The 25 best MLB teams from the 2010s

The Yankees were vaulted by an incredible Rookie of the Year campaign from Aaron Judge (.284-52-114) to claim the AL Wild Card with 91 wins. New York also got an incredible year from ace Luis Severino, who went 14-6 with a 2.98 ERA over 31 starts. They lost to the Astros in a memorable seven-game ALCS.

Two years after their amazing World Series win vs. Texas, the Cardinals returned to the World Series to face the Red Sox. They didn't have the same luck vs. the inspirational Red Sox team, but still capped off a great 97-win regular season and proved they could win following Albert Pujols' departure. Yadier Molina and Matt Carpenter finished 3-4 in the NL MVP balloting, while Adam Wainwright was second to Clayton Kershaw for the Cy Young after going 19-9 with a 2.94 ERA over 241.2 innings.

Another great year and another heartbreaking finish for the Dodgers, who fell to the outstanding Red Sox in the World Series after 92 regular season wins and a fun playoff run. The Dodgers had seven players with at least 20 home runs, led by Max Muncy's 35. The team led by the NL in both runs scored and fewest runs allowed.

Who knows what the Dodgers' fate would have been on an even playing field, but their year was ended in a classic and controversial seven-game World Series against Houston. L.A. did win the NL West with 104 wins, featuring the best pitching in the NL with great years from Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood, and Kenley Jansen, as well as 39 home runs from NL Rookie of the Year Cody Bellinger.

San Francisco made history with their third World Series victory in five years, despite winning only 88 games during the regular season and needing to defeat Pittsburgh in the Wild Card Game. The Giants beat K.C. in a classic seven-game World Series, with Madison Bumgarner allowing one run in 21 innings to win series MVP. As usual, the team's offense was driven by Buster Posey, who hit .311-22-89, and the pitching staff gained momentum after acquiring Jake Peavy at midseason.

After years of futility, Tampa Bay's turnaround continued in 2010 with the franchise's second-ever playoff appearance after winning the AL East with 96 wins. Homegrown talents Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford, and B.J. Upton helped power the offense, while David Price finished second in the AL Cy Young vote after going 19-6 with a 2.72 ERA in 208.2 innings.

San Francisco's second championship in three years featured NL MVP Buster Posey, who hit .336-24-103 with a .957 OPS. No other player on the team hit more than 12 home runs, but the team was supported by a strong starting rotation led by Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner to win 94 games during the regular season.

The first of three champions in five seasons, the 2010 Giants had their way with Texas in the World Series after winning 92 games during the regular season. The team won with pitching, allowing only 583 runs, with Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and the emergence of rookie Madison Bumgarner. Closer Brian Wilson also garnered Cy Young consideration with 48 saves and a 1.81 ERA.

The 2019 Yanks had 103 regular-season wins, but were still bested by Houston in the regular season and the ALCS. The team's incredible offense hit 308 home runs, led by Gleyber Torres (38), Gary Sanchez (34), Brett Gardner (28), Aaron Judge (27), and DJ LeMahieu (26).

After advancing to the World Series in 2014, the Royals finished the job in 2015 with a five-game series victory over the Mets after winning 95 games and the AL Central. The team didn't have a 30-home run hitter, but they were better than the sum of their parts with Kendrys Morales, Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, and the crucial midseason addition of Ben Zobrist.

It was a disappointing finish to a 97-win season for the Yankees in the ALDS, losing to a Tigers squad led by aces Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. The team was otherwise elite, leading MLB in runs scored with MVP candidates Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, and Robinson Cano. The team also featured one of CC Sabathia's best seasons, going 19-8 with a 3.00 ERA in 33 starts.

That darn David Freese. The Rangers won 96 games during the regular season, and were one out away from winning the World Series over the Cardinals in Game 6 when Freese took matters into his own hands. St. Louis went on to take the game and the series, but that shouldn't take away from an outstanding Rangers team that scored 855 runs with a lineup that included Adrian Beltre, Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton, Michael Young, and Nelson Cruz. The team also had an extremely reliable pitching staff, led by C.J. Wilson (223.1 innings, 2.94 ERA).

Philly was heavily favored to be the NL's World Series representative before falling to the Cardinals in a shocking NLDS defeat. That soured a 102-win regular season, particularly given the fact that star slugger Ryan Howard tore his Achilles in Game 5. The dominant pitching staff was the real strength of the Phillies, with an incredible starting rotation led by Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt that helped the team allow only 529 runs in the regular season.

The Cardinals featured the best offense in the National League, and it was that slugging that led to a World Series win after 90 wins during the regular season. David Freese is forever the hero in St. Louis for his World Series performance in Game 6, but the team wouldn't have been there without Albert Pujols (.299-37-99), Lance Berkman (.301-31-94), and Matt Holliday (.296-22-75).

Four teams in the AL East finished above .500 in 2016, but the Red Sox led the pack with 93 wins. Boston led MLB with 878 runs scored, as Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez, and David Ortiz each hit at least 30 home runs. The great run support helped Rick Porcello win 22 games and the controversial Cy Young vote over Tigers ace Justin Verlander. For all the team's regular season success, they were swept by Cleveland in the ALDS.

Toronto only won 93 games during the 2015 regular season, but there's a lot to be said for winning the brutal AL East in the mid-2010s. The team's incredible offense led MLB with 891 runs, with Josh Donaldson winning AL MVP with 41 home runs, Jose Bautista hitting 40 bombs, and Edwin Encarnacion hitting 39 long balls. Despite adding ace David Price at the trade deadline, Toronto lost to the Royals in the ALCS.

Houston was unable to win back-to-back World Series despite an outstanding 103-win regular season. They easily had the best pitching in baseball, allowing only 534 runs, with a staggering starting rotation that included Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Dallas Keuchel, and Charlie Morton. Unfortunately, they fell to an even better Red Sox team in the ALCS.

Houston has never won more games during their current run of success than they did in 2019, tallying 107 wins during the regular season before falling to Washington in the World Series. The Astros had seven players with more than 20 home runs, including Alex Bregman, who hit .296-41-112, and finished second in the AL MVP voting. Aces Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole also finished 1-2 in the AL Cy Young vote as the team was third best in both runs scored and runs allowed.

The Nats had high expectations, but were a terrible 24-33 through May. The team turned it around the rest of the way to win 93 games during the regular season with a roster full of stars that included Juan Soto, Anthony Rendon, Trea Turner, Max Scherzer, and Stephen Strasburg. Washington shocked the Dodgers in the ALDS and defeated the Astros in a seven-game World Series, with Strasburg taking MVP honors.

After losing to the Cubs in the 2016 World Series, Cleveland led MLB with 102 wins in 2017. The team's regular season success didn't carry over to the playoffs, losing in five games to the Yankees in the ALDS. Cleveland featured the best pitching in the league, with Cy Young winner Corey Kluber and outstanding seasons from Carlos Carrasco, Mike Clevinger, and Trevor Bauer behind him. Jose Ramirez also received MVP votes, hitting .318-29-83 with a .957 OPS, and the team had plenty of other firepower with Francisco Lindor and Edwin Encarnacion.

The Dodgers regularly dominated the regular season in the 2010s, only to come up short in the playoffs. Their 2019 team was the best of the bunch, winning 109 games before a shocking defeat in five games vs. Washington in the NLDS. The team featured MVP Cody Bellinger, who hit .305-47-115 with a 1.035 OPS, along with great seasons from starting pitchers Hyun-Jin Ryu, Clayton Kershaw, and Walker Buehler.

Certainly the most controversial team on the list, the Astros won 101 games in the regular season and also classic playoff series against the Yankees and Dodgers in seven games in each. It was later uncovered that the team participated in sign stealing, soiling great seasons from the likes of MVP Jose Altuve, George Springer, Alex Bregman, and Carlos Correa.

The Red Sox weren't expected to be an elite team in 2013, but they had the entire country behind them following the Boston Marathon bombing. David Ortiz put the team on his back with five home runs during the playoffs, and won World Series MVP after going 11-for-25 with an 1.948 OPS. A shutdown bullpen with sub-2.00 ERAs from Koji Uehara and Craig Breslow also came through in the clutch.

There isn't a more significant World Series winner from the 2010s than the Cubs, who broke a drought of more than 100 years. The team was dominant from the start, winning 103 games during the regular season, eight more than the next closest team. The Cubs had MVP Kris Bryant, but their run prevention is what set them apart, with a league-best 556 runs allowed as Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks each made a run at the Cy Young.

The 2018 Red Sox had the most wins of the decade (108), leading the league in runs scored with MVP Mookie Betts and an almost equally worthy .330-43-130 season from J.D. Martinez. Starting pitcher Chris Sale was also an ace for 27 regular season starts, with a 2.11 ERA and 13.5 K/9. Boston didn't have many issues in the playoffs, losing a total of three games.