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New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Presenting the Cubs' All-Quarter Century team, the best on the Northside since 2000
Editor's note: The Athletic is marking 2025 by naming an MLB All-Quarter Century Team, selected by Jayson Stark. We invited readers to take our survey and make their picks for the best players at each position since 2000, with the results announced in an upcoming story. Some of our beat writers are picking All-Quarter Century Teams for the teams they cover. Check this page to find all of our All-Quarter Century Team coverage. Advertisement With Jayson Stark taking the time last week to dig in and start a spirited debate on an All-Quarter Century team, it felt worthwhile to see which Chicago Cubs of the past 25 years would fit the bill. Coming away from this exercise actually helps one appreciate just how good things have gotten for this organization. Imagine how sad this exercise would have been to perform in 2000? There would have been little debate and a quick drop in talent after a handful of names. That absolutely is not the case with this group. The last 25 years have marked an incredible shift in how the Cubs are viewed and what expectations fans have for the group. No longer is the moniker 'lovable loser' acceptable. Playoff droughts like the one the team went through over the previous four seasons have gone from the norm to inexcusable. There is plenty of talent to choose from over the last two-plus decades and the choices were not easy. There will be some controversy, surely, but that's what the comment section is for. Unsurprisingly, this team is littered with players from the World Series-winning team. Oftentimes, when things were close, the edge went to a player in that group just because they accomplished what once seemed impossible. This was a two-horse race with Rizzo edging Derrek Lee. But it was closer than some may have thought. Lee and Rizzo both posted a 131 wRC+ during their time with the Cubs but Rizzo was worth more wins above replacement, mostly due to the edge in games played. Lee won two Gold Gloves, made two All-Star teams and won a Silver Slugger (in 2005 when he finished third in MVP) during his time with the Cubs. Rizzo had three All-Star games, four Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger and two fourth-place MVP finishes. That, along with the World Series win, gives him the edge over Lee. He also deserves extra love for his work with Lurie Children's Hospital and his philanthropy associated with pediatric cancer. Advertisement Hoerner isn't flashy, but he's incredibly consistent at the plate and his glove is elite. There's probably an argument to be made that Hoerner's glove is a little underappreciated. It seems like once a week he's stealing a hit or saving his pitcher a run. At the plate, he doesn't hit for much power, but he rarely strikes out and has put up between a 102 and 108 wRC+ every season since 2021. Add in the fact that he's a plus base runner and he's a safe pick for this spot. Hoerner gets the edge over Ben Zobrist and Javier Báez, who are both good enough to show up on this list anyway. Great range and an elite arm paired with plus-plus power at the plate help make Báez the pick here. There are few Cubs in recent memory who fired up the fanbase and were must-watch whenever they entered the game as much as Báez. The swing and miss could be rough at times and the lows were quite low, but few provided as much joy and excitement as El Mago. #ElMago makes an 0-2 pitch disappear.#EverybodyIn — Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 25, 2019 Rookie of the Year, MVP and World Series winner, Bryant was as good as it gets at his peak. Yes, that peak was shorter-lived than expected, but the No. 2 pick in the 2013 draft delivered on the hype early. Aramis Ramirez deserves a mention here for his consistent production at the plate. During his time with the Cubs, Ramirez hit .294 with a .237 ISO while striking out just 12.3 percent of the time. Certainly an underrated player Cubs fans should appreciate. Tough choice between Happ and Alfonso Soriano, who took a lot of heat during his time with the Cubs largely due to the enormous contract he signed before the 2007 season. Happ has the edge in wRC+ which he gets due to his great walk rate, helping push his on-base percentage above .340. Happ has turned himself into a good defender in left as well. Soriano struggled there — though he'd show off his arm on occasion — but he improved over time and had impressive power. His speed was sapped almost immediately upon joining the Cubs due to a bad quad tear. The more this is discussed, the more difficult this choice becomes. Recency bias probably won out on this pick. Premature? Ridiculous? Unfair? Perhaps. But get this: During this timeframe, with 5.6 fWAR, Crow-Armstrong is already fourth among Cubs center fielders. In fact, if he just plays solid baseball the rest of the way, he could be first ahead of Dexter Fowler (7.2) by the end of the season. There have been plenty of words written about Crow-Armstrong in this space. He's a speed demon who plays elite defense, a great base runner and has suddenly become a great big-league bat. He is one of the most exciting and impressive all-around talents currently in the game and it feels like this won't be at all controversial in short order. This really isn't close. Sosa leads the right field list by 16 WAR (25.9) and 170 homers (238) over Seiya Suzuki. Maybe if the Cubs re-sign Kyle Tucker, there will be more of a debate come 2050. Quibble with his framing or game calling if you want, but he's the best bat the Cubs have had at catcher during this era. Geovany Soto deserves some love for his defense and Michael Barrett was probably overlooked for his bat, but Contreras was (and continues to be) a really valuable offensive player. He also quickly became the World Series team's regular catcher as a rookie and handled things well in a pressure-packed season. With the most important and most clutch hit in Cubs history, Zobrist, the 2016 World Series MVP, has to be on this list. There's also something to be said for the type of hitter Zobrist was during his career. The World Series-winning core was exposed over time by the high heater and breaking balls away. What they lacked was the diversity in the lineup. Specifically, a bat like Zobrist's. He was also a great team leader and steady defensive presence wherever he played. Advertisement Arrieta had the greatest run of pitching in Cubs history, arguably one of the most dominant stretches of the last 50 years. Lester brought a bulldog, winning mentality to a team that was filled with youth and searching for an ace. Hendricks rarely got much national love but his Cubs career was steady and strong. From 2014-2020, only six starting pitchers with a minimum 800 innings pitched had a better ERA than Hendricks' 3.13 (Clayton Kershaw, Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Corey Kluber, Zack Greinke and Chris Sale). Zambrano was mercurial, but he's the Cubs starting pitching leader in both WAR and innings during this period. Despite logging so much time on the mound, he was still fifth in ERA among pitchers with at least 300 innings. Prior edges out Kerry Wood and Ryan Dempster for an elite peak and for being second in ERA (3.51) behind Arrieta among pitchers with at least 500 innings. Marmol would have some stretches that would stress fans out and he could certainly struggle to find the zone at times. But, man, was he electric when on. Back when 30 percent strikeout rates were not the norm, Marmol had seasons of 33.7 percent (2007), 32.8 percent (2008) and a wild 41.6 percent (2010). Strop had a 2.88 Cubs career ERA and, in a role defined by volatility, was as steady and consistent as they come. He's also the second piece in one of the most lopsided deals the Cubs have ever pulled off — they traded Scott Feldman and Steve Clevinger to Baltimore for Arrieta and Strop. Quick mention for lefty Sean Marshall, who accumulated 4.9 WAR in just 219 innings pitched with a 2.67 ERA. It's really hard to find left-handed relievers, and Marshall is one of the best this organization has developed in recent memory. (Top photo of Báez: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The Giants' All-Quarter Century Team: Barry Bonds and the rest of the best since 2000
Editor's note: The Athletic is marking 2025 by naming an MLB All-Quarter Century Team, selected by Jayson Stark. We're inviting readers to take our survey and make their picks for the best players at each position since 2000, with the results announced in an upcoming story. Some of our beat writers are picking All-Quarter Century Teams for the teams they cover. Check this page to find all of our All-Quarter Century Team coverage. Advertisement When you see similar stories across The Athletic's team sites, that's usually because people behind the scenes came up with the idea. If my contract were up, I'd describe them as 'smart people,' but it's not, so let's not give them any ideas. The All-Quarter Century trend that began with Jayson Stark's piece and has been spreading among my colleagues, though, has been totally organic. It's easy to see why. Ranking things is fun. Round numbers are easy to comprehend. Unambiguous beginning and end points keep the debates from being too sprawling. Once upon a time, it was the year 2000. Now it's 2025. Who have the best baseball players been for every franchise during that time? For the Giants, though, there's an entirely different meaning. The year 2000 is when the Giants moved from the worst stadium in baseball to the best ballpark in the world. In those 25 years, the ballpark has been the setting for the single-season home run record, the all-time home run record, a perfect game, six Most Valuable Player awards and three championship teams. Before the turn of the millennium, the future of San Francisco baseball was uncertain. After 2000, San Francisco baseball finally became permanent. Get out of here, Tampa. Go find another team to play in the centre of your town, Toronto. Quick ground rules for making the Giants' All-Quarter-Century Team: I'm not going to ignore how many rings every player has, but I'm also not going to give championship seasons as much weight as cumulative value over several seasons. Joe Panik has The Flip, which might make him the most important Giants second baseman of the last 25 years, but it'll be an uphill battle for him to make a list like this. Bench spots will be filled by bench players, not excellent regulars who didn't make the varsity squad. Same goes with the bullpen: one closer and one closer only. Advertisement I will attempt to keep the capsules short, which means this will be the longest article you've ever opened in your life. Apologies in advance. With that out of the way, let's dive in. Just seeing if you're paying attention. WAR leader: Buster Posey (45.0) No surprises here. If you want a hagiography of Posey, you can find them, so let's focus on the other catchers over the last 25 seasons. Here's how all the non-Poseys rank by WAR (an admittedly lousy way to evaluate catchers): 2. Benito Santiago (4.6 WAR) 3. Bengie Molina (2.6) 4. (t) Patrick Bailey (2.5) 4. (t) Bobby Estalella (2.5) 6. Yorvit Torrealba (2.4) 7. Curt Casali (2.1) 8. Chris Stewart (2.1) 9. Stephen Vogt (1.1) 10. Doug Mirabelli (0.9) A.J. Pierzynski was 19th, with 0.3 WAR, in case you were wondering, behind Blake Sabol, Austin Wynns, Eliézer Alfonzo and Todd Greene. Seems high. WAR leader: Brandon Belt (27.9) The Giants are an excellent team for this exercise in terms of how important the post-1999 years have been for the franchise. They're a lousy team for this exercise if you like surprises. Of course it's Belt, the Giants' best homegrown first baseman since Will Clark. I'd say that Travis Ishikawa merited a little thought because of his pennant-winning home run, except he did that as a left fielder, not a first baseman. Maybe he'll be the choice when we get to left field. Haven't really thought about that position yet. J.T. Snow merits a special note, though, for his absurd 2004 season. He missed more than 50 games, yet he still finished with the highest WAR of his career by hitting .327/.429/.529 as a 36-year-old. It's even more absurd when you break it down by half: .261/.351/.400 in the first half, .387/.496/.646 in the second. It was one of the most unexpected and hilarious heaters you'll ever see a player have. Advertisement WAR leader: Jeff Kent (19.5) I was planning on getting cute and selecting Ray Durham for this spot as a way to celebrate his underrated Giants career. Kent nearly doubled him up on WAR, though, which would be hard to ignore even if Kent didn't also win an MVP and a pennant. Which he did. So it's an obvious choice here, even if it's a begrudging one. If it makes you feel better, he didn't make the Dodgers' version of this exercise. (He wasn't even their WAR leader, finishing behind Gavin Lux.) I don't know if it's worthwhile to rank the runners up for every position, but this one gets that treatment because it's a great way to remember some guys: 2. Ray Durham (10.5) 3. Joe Panik (7.0) 4. Thairo Estrada (4.5) 5. Donovan Solano (4.1) 6. Marco Scutaro (4.0) 7. Freddy Sánchez (2.9) 8. Kelby Tomlinson (1.6) 9. Brandon Hicks (0.6) 10. Christian Koss (0.5) Kelby Tomlinson is an optometrist now, and he played on the 2015 Giants with Dr. Justin Maxwell, DDS. Is there any other team in baseball history that's had two future doctors on the same team? I'm desperately hoping that Marlon Byrd is an ornithologist now, and I'm not even going to look it up. I'm just going to will it into existence. WAR leader: Brandon Crawford (29.7) Rich Aurilia had one of the greatest seasons from any shortstop in baseball history (2001), but here's another position that could have been selected without a second of additional research. Of course it's Crawford. The Giants have had such amazing longevity and stability at shortstop in the last quarter-century that Dixon Machado sneaks into the top 10 with the 0.1 WAR he accumulated over five games. If you're a member of Machado's immediate family, and you're reading this, that's right: He was on the Giants. Advertisement Willy Adames is currently behind Machado, Tomás de la Rosa, Johan Camargo, Cody Ransom and Luis Figueroa. Hopefully that changes over the next several seasons, both for your sake and his. WAR leader: Pablo Sandoval (20.8) The young pitching gets the lion's share of the credit for the championship era, and rightfully so. But don't overlook that Sandoval went from being unranked in the Baseball America Giants' top-30 prospect list to the majors in 2008. He was blocked by Bengie Molina behind the plate, so the Giants asked him to move to third base, even though he'd played only 21 games there in the minors, and he was immediately a solid defender. It's one of the most unusual developmental stories you'll ever see, and it helped the Giants win three World Series. Sandoval has six home runs and a .464 slugging percentage for the Staten Island FerryHawks right now, in case you were wondering. He's teammates with former Giants prospect Adalberto Mejía, who was once traded for Eduardo Nuñéz, who was traded for Shaun Anderson, who was traded for LaMonte Wade, Jr. WAR leader: Travis Ishikawa (one pennant) Again, just seeing if you're paying attention. We're not even a third of the way done. Keep your focus. WAR leader: Barry Bonds (59.0) In second place in WAR for left fielders is Melky Cabrera, but he is DISQUALIFIED for using performance-enhancing drugs. We simply don't abide by that sort of tomfoolery around these parts. So let's celebrate Bonds instead. If you were there, you'll never be able to explain it properly. If you weren't there, you'll never understand. Bonds' on-base percentage in those eight seasons was .517, which seems low. Pat Burrell and Alex Dickerson both hit 23 home runs as a Giants left fielder this millennium, which is the second-highest total after Bonds, who hit 37 home runs in 114 games against the Padres alone. Advertisement WAR leader: Andrés Torres (7.8) Finally, a tough decision! Torres' WAR total is mostly inflated by his incredible 2010 season, so Pagán gets the tiebreaker because of longevity. And because this is one of the greatest regular-season moments in the ballpark: It wouldn't take long for Jung Hoo Lee to claim this spot. Check back in the year 2050*. (* Just kidding. There isn't going to be a 2050.) WAR leader: Mike Yastrzemski (15.4) Unlike some of the other positions, you have to scroll a while in right field to get to the players you don't remember. It doesn't take that long to start remembering some guys — Ryan McKenna, Ka'ai Tom and Francisco Santos round out the top 20, which is a combination of words that might make you think I used Chat GPT to write this whole thing — but the top five is a heckuva group: Yastrzemski, Randy Winn, Hunter Pence, Ellis Burks and Moises Alou. All of them have arguments for a spot on the team, depending on what's important to you. If you're counting championship rings and popularity, it's Pence all the way. The WAR gap (Pence had 9.9) is hard to ignore, though, and when you dig into the traditional numbers, it's still Yastrzemski, who has more homers, more doubles and a higher OBP and SLG. He'll probably catch Pence in games played and runs scored before the end of this season, too. There won't be a lot of recent Giants who make this team, so take a minute to appreciate how good Yastrzemski has been over the last few years. WAR leader: Hard to say. Austin Slater had the best OPS (.869) when he didn't start the game, but they don't give WAR totals in those same splits. If you don't care about plate appearances, note that Scott Munter has the best OPS among all reserves, with a 3.000 OPS (one double and one sac bunt in two plate appearances). Advertisement It's tricky to figure out where the starters end and the reserves begin. Wilmer Flores would make it, but he's started too much. Same goes with a lot of other players. Torrealba faced stiff competition from Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, Willie Mac Award winner Nick Hundley and Doug Mirabelli, but he did the job — and did it well — for so long, that he didn't just lead backup catchers in WAR. He led them by a hefty amount. If the Giants trusted him to be a starter behind the plate, they don't make the A.J. Pierzynski trade. Sounds great, but then Francisco Liriano gives up three earned runs in Game 1 of the 2010 NLDS and Tim Lincecum gets drafted by the Diamondbacks. Be careful what you wish for. Hands up if you can't say Arías' full name without adding 'FROM DEEP THIRRRRRD' afterward. This will continue for the rest of your lives, and you're better for it. And as long as we're referencing the announcers' part in these memories, listen to the mirth in Mike Krukow's voice here: I'd wager that Blanco might have a chance to be on the all-2000s bench if you widen the pool to include all 30 teams. We're talking dedicated reserves, not younger players trying to win a starting job one day, and not declining name-brand veterans. He was the platonic ideal of an extra outfielder. Played all three positions, did a ton well. The Giants probably have one championship without him. Slater is healthy again and has two home runs for this year's White Sox team. You'll never believe it, but both of the homers came against left-handers. WAR leaders: See above Some writers will have to make tough decisions for their team's list. The Giants did not make it very difficult. Without Webb, it would have been Ryan Vogelsong, most likely, although Johnny Cueto had the highest WAR among runners-up. Advertisement The WAR ranking has Bumgarner first, followed by Cain, Schmidt, Lincecum and Webb, in that order. Webb has a shot to move into third place by the end of the season, though. Mostly, I just want a time machine, some robot parts and Tim Lincecum's trust. We'll get him fixed up in short order. WAR leader: Sergio Romo (9.2) Again, we're trying to put these pitchers in the roles they were actually in for the Giants. So while we can't use Casilla's time as middle reliever to support his case as the quarter-century closer, we can definitely use it to point out that he was one of the better middle relievers on the team for quite a while. For a couple seasons, his role was comparable to what Randy Rodríguez is doing for this year's team, and a funny aside is that Casilla has just 3 1/3 career innings in the World Series, despite being a healthy, effective reliever in the 16 World Series games his team played in. There will be multiple high-leverage relievers who get that in this year's NLDS alone, I'll wager. Kontos might be a surprise, but I'm defining the role as someone who you felt comfortable getting up in the fifth inning, but typically came into the sixth or seventh of a normal game. Nobody filled that role better than Kontos over the years. The biggest snub is Robb Nen, who was brilliant when healthy and almost helped pitch the Giants to a championship with a shoulder that was filled with spiders and molten pain. He had a legitimate argument over Wilson, who had only three full seasons as the closer. How many games would these players win if they were on the same team? Probably none. Galarraga is 63 years old, fer cryin' out loud. Bonds is 60, and it would be hard to expect anything better than a .380 OBP and 25 homers out of him now. It sure is an impressive collection of players, though, and there weren't a lot of tough choices or unfortunate snubs. The quarter-century Giants team is filled with a lot of obvious selections, which goes quite a ways toward explaining why most of the last 25 seasons were so much fun. Would I trade it all for my youth and a chance to relive those 25 years? Of course not. I'd do that only if it were possible. And it's not possible. Right? Seems like it's not a real thing. But if it is, please reach out. I would definitely trade everything for it. My heavens, I was young once. You should have seen my head of hair and boundless youthful energy. It was glorious. At least the Giants made it fun while it lasted. And, considering there of a couple players up there on this year's team, some of that fun can still be had today. (Top photo of Bonds: Jon Soohoo / Getty Images)
New York Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Presenting the Dodgers' All-Quarter Century Team, the best in Los Angeles since 2000
Editor's note: The Athletic is marking 2025 by naming an MLB All-Quarter Century Team, selected by Jayson Stark. We're inviting readers to take our survey and make their picks for the best players at each position since 2000, with the results announced in an upcoming story. Some of our beat writers are picking All-Quarter Century Teams for the teams they cover. Check this page to find all of our All-Quarter Century Team coverage. Advertisement It wasn't always the so-called 'golden era' of Los Angeles Dodgers baseball. The days of boycotts and Fox and the inner details of Frank McCourt's ownership of the club defined a certain generation at the turn of the century. Then Guggenheim Partners entered, infused the franchise with cash and helped turn the Dodgers into a behemoth that spurred talk this winter about how they'd ruined the sport. All of that within 25 years. The last five years alone have produced two World Series titles. The last time the Dodgers missed the postseason, Dee Strange-Gordon was their leadoff man on Opening Day. When filling out the roster for the all-time Dodgers team from the last quarter century, it should be no surprise that most players are from modern day. It's a ridiculous collection of talent, which makes for some interesting debates and a fun exercise. Surely, no one will be upset with how this turns out. (Right?) (* Currently with Dodgers) WAR leader: Freddie Freeman (19.8*) After 12 seasons with the Atlanta Braves that seemingly cemented a future statue outside of Truist Park, Freeman never expected to play anywhere else. But he's kept on rolling in L.A., producing multiple MVP-caliber seasons and emerging as a vital presence in the middle of a stacked lineup. In October, he joined the short list of Dodgers postseason legends. He tore ligaments in his right ankle in the final week of the regular season and ultimately required surgery. He swung in agony the rest of the playoffs after tearing rib cartilage. When the Dodgers won the NL pennant, Freeman was on the bench. Then Freeman made history by becoming the first player in the World Series to hit a walk-off grand slam with a shot (and a pose) off of Nestor Cortes in Game 1 against the New York Yankees that might be his defining image on a baseball field. Freeman slugged three more home runs in the series and put together an integral at-bat in Game 5 against Gerrit Cole en route to World Series MVP honors. Advertisement The longtime Brave had created a new legacy. 'That's the nicest thing you ever can say: He feels like a Dodger, he looks like a Dodger, and then, he's a Dodger,' said Fred Freeman, the player's father. There's a case to be made for Adrían González, whose acquisition signaled the start of this Dodgers era of spending. In trying to find a place for Cody Bellinger, first base was a possibility. But this is Freeman's spot. WAR leader: Gavin Lux (7.8) Is this cheating? Probably. The Dodgers have had a glut of great outfielders since 2000, and second base has been a moving target. Trea Turner, a future $300 million shortstop, once started a postseason game at second base for them. Betts has played more games at shortstop for the Dodgers than he has at second base, which is one of those things that feels off even if it's true. But if the Dodgers want to praise Betts for his versatility and ability to move to the infield each of the last three seasons, then that means he can play there on this roster. Acquiring Betts was in many ways Andrew Friedman's white whale. The Dodgers tried for superstars in the latter part of the 2010s, to no avail. Gerrit Cole spurned them after the 2019 season. So did Anthony Rendon. Just before spring training, however, the Dodgers sent Alex Verdugo, Connor Wong and Jeter Downs to the Boston Red Sox for Betts, David Price and cash. That October, amid a pandemic and in an artificial bubble in Arlington, Texas, Betts helped the Dodgers win their first World Series title in 32 years. He's already spent as much time in a Dodgers uniform as he has for the Red Sox, with two rings to show for it and three top-five MVP finishes. WAR leader: Justin Turner (34.6) There's a case to be made here for Adrián Beltré, who began his Hall of Fame career in a Dodgers uniform in 1998 at 19 years old at the behest of Tommy Lasorda and authored his finest season (48 home runs, 1.017 OPS, 9.6 WAR) with Los Angeles in 2004. Advertisement But there is no talking about this generation of Dodgers baseball without mentioning Turner's name. Signed to a minor-league deal after interacting with then-bench coach Tim Wallach at a Cal State Fullerton alumni game, Turner had one of the seminal mid-career breakouts of the 2010s. Turner earned MVP votes three times, all after the age of 31. The Long Beach native who grew up listening to Vin Scully became a postseason hero, producing an .830 OPS across 86 postseason games for the Dodgers and hitting the first walk-off home run the Dodgers had seen in the playoffs since Kirk Gibson's in 1988. Turner's was a solo shot in Game 2 of the 2017 National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs, 29 years to the day after Gibson's blast. WAR leader: Corey Seager (20.9) The former top prospect in the sport delivered as a unanimous NL Rookie of the Year winner in 2016 and finished third in NL MVP voting that same season, all at 22 years old. He was a certifiable superstar, particularly in the batter's box, capable of torrid streaks that matched any hitter's in baseball. Even after missing most of the 2018 season due to elbow and hip surgeries, Seager found a way to write another brilliant chapter in 2020. A dominant 60-game regular season (.943 OPS) paved the way for an electrifying postseason, as Seager posted a 1.171 OPS en route to NLCS and World Series MVP honors as the Dodgers snapped a 32-year title drought. The Dodgers have certainly had a bevy of shortstop talent, from Seager to Trea Turner to Betts to Hanley Ramirez and a half-season of Manny Machado and more. But Seager is the easy choice here. WAR leader: Will Smith (20.5*) The Dodgers' current franchise catcher will likely have plenty of chances to build on this status after inking a 10-year contract extension in March 2024. He's already separated himself as one of the pre-eminent catchers in the sport since his debut in 2019, emerging as a two-time All-Star with a penchant for hitting with runners in scoring position. As a rookie, Smith learned from Russell Martin (second to Smith on the WAR leaderboards among Dodgers catchers), who was back for a swan song in Los Angeles. Advertisement There shouldn't be much of a debate here over the man who caught the final out of the 2024 World Series, has been one of the best and most consistent homegrown position players of the Friedman-Guggenheim era and doesn't appear to be slowing down his production anytime soon. WAR leaders: Mookie Betts (29.6*), Matt Kemp (23.0), Andre Ethier (21.5) This stacked group of options here also included the incredibly productive Shawn Green (whose father helped craft Freeman's swing, to bring things full circle), a nine-time All-Star in Gary Sheffield, and a pair of outfielders who electrified during their time in Los Angeles, Manny Ramírez and Yasiel Puig. No one resonated quite like Kemp, whose 2011 campaign was MVP-worthy even if it resulted in a runner-up finish: 39 home runs, 40 steals (just shy of what would've been the first 40-40 season in franchise history) and 8.0 WAR while playing center field. Upon returning to Los Angeles in 2018, he enjoyed a renaissance season, emerging as an All-Star and slugging a World Series home run. His No. 27 jersey is still popular at Dodger Stadium. Ethier was a perennially productive corner outfielder, a two-time All-Star and a fan favorite with a sweet swing. His final moment as a Dodger? Coming off the bench to drive in the Dodgers' only run in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. Then there's Bellinger, who burned brightly for the Dodgers and whose end in Los Angeles came almost as quickly. Bellinger dazzled as a rookie in 2017, slugging 39 homers and forcing his way onto the big-league roster en route to NL Rookie of the Year honors. Two years later, he was the NL MVP, hitting 47 home runs with a 1.035 OPS. That all changed after 2020, when Bellinger hit the eventual game-winning home run in Game 7 of the 2020 NLCS off of Atlanta Braves reliever Chris Martin, separating his shoulder and requiring surgery after the ensuing celebration with Kiké Hernández. Bellinger's career in Los Angeles wasn't the same in the two years that followed, and the team non-tendered him after the 2022 season. Still, 'Belli' resonated in a way few players did. Advertisement WAR leader: Shohei Ohtani (11.8*) There will likely be a dividing point in the history of this franchise: before Ohtani, and after. That's just how much Ohtani has changed the calculus for the organization and the sport, not just with his dominant play but also with the business and advertising dollars that have spawned from his decision to sign a 10-year, $700 million deal with $680 million deferred in December 2023. He is a force multiplier and market changer, infusing even more cash into a team that seemingly is generating more revenue than just about any organization in baseball. Ohtani's production has somehow matched it. He became the first player in baseball history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season, finding a way to make history even when the two-way star wasn't pitching. He's off to a near-identical start in 2025 and is nearing a return to the mound. WAR leaders: Clayton Kershaw (76.3*), Zack Greinke (17.7), Chad Billingsley (17.3), Kevin Brown (14.2), Hyun-Jin Ryu (13.9) The first name on this list and first pick if this were a draft is undoubtedly Kershaw, the iconic left-hander who will enter the Hall of Fame as soon as he's eligible. The three-time Cy Young winner might be the best pitcher of his era and has been 'the franchise' through ownership turnover, through generations and heartbreaks. From his distinctive windup to the devastating slider to the nasty curveball that Scully dubbed 'Public Enemy No. 1,' Kershaw is the Dodgers. The only pitcher to even come near Kershaw's single-season heights is Greinke, who shared a rotation with him and jockeyed alongside him on Cy Young ballots over a dominant three seasons in a Dodgers uniform. His 2015 season, when he posted a 1.66 ERA, is one of the best Dodgers pitching seasons ever. Injuries might have interrupted the middle part of his time as a Dodger, but Ryu's stint in Los Angeles was an undeniable success. He was productive as a rookie, putting up a 3.00 ERA at age 26 in 2013. Even after getting hurt, he returned to fine form and joined the short list of pitchers to wrestle away a Game 1 postseason start from Kershaw with a 2019 season in which he posted a 2.32 ERA and finished second in Cy Young voting. Advertisement Then there's Buehler, the first draft selection Friedman made as a Dodgers executive. Buehler arrived as an edgy flame-throwing prospect who ascended to one of the best pitchers in the sport with the bravado to match. Buehler's postseason resume elevated his status even among his peers on this list. His return last summer from a second Tommy John surgery was ugly. But Buehler bounced back with a vintage October, including coming on in relief to record the final three outs of the Dodgers' 2024 title. 'He went through a lot, but now he's etched in Dodger glory and royalty forever,' Kershaw said that night. Before Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed the richest contract ever for a pitcher at $325 million, there was Kevin Brown, who signed the first $100 million contract with the Dodgers. He'd last just five of the seven years of that deal before being dealt to the Yankees and missed significant time due to injuries, but advanced metrics are certainly high on Brown. Brown was named in the Mitchell Report with ties to performance-enhancing drugs, which makes his selection a difficult one. Yamamoto, in his second season with the Dodgers, appears to be staking his claim as a challenger for the next time such a list gets put together. WAR leader: Kenley Jansen (18.7) When Kershaw made his debut in the Dodgers organization, in the Gulf Coast League in 2006, a Curaçao native by the name of Kenley Jansen was behind the plate. That catcher with a strong arm and a natural feel for a cutter would turn into one of baseball's most productive closers and could have a strong claim to Cooperstown when all is said and done Jansen's 350 saves in a Dodgers uniform included 41 in a dominant 2017 campaign when he finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting and carried a heavy load in relief for a Dodgers team that won its first pennant since 1988. Lapses in velocity and the sharpness of his cutter took him out of favor for some of the Dodgers' 2020 title run, though Jansen rebounded for a vintage 2.22 ERA and 38 saves in what would be his final season with the Dodgers in 2021. For as much as Eric Gagné's brief, electric run defined his era, Jansen's resume is just too much to top. (Top photo of Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp: Stephen Dunn / Getty Images)
New York Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Presenting the Yankees' All-Quarter Century Team, the Bronx Bombers' best since 2000
Editor's note: The Athletic is marking 2025 by naming an MLB All-Quarter Century Team, selected by Jayson Stark. We're inviting readers to take our survey and make their picks for the best players at each position since 2000, with the results announced in an upcoming story. Some of our beat writers are picking All-Quarter Century Teams for the teams they cover. Check this page to find all of our All-Quarter Century Team coverage. Advertisement You've seen our MLB All-Quarter Century Team. Now check out our Yankees All-Quarter Century Team. Most of the choices weren't all that hard to make. The Core Four is represented. I didn't shun those suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs — if MLB lets them put their uniforms back on, I'm not going to exclude them. But there are a few spots worthy of debate, and runners-up that were fun to remember. (Always love a reason to mention Ronald Torreyes.) Posada represents an easy choice to kick things off. He is the first member of the Core Four on this list, and it's a crime that he fell off the Hall of Fame ballot in 2017, receiving just 3.8 percent of the vote. Posada played almost triple the number of games (1,537) as any other Yankees catcher in the 2000s. Gary Sánchez was the next-closest at 538. Posada appeared in five All-Star games and won five Silver Slugger awards. The Yankees retired his No. 20 in 2015. The switch-hitter also had 438 postseason plate appearances, hitting .254 with eight homers. He retired in 2011 and had opportunities to play elsewhere, but said he didn't want to play for any team other than the Yankees. For a long time, Posada kept a picture of Thurman Munson in his locker. Sánchez had some highs, too, including his epic rookie run in 2016 and his two All-Star appearances. Brian McCann was beloved in the clubhouse. And anyone who covered Kyle Higashioka and Austin Romine knows how they worked hard to reach the majors and stay there, and how integral they were to their clubhouses. Texieira was part of the Yankees' rebuild in the 2008-2009 offseason that saw them transition from the old Yankee Stadium to where they play today. They didn't just give Texieira an eight-year, $180-million deal. As part of their splurge, they also brought in starting pitchers CC Sabathia (seven years, $161 million) and A.J. Burnett (five years, $82.5 million). Advertisement Texieira had his best season in pinstripes as they won the 2009 World Series. In 156 games, he hit .292, leading the league in home runs (39), RBIs (122) and total bases (344). It resulted in his first of two All-Star appearances with the Yankees, the second happening in 2015. He also finished second in the MVP race to the Minnesota Twins' Joe Mauer. The shift and injuries zapped Teixeira's effectiveness toward the end of his career. He tore a tendon sheath in his wrist playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic in 2013, and he had a deep bone bruise in his shin that was eventually determined to be a fracture in 2015, which helped usher in the Greg Bird era. I considered Tino Martinez, but his best years were from 1996-1999. Jason Giambi's case was compelling, too. (Long live the golden thong.) Imagine if Canó didn't leave? Would he have ended up as the best Yankees second baseman of all time? Would he have tested positive for PEDs? (OK, yeah, he probably would have. We have no way of knowing when he started doing what. We're not buying his stories, either.) But Canó was thrilling to watch. All his moves were so smooth. Everything looked so easy for him. Going to his right, turning and firing to first base all in one motion. That beautiful left-handed swing with loft and grace. Five All-Star Games. A World Series in 2009. Four top-10 finishes in the AL MVP race. The John Sterling home run call: 'Robinson Canó, oh, don't you know?' Then he bolted for 10 years and $240 million to the Seattle Mariners after 2013, leaving the Yankees scrambling to replace him. Aside from Canó, only Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu warranted some consideration. Who else but The Captain? Of Jeter's 3,465 hits, 2,658 of them came in the 21st century. He hit .307 from 2000 until he retired in 2014. Who can forget his walk-off RBI single in his final at-bat at Yankee Stadium? Or that he fell one vote short of a unanimous election to the Hall of Fame in 2020? Advertisement This was a landslide victory. Didi Gregorius gets points for taking over for Jeter and becoming a fan-favorite. Torres gets points for suiting up every day at the position for a couple of years even though he had little business being there. Names you forgot played shortstop for the Yankees during this time: Troy Tulowitzki, Brendan Ryan and Ronald 'The Toe Night Show' Torreyes. Yes, A-Rod was twice suspended for PEDs. Yes, he looked foolish each time. Yes, he even sued the Yankees' doctor and Major League Baseball. But the Yankees wouldn't have won the 2009 World Series without Rodriguez, who hit .365 with six homers and 18 RBIs in those playoffs. He played 22 seasons and 12 of them were with the Yankees. He hit 351 of his 696 career home runs with New York. For all his drama, Rodriguez is one of the greatest right-handed hitters of all time and a slick defender. His decision to move to third base in deference to Jeter was the right move. Still, I don't blame the Yankees for not retiring his number or honoring him in Monument Park. It's hard to rebuild bridges you've burned, especially when the Yankees don't need him. There were no other options. Gio Urshela still gets loud applause when he walks to the plate at Yankee Stadium. Miguel Andujar provided a fun 2018 rookie season as a member of the Baby Bombers. Most Yankees fans never want to hear Josh Donaldson's name again. Gardner will go down as one of the most beloved Yankees players of the 2000s. By the end of his 14-year run, he was a de facto captain of the clubhouse alongside CC Sabathia. He was one of the early voices that helped mold Aaron Judge. And Gardner had more than his share of highs between the lines. A homegrown Yankee, Gardner played 108 games for the 2009 World Series team. He led the league in steals in 2011 and in triples in 2013. He was an All-Star in 2015 and a Gold Glover in 2016. He was the first (and I'm pretty sure only) player to jab his bat at the dugout ceiling when he got mad at calls. Advertisement The Yankees should invite him back for a Brett Gardner Day at Yankee Stadium. The sooner, the better. Another relatively easy choice. Williams' peak was from 1995-2002. Still, he was an All-Star in 2000 and 2001, and he put up a 4.5 WAR (Baseball Reference) in 2002. From 2003 until his final season in 2006, he posted a 100 OPS+. Williams attempted a brief comeback in 2009, working out at the team's player development complex during spring training. But it was over. Williams gets extra points for his occasional guitar solo national anthems at Yankee Stadium. It should have been the Core Five, with Williams included. Gardy could have fit here. Johnny Damon, too. Jacoby Ellsbury, anybody? Judge was the pick for the The Athletic's All-MLB Quarter-Century Team in right field. Stark wrote that he might be the best right-handed hitter of the modern era. So, of course, he's making this list. When you think about what Judge is doing, and you try to contextualize it, it's difficult. Everyone with similar production either played 100 years ago or has connections to PEDs. It's astonishing. Nick Swisher gets some love for hitting 29 homers on the 2009 team and for still being an influential voice in the organization. The last two seasons of Paul O'Neill's career were 2000 and 2001. And there was that one glorious season from Juan Soto. It's also easy to forget how solid Bobby Abreu was for the Yankees from 2006-2008 (7.0 bWAR, .843 OPS). Matsui seemed to become a Yankees legend as soon as he donned pinstripes for the first time in 2003. The fanfare around his arrival was incredible. He lived up to the hype. Godzilla was the 2009 World Series MVP, going 8-for-13 (.615) with three homers. He finished runner up to the Kansas City Royals' Angel Berroa (remember him?) in the 2004 AL Rookie of the Year race. Advertisement Look, I get it. Maybe Giambi deserved this spot instead in terms of pure offensive production. He was a three-time All-Star with the Yankees. Over his seven years in the Bronx, he hit .260 and averaged 30 homers and 86 RBIs. But Matsui just feels right. Giancarlo Stanton also has an argument, especially considering his incredible playoff hot stretches. Matt Carpenter's 2022 run was a lot of fun, too. It was hard to leave Masahiro Tanaka out of this group. Did Tanaka live up to his seven-year, $151 million deal? Probably. He wasn't the ace the Yankees hoped for, but he pitched virtually his whole tenure with a partial tear in his ulnar collateral ligament, his splitter was disgusting and he finished a fan-favorite. Sabathia and Cole were easy selections. Sabathia also made the most starts of any Yankees starting pitcher this century with 308 and was the workhorse for the 2009 team. Cole has his 2022 Cy Young Award and the Yankees are banking on him returning to dominance when he's back from Tommy John surgery next season. Both pitchers earn major marks for their clubhouse leadership. Mussina filled in a strange era for the Yankees. He arrived just after the 2000 World Series win. He retired just before the 2009 title. But he was nails, even finally posting his first 20-win season and leading the league in starts at age 39 in 2008, his final season. Clemens, who won six career Cy Young awards, nabbed No. 5 with the Yankees in 2001 and won a ring in 2000. He almost helped them to another ring in 2001, throwing six innings of one-run ball in Game 7 versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. And, of course, there's Pettitte. Like Posada, he deserves closer inspection for the Hall of Fame. According to FanGraphs, he posted the highest WAR (36.3) among Yankees pitchers this century. He also made 26 postseason starts for the Yankees with a 3.20 ERA, winning rings in 2000 and 2009. Our All-Quarter Century Team didn't name a set-up man. But this is my list, and I wanted to mention Betances. Advertisement His 2014-2018 run contained some of the most dominant pitching I can remember watching. FanGraphs rates his slider as the most dominant of its kind during that span (58.1 wSL), ahead of second-place Andrew Miller (55.6 wSL). Betances would just steamroll lineups, and it was a shame his shoulder started to go at age 31, just before his first foray into free agency. David Robertson also warrants a mention here. D-Rob had 30-plus holds each season from 2011-2013 and saved 39 games for the Yankees in 2014. The best to ever do it. Of Rivera's record 652 saves, 523 came in the 2000s. That total alone would place him third on the all-time list, behind Trevor Hoffman (601 saves) and ahead of Lee Smith (478). Rivera had a 2.05 ERA from 2000 until he retired after the 2013 season. He had an 0.86 ERA in 65 playoff appearances. His unanimous selection to the Hall of Fame in 2019 was deserved. Aroldis Chapman registered 153 saves during his time with the Yankees with a FIP (2.89) nearly identical to Rivera's (2.62) in the 2000s. (Top photo of Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte: Al Bello / Getty Images)
