and 7 RBIs in 2012.
Who is this?
This Venezuelan is one of the MLB’s all-time great hitters, and might actually be underrated today. He’s led the AL in home runs and RBIs twice, and in batting average four times. He led the league in all three categories in 2012, making him the first Triple Crown winner since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. He also won the MVP that year, and the year following. 11 out of 13 players to win the Triple Crown have made it into the Baseball Hall of Fame, so it should be a matter of time before this Tiger is enshrined in Cooperstown.
Who is this?
The son of “Big Daddy”, I guess you could call this player a “Large Child”. This player had one of the most entertaining inside the park home runs ever, which was just a normal inside the park home run, except he’s fat, so it was funny. He's the definition of “sneaky speed”, but he makes way more noise standing inside the batter’s box. He was the youngest player to ever jack 50 home runs in a season, giving credence to the idea he’s not just in the league because he shares his last name with his father.
Who is this?
This catcher has had quite the career already. He set many records as a rookie during the Giants’ World Series run, such as becoming the first rookie catcher-pitcher duo along with Madison Bumgarner, the first rookie to get 4 hits in a playoff game, and one of five rookie catchers to hit a home run the World Series. He’s a career .300 hitter with five All-Star appearances, an NL MVP, three Silver Sluggers, and a Gold Glove. He also won gold at the WBC in 2017 with USA. He doesn’t have much else to win.
Who is this?
This player debuted in 2011 with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and has made every All-Star Game since 2012, when he was Rookie of the Year. This righty from Vineland, New Jersey won the award for Best Major League Baseball Player at the ESPY Awards in 2015, and he could’ve won it more times than just that. “Prince Fish” has won two AL MVPs, five Silver Sluggers, was an answer to a Jeopardy question, and was even name-dropped by President Obama in 2014 when he was discussing the versatility of his Farm Bill.
Who is this?
This first baseman could be considered the most consistent batter at his position in the 2010s. He’s hit over .300, and over 80 RBI in five out of the six full seasons he’s played this decade. He won the NL Hank Aaron Award in 2013 while leading the league in home runs and RBI. The native of Wilmington, Delaware won the gold medal with the United States at the 2017 World Baseball Classic at the age of 30. He’s yet to win an MVP, but has finished second in voting twice.
Who is this?
There is no other pitcher in the MLB you’d rather have in the World Series than this guy. He was already a two-time World Series champ with the Giants in 2010, and 2012, but in 2014 really made his mark in MLB folklore. He pitched 21 innings allowing 1 run in three games over the 7-game series. This includes a five-inning save in Game 7. His .025 ERA is the lowest in MLB history (min. 25 innings), and his 52 innings pitched in 2014 was also a league record.
Who is this?
By the time this player broke out, he was already in his sixth season in the big leagues. After batting no higher than .254, and no better than 16 home runs in a season in his career, he exploded for 54 home runs with a .260 average for the Blue Jays in 2010. It wasn’t a fluke. He followed that year up by batting .302 with 43 dingers in 2011, and hasn’t hit less than 20 since. He achieved star status in Toronto when he emphatically flipped his bat after hitting a home run in the 2015 ALDS.
Who is this?
Through the first five years of this decade, no player had a better WAR than this player. If you aren’t a baseball stat nerd, WAR stands for wins over replacement, basically it means that if he was replaced by an average player at his position, his teams would have won 36 less games over those five seasons. Seven wins in a season has been the difference between participating in the playoffs and watching them on your couch many times before. Clearly this guy is a pretty important player.
Who is this?
This is not just one of Canada’s best ever ball players, he’s one of their most respected athletes. He’s been awarded the Tip O'Neill Award for most outstanding Canadian Baseball Player an impressive six times, second to only Larry Walker who has nine. Even more impressive might be the Lou Marsh Award win in 2010, when he was named Canada’s top athlete over people like Sidney Crosby, and others who won medals at the Winter Olympics that year. Hard to say he didn’t deserve it though. He was the NL MVP and OBP leader that year.
Who is this?
This Tuscon, Arizona native came a long way since getting drafted in the 17th round. You kinda have to make the MLB. He began his career as a second baseman with the Texas Rangers, where he was a four time All-Star, and a two-time member of the 30-30 club (30 home runs and 30 steals in the same season). Dipping into some more advanced stats, this player has the best career range factor of any active second baseman, which means he’s really good defensively.
Who is this?
This pitcher was traded very early on in his career as a prospect for J.D. Drew. The trade worked out better for the Cardinals. They won the World Series two years after the trade, with this man as their closer. The right-hander would earn a starting role, and flourished. Since then he has three All-Star appearances, and led the NL in wins twice. Although he’s never won the Cy Young Award, he’s been painfully close. Four different times he was voted in the top three, twice 3rd, twice runner-up. No victory.
Who is this?
This closer has heat. Major heat. This reliever for the Reds, Cubs, and Yankees has the fastest fastball ever recorded at 105.1 mph (169.1 km/h), and he did it in his very first season. His cannon of a left arm helped him become the quickest player to reach 500 strikeouts. Chapman’s career has an interesting arc. It took three seasons for him to be named the Reds’ closer, and just three years later he was the most sought after closer in baseball, earning the win in Game 7 of the World Series.
Who is this?
This player only entered the league in 2012, but he’s done enough since then to warrant a spot as one of the top players of this decade so far. In 2013, his first full MLB season, he batted .283, led the league in doubles and fielding percentage, made the All-Star team, and won the Platinum Glove Award. Since then he’s improved his power numbers without sacrificing his average. It’s scary to think how good he can be if he continues to get better.
Who is this?
LeBron James, Henrik Lundqvist, and this guy. All three of these players share the same nickname, one that is not given to just anyone: “King”. He has earned the nickname time and time again. He was the MLB’s wins leader in 2009, then led the AL in ERA and won the Cy Young in 2010. On top of that, he pitched the 23rd perfect game in MLB history on August 15, 2012. He recently passed the legendary Randy Johnson for most strikeouts in Seattle Mariners history.
Who is this?
Good pitchers in MLB usually aren’t journeymen, but this one’s been in enough trades to know how to pack his suitcase. He’s played for five franchises in his 13+ year career, and has been reliable for every single one. Despite a fastball that peaks in the mid-90s, he’s used movement and location on his curveballs and sliders to K over 2,000 MLB batters. He’s won one Cy Young (2009), three Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger, but hasn’t been able to pitch in the World Series despite playing on contending teams most of his career.
Who is this?
This player is one of the only switch hitters in this quiz. Playing both sides of the plate has allowed him to put up some pretty ridiculous numbers over the years, such as in 2011 and 2014 when he finished the season with an average above .330 and over 100 RBI. 2014 was exceptionally great because of his career high 32 home runs, earning him the Edgar Martinez Award for Outstanding Designated Hitter. He plays catcher in addition to the designated hitter spot where he has played towards the end of his career.
Who is this?
This player has been nothing short of a star at second base for one of the most popular teams in the league. His trademarks are contact hitting and defense, and he really excels at those. He won the Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, and the AL MVP in the 2008 season where he led the league in hits with 213. The year prior, he was Rookie of the Year on the Red Sox team that won the World Series, becoming just the third player to win ROY and MVP in consecutive seasons.
Who is this?
This player was a three-sport athlete in college that made a great decision leaving behind football and basketball for baseball. He was picked 1st overall in 2001, and has lived up to the hype. This player currently holds the record for highest career and single season average for a MLB catcher, at .328 and .365 respectively. He has three batting titles, three Gold Gloves, five Silver Sluggers, six All-Star appearances and an MVP. His 53.1 career WAR is around average for Hall of Fame catchers, so don’t be surprised to see him in Cooperstown in the future.
Who is this?
This player is not only a star of the 2010s, he’s also a star of the 2000s. He’s been a starter in the MLB for over 20 seasons, and has been a fan favourite for just as long. Nicknamed “Big Sexy”, this player is easily one of the most popular players in Major League Baseball today. He’s played for 11 teams, which I guess would help with fan recognition. His list of accomplishments isn’t as lengthy as others, but he does have a Cy Young win from 2005.
Who is this?
This player has made short work of MLB pitchers since entering the league. It was an interesting road for this undrafted player, who was cut in his first tryout with the Astros because of his height, or lack thereof. He tried out the next season, and this time the team offered him a contract. That was a good idea. He’s one of a small list of players in this quiz that has a batting average over .300 during this decade, leading the league in two of those seasons. He was the Player’s Choice for Player of the Year in 2016.
Who is this?
This player is one of the most intimidating players in MLB, and definitely the most intense. The leader of the “Make Baseball Fun Again” movement, this player thrives off of emotions. That said, this dog has just as much bark as he has bite. He's been named an All-Star in five of his first six MLB seasons, and in 2015 was named NL MVP, Player of the Year (Baseball America), Hank Aaron Award winner, and MLB Person of the Year (ESPN).
Who is this?
This player was a little overlooked during his time with both the Arizona Diamondbacks, where struggled, and the Detroit Tigers where he was behind All-Stars Jeremy Bonderman and Justin Verlander in the rotation. He finally broke out in 2013, when he led the league in wins, and won his first of two Cy Young Awards. He signed a one year deal after that season, and left for Washington the following winter. With Nationals he's been unstoppable, becoming one of six pitchers to throw two no-hitters in a single season, which led to his 2nd Cy Young.
Who is this?
This player was a certified ace for years in the major leagues. His 100+ mph fastball was an absolute weapon on some very good Tigers teams. His career peak was in 2011, when he won the AL Pitching Triple Crown (led the league in wins, strikeouts, and ERA), the AL Cy Young, and the AL MVP. He’s definitely dropped off since, failing to finish a season with below a 3.00 ERA. You may also recognize him as Kate Upton’s husband.
Who is this?
If home runs are your thing, you probably recognize this guy. He made his debut in 2010, and no Major League baseball has been safe since. He’s a perennial favourite to win the Home Run Derby, although he’s only claimed the title once in 2016. In 2017 he set franchise records for both home runs and RBI, his best season since 2014 when he won the NL’s Hank Aaron Award. To this point he’s played his entire career with one team, but that might not last much longer according to rumours.
Who is this?
This is one of the few relief pitchers who was a bonafide star. He wasn't just great on the mound, he made a name for himself - and his beard - off field as well. He made a number of appearances on Late Night shows during the San Francisco Giants’ World Series run in 2010. He began growing his beard in 2010 until the Giants were eliminated from contention. They never were, as Wilson recorded the final out to win the World Series, so he kept it ever since. Unfortunately, Tommy John surgery in 2012 completely threw his career off course. He'd last just two more seasons in MLB.
Who is this?
This pitcher was another late-bloomer that exploded on the scene in the 2010s. His nickname “The Condor” comes from his unorthodox pitching style. It's weird, but it works. He's led the AL in strikeouts per 9 innings twice, complete games twice, and adjusted ERA+ once. His slider is one of the most dangerous pitches in baseball, registering a 43% whiff rate. The lefty’s made six All-Star appearances, and now that he's with the Red Sox, it seems like just a matter of time before he adds a World Series or Cy Young to his already stellar resume.
Who is this?
This player is one of the star examples of the Oakland Athletics small ball system. They plucked this guy out of Double-A in the Cubs system, and in just four seasons he had blossomed into a star. Of course, the A’s don't quite have the money to lock down a player like that, so he was traded straight up for another third baseman, Brett Lawrie. Let's just say the move worked out much better for Toronto than it did Oakland. This player won the AL MVP in his first season with the team, and helped them to the playoffs.
Who is this?
This is not your average baseball player. I mean, how many baseball players in history have won a state title in track and field? Not many, but he has. With his long dreadlocks flowing out of the back of his hat, he doesn't even look like your classic baseball player, but damn is he good. This player has a career average of .290, and averages around 20 stolen bases per season. He's not all speed either, he also has enough power to smack over 200 home runs over his career.