Top 5 Teams of the Decade

Sorry Red Sox fans, the decade is over. 2000-2009 was a great time in baseball, but the era is now closed. Let's look at the top five teams from the decade that was.

Honorable Mention:

• Houston Astros (won 1 pennant, played in 2 LCS, made playoffs 3 times, won 1 division, 7 seasons over .500)
• New York Mets (won 1 pennant, played in 2 LCS, made playoffs 2 times, 6 seasons over .500)
• Arizona Diamondbacks (won 1 World Series, played in 2 LCS, made playoffs 3 times, won 3 divisions, 6 seasons over .500)
• Los Angeles Dodgers (played in 2 LCS, made playoffs 4 times, won 3 divisions, 9 seasons over .500)
• Minnesota Twins (played in 1 LCS, made playoffs 5 times, won 5 divisions, 8 seasons over .500)
• Seattle Mariners (played in 2 LCS, made playoffs 2 times, won 1 division, 6 seasons over .500)
• Chicago White Sox (won 1 World Series, played in 1 LCS, made playoffs 3 times, won 3 divisions, 8 seasons over .500)
• Oakland As (played in 1 LCS, made playoffs 5 times, won 4 divisions, 7 seasons over .500)
  

#5: Philadelphia Phillies
World Series wins: 1
Pennants: 2
LCS: 2
Playoffs: 3
Divisions: 3
Playoff record: 20-12 (.625)
Series record: 5-2

Seasons over .500: 8
Overall record: 850-769 (.525)

Maybe it's just recent memory getting in the way, but I'm going with Philly #5 over all the teams listed above. It was tough, but I think that 8 seasons over .500 and 3 straight divisions gives it to the Phillies. Pat Burrell led them over the decade with 251 HR (with Ryan Howard in 2nd with 222) and Brett Myers led Philadelphia with 73 wins (second was Randy Wolf with 63).


#4: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

World Series wins: 1
LCS: 3
Playoffs: 6
Divisions: 5
Playoff Record: 21-24 (.467)
Series Record:  5-5
Season over .500: 8Overall record: 900-720 (.556)

The Angels had a pretty bad playoff record for so much success. They can thank the Red Sox for a lot of that damage. Although they were the Anaheim Angels for half of the decade, they were a successful team throughout. Garret Anderson led the Halos with 200 home runs to Vlad Guerrero's 173 and John Lackey won 102 games, much more than the next closest Angel, Jarrod Washburn at 65. The Angels could have vaulted up this list with a World Series win in 2009, but their LCS exit to the Yankees bumped them back.

#3: St. Louis Cardinals
World Series wins: 1
Pennants: 2
LCS: 5
Playoffs: 7
Divisions: 6
Playoff record: 31-24 (.564)
Series record: 8-6
Seasons over .500: 9
Overall record: 913-706 (.564)


I was surprised to see how much success the Cards have truly had this past decade. If Matt Holliday doesn't drop the fly ball in Los Angeles, they may be moving up the list as well as a World Series win would have given them consideration to move up to #2. Alas, they'll sit in #3 as the best team in the National League during the decade. They made half of the LCS played in the first decade of the 00's so that's points in their column which is tied with the Yankees for the most in baseball over that span. Albert Pujols had 366 HR over the decade (2nd was Jim Edmonds at 241) and, amazingly, Matt Morris led all redbirds in wins with 82 (2nd was Chris Carpenter at 68).

#2: Boston Red Sox
World Series wins:2
Pennants:2
LCS: 4 
Playoffs: 6
Divisions:1
Playoff record: 34-23 (.596)
Series record: 8-4
Seasons over .500: 10
Overall record: 920-699 (.568)

Red Sox fans are just pissed that they can't use their own definition of the decade to make their case look better. Sorry. This resume is pretty damn impressive as it is. A .596 winning % in the playoffs including two sweeps of the World Series certainly looks great as does the *gulp* 3-0 comeback against the Yankees. Manny Ramirez slugged 274 HR for the BoSox to beat out David Ortiz (259) and knuckeballer Tim Wakefield won 110 games to easily put away Pedro Martinez (who won his 75 in only 5 years and did it to a .743 winning %). Again, the Red Sox finish second to the rival Yankees.

#1: New York Yankees

World Series wins: 2
Pennants: 4
LCS: 5 
Playoffs: 9
Divisions: 8
Playoff record: 52-41 (.559)
Series record: 11-7
Seasons over .500: 10
Overall record: 965-651 (.596)

It took a while to get back there, but the Yankees are truly the team of the decade once again (they won that honor in the 90s as well). Although they had some hiccups in the playoffs (too many first-round exits, that 3-0 blowup), it is also magnified because they made the playoffs 9 out of 10 years--more than the rest of their entire division combined. A-Rod (238 HR) edged out Jason Giambi (209) and Jorge Posada (208) on the offensive side and Mike Mussina won 123 games to best Andy Pettitte (111). In the end, the Pinstripes rained supreme. Others agree:

David Wells:

Let's end one debate before it really gets started. The Red Sox gave it a nice run for a while, but the Yankees are the team of the decade -- again. 

I can just imagine what the scene in Red Sox Nation is about now. The fans are bitter. Very bitter. The Yankees are back on top, and that can't be sitting too well in New England.

Rob Neyer:

Landslide. Sorry, Nation. 

Update 1:15 PM: Forgot to include this link which says that Brian Cashman also agrees that the Yankees are the team of the decade with very, very angry Red Sox comments underneath.