Fansided

Picking an All-Decade MLB team for the 2010s

By Joshua Sadlock

TORONTO, ON - JUNE 17: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim bats in the fourth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 17, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JUNE 17: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim bats in the fourth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 17, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 23: Justin Verlander #35 of the Houston Astros pitches during Game 2 of the 2019 World Series between the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 23: Justin Verlander #35 of the Houston Astros pitches during Game 2 of the 2019 World Series between the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Starting pitcher: Justin Verlander

Four years ago, it would have seemed highly unlikely that Astros ace Justin Verlander would come anywhere near this list. The 2011 Cy Young and MVP was just 20-20 in 52 starts between 2014 and 2015 with a 4.08 ERA. Injuries were starting to take their toll on the big right-hander, but he has totally flipped the script and is pitching better than ever.

Verlander started this decade as a Cy Young, and he may very well finish it the same way. He won his Cy Young in 2011 after going 24-5 with a 2.40 ERA, leading the league in wins, ERA, innings pitched, strikeouts and WHIP. Verlander led the league in many of the same categories in 2019 and was 21-6 with a 2.58 ERA, struck out 300 for the first time in his career and recorded the lowest WHIP and hits per nine of his career.

This season, Verlander joined the extremely select group of pitchers to throw three no-hitters in their MLB careers. He is now in the club with Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax, Bob Feller and Cy Young. Those are pretty good names to be associated with.

With this late surge in his mid-30s, Verlander has all but locked up his spot in the Hall of Fame. Since joining the Astros, he is 42-15 with a 2.45 ERA and has struck out 12.1 per nine. The transformation he has undergone after working with the team’s analytics department is nothing short of spectacular. Verlander was already an incredibly pitcher before the Astros got a hold of him. Now, it just feels unfair.

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