2023 All MLB Team

We’ve reached one of my favorite times of year. If only Baseball Reference, Major League Baseball, or even some of the “hardcore” fans cared about something that matters as much as the MVP, Cy Young, or Rookie of the Year.

2023 for me seems like a changing of the guard. New rules breathed life into old-style baseball. Superpower teams have fallen flat, and new blood has burst onto the scene. After years of screaming “let the kids play” the next wave of youth has shown up in the game and is staying for good. So, let’s highlight that new talent and celebrate the best game on the planet as it has entered its newest era in its wonderful history:

1st Team All-MLB:

Catcher: Adley Rutschman

After all this time, Rutschman has delivered on the hype that comes with the tag of a number one overall pick. On a team that is up and coming, the Baltimore backstop is the heart and soul of the team.

In his sophomore season, the 25-year-old catcher was the catalyst for Baltimore’s incredible season from Opening Day onward. While Rutschman helped usher in the “homer hose” he also showcased why he is the best catcher in baseball. The Orioles backstop was first in wCR+, Runs Created Plus (127), tied for first in RBI’s (80), first in walk rate (13.4%), first in On-Base (.374), second in average (.277), second in runs scored (84), and second in FanGraphs WAR (5.1).

Defensively in Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) he was ahead of two of the best defensive catchers in baseball, J.T. Realmuto and Martin Maldonado, with two runs saved.

Baltimore’s future is bright and Rutschman is on the very top of the list and a season like 2023 is one of the many reasons why.

1st Base: Freddie Freeman

Freeman has now secured the title of best first baseman in the game. While chasing the most doubles in a single season Freeman has put together a year that would rival his MVP season in 2020.

The Dodger First Baseman is first among his peers in WAR and is second by only one in wCR+ trailing Tampa Bay’s Yandy Diaz. Freeman was 4th and 5th in Home Runs (29) and RBI’s (102) respectively, while chasing the single season doubles record, trying to become just the 7th player ever to hit 60 doubles in a season. Ultimately, he fell short by one ending at 59. There have only been seven seasons since 2000 of guys hitting 55 plus doubles in a season—Freeman this year is flying in rarified air. The Dodger first baseman also finished six percentage points away from the National League batting title with a .331 average which is the second highest he’s recorded in his career only falling behind his 2020 MVP season. Freeman also finishes 6th in baseball in OPS+ (161). Freddie Freeman just added to his Cooperstown resume and perhaps his best season of his career but will most likely finish 3rd in MVP voting thanks to his teammate Mookie Betts keeping pace with an all-time season from Ronald Acuña Jr but let’s not forget this season from Freeman and have it lost to history.

2nd Base: Marcus Semien

Let’s just take a second to welcome Semien back to the All-MLB Team. He took a year off, but after a year off, Semien has returned as one of the best players in the game period. Maybe it was a classic case of a guy who had a bad year because of a massive new contract. For the 3rd time in his career Semien has played every single game in a season. Semien led the American League in runs scored (122) and with the most hits in the American League (185). The Ranger Second Baseman is 4th in MLB in doubles (40) and 7th in total bases (320). Also, for the third time in his career he played every single game. Not only does he produce but he doesn’t miss time.

Happy to have the old Marcus Semien back in our baseball lives. 

Shortstop: Corey Seager

Let’s stay in Texas. This is the Corey Seager the Texas Rangers expected when they signed Seager following the 2020 World Series. If Seager played about 40 more games, he would be the American League MVP. Because of a hamstring injury that won’t be the case. But, he was still the best shortstop at the plate this year having his best campaign in batting average (.332 which will win the AL Batting Title), he has tied his career mark in home runs (33), he’s driven in the most runs of his career (96), and has the highest OPS+ of his career (173 which is 2nd in the AL to Ohtani [184]). Defensively Seager is tied for 8th in Defensive Runs Saved with five and is 2nd to Francisco Lindor with a Ultimate Zone Rating of 5.7—both marks are his best since 2017. All-around, pound for pound, Seager is the best shortstop in baseball and is recertifying himself as one of the best young players.

3rd Base: Austin Riley

It is hard to stand out on your team when you have one guy making history and another guy chasing it. But Austin Riley just continues to put up great seasons. His 2023 is basically a carbon copy of his 2022 where he finished 6th in MVP voting. Expect another Top 10 finish for MVP even with utterly incredible seasons, but Riley’s year is probably good for 5th best in the NL. Which would continue his trend toward the top of the MVP mountain finishing 7th in 2021 and the aforementioned 6th place finish a season ago. Defensively in DRS Riley was 4th and in UZR he finished 11th. So, for a guy who absolutely rakes at the plate he is still a plus defender at the hot corner.

Left Field: Corbin Carroll

The National League Rookie of the Year is… Corbin Carroll!

There was a bullseye on Carroll this season after signing an eight-year $111 Million contract after just 32 Major League games. Now, that bullseye seems to be microscopic with the season that Carroll put up.

The Arizona Leftfielder hit 25 home runs, 30 doubles, 10 Triples (which leads baseball), while stealing 54 bases (3rd in baseball) and scoring 116 runs. Among qualified left fielders (minimum 125 games) Carroll led them all in WAR (6.0), Baserunning Runs (15.8), and only second in wCR+ to Juan Soto (133). Already at the plate and on the bases, Corbin Carroll is not only showing that he is worth his contract but one of the best left fielders in baseball.

Center Field: Julio Rodriguez

Julio Rodriguez is the most interesting baseball player in the league to me. When you go to watch him in person, he takes your breath away, he’s that good. But it goes beyond him stealing all your attention when he plays.

It seems that you cannot take Rodriguez off any of the league leaders lists. Not just for center fielders. He is 8th in Offensive WAR (5.8), 5th in hits (180), 8th in total bases (317), 10th in doubles (37), and 8th in stolen bases (37).

He is just a winning ballplayer.

Right Field: Ronald Acuña Jr.

The 2023 National League Most Valuable Player is… Ronald Acuña Jr!

There’s not much more to say about the video game numbers that the Braves right fielder put up this year. He is the first player in the history of Major League Baseball to record a 40-home run/70-stolen base season. Nobody else in the history of baseball has a 40/50 or 40/60 season. Acuña becomes just the 5th member of the 40/40 club with the last player to do so Alfonso Soriano in 2006 for the Washington Nationals. Acuña is just the third player since 2000 with 70 steals (Jose Reyes in 2007 and Jacoby Ellsbury in 2009).

After a season where Aaron Judge broke the American League Home Run record setting season, having Acuña set another record that might stand as long as Roger Maris’ record is beyond incredible. Baseball fans everywhere should be happy that we get to witness this type of play from a guy who has hinted at greatness his entire career.

Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani

The 2023 American League Most Valuable Player is… Shohei Ohtani!

Even though he didn’t play for Los Angeles for the final month and a half of the season,  Ohtani will represent the Angels, perhaps for the last time, as the AL MVP. The halo DH was challenging the American League single-season home run record at one point in the season while also being as dominant as you can on the mound at the same time. Ohtani will finish with an average north of .300 for the first time in his career, he leads the AL in On-Base (.412), Slugging (.654), OPS (1.066), OPS+ (184), and Total Bases (325). Ohtani also stole 20 bases for the second time in his career and hit eight triples, which is third in the AL behind Bobby Witt Jr and Gunnar Henderson. The L.A. Unicorn also cut down on strike outs (as a hitter) , recording his lowest total in a full season since 2019.

Coming off a season like this should equal an all-time payday for Ohtani even if he won’t be able to toe the slab until 2025.

Starters (No Order):

1.         Spencer Strider

The Atlanta ace was the leading man on the best team in baseball for the season. Strider led baseball in pitching wins (20), strike outs (281), and FIP (2.85). That’s one helluvah way to follow up a second-place finish in Rookie of the Year from a season ago. The fear for Strider was that he wouldn’t be able to stay healthy for 30 plus starts consistently. That changed this year.

Atlanta knows every 5th day they will win a game regardless of who is Strider’s opposite number. There might not be another pitcher in baseball that can strike out more hitters this consistently with the volume of innings that Strider can stack up.

2.         Gerrit Cole

The 2023 American League Cy Young Award Winner is… Gerrit Cole!

Finally, the Yankees ace has solidified that he is the best pitcher in baseball. When workhorses are a thing of the past Cole leads the league in innings pitched, is 3rd in ERA+, 8th in Fielding Independent Pitching, 1st in WAR for pitchers, and is tied for the top spot in complete game shutouts. Cole would be leading the league in wins if that if his team didn’t waste 13 starts where Cole gave up at the most two runs (which will now and forever be called getting “deGrom’d”).  Cole is also tied for second in games started with 31.

In a year that was a disaster for the Bronx Bombers, Gerrit Cole is one of the lone shining stars in the autumn New York sky.  

3.         Justin Steele

The Chicago Southpaw has been my favorite pitcher to watch this season. Personal bias aside, Steele has burst onto the scene this year pitching the Cubs into playoff contention with 16 wins (2nd in baseball), a 2.73 ERA (2nd in baseball), a 3.06 FIP (4th in baseball), a 164 ERA+ (2nd in baseball), and a WAR of 4.1 (7th in baseball). Without Steele the Cubs are in baseball purgatory for the second straight season with no clear picture of how to get out of it. Chicago’s ace mostly went unnoticed in the first half the year when Marcus Stroman stole most of the headlines with his incredible first two months.

From June 17th to September 4th Steele went 9-1 in 15 starts while the Cubs only loss in that stretch was the loss that Steele suffered on July 16th when he gave up six runs in six innings against the Boston Red Sox at Wrigley Field. That’s it. You cannot have a better stretch than that at any point in the season and Steele’s career year needs to be highlighted because he’s in the same league as baseball's absolute best.

4.         Blake Snell

The 2023 National League Cy Young Award Winner is… Blake Snell!

After a disastrous first month to his season, there has not been a guy who has been able to completely shut down an opposing offense better than Blake Snell. When Snell wins the NL Cy Young this year, he will be the 6th pitcher ever to win the award in both leagues and the first since Max Scherzer in 2016. Snell leads baseball in ERA (2.43), ERA+ (168), hits per nine innings (5.9), is 4th in strikeouts (217), is tied for 6th in wins (14), and is 2nd in pitching WAR (5.4). Like Gerrit Cole, he would likely be north of 20 wins if his team didn’t waste his starts. Snell has matched his career high for innings (180) which he also accomplished in his Cy Young season for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018.

In a walk year, you cannot do better than Blake Snell this season, hats off to the veteran lefty.

5.         Zack Wheeler

Very quietly Zack Wheeler is one of the best starting pitchers in baseball. One of the reasons why the Phillies are back in the postseason is because of Wheeler. The Phillies Right-Hander is 8th in strikeouts (212), tied for 8th in starts (32), 6th in Fielding Independent Pitching (3.15) all while logging his 3rd most innings of his career (192).

Relievers (No Order):

1.         Emmanuel Clase

The Cleveland closer has taken over officially as the best closer in the game. Yet again Clase led the majors in saves while also finished tied for 9th in ERA+ with Logan Webb (130) and 4th in FIP (2.91), even though he only threw 72.2 innings, which doesn’t technically qualify him for any pitching leaderboards. Other pitchers may have more devastating individual pitches, no other pitcher is as great a weapon to end games. 

2.         Felix Bautista

The Baltimore closer had the best season of any relief pitcher in baseball. Yes, he didn’t finish the full season and is still on the comeback trail. But if the American League MVP doesn’t have a qualified guy who has played more than 150 games then I can take liberties with the most dominant arm on the planet.

What Bautista did this year for the Orioles is reminiscent of what Edwin Diaz did for the New York Mets last season. The only thing missing is a viral intro out of the bullpen—even though Bautista’s entrance is still pretty bad ass.

Bautista took the Baltimore closer’s job in full stride this season and even though he didn’t play the last month or so of the season 8th in baseball in saves and probably would’ve challenged Clase in saves down the stretch. To put in perspective how incredible Bautista’s season was; here’s Edwin Diaz’s 2022 to Bautista’s 2023:

Diaz: 62 innings pitched, 32 saves, 118 strike outs, 297 ERA+

Bautista: 61 innings pitched, 33 saves, 110 strike outs, 280 ERA+

Yeah, he was that good!

2nd Team All-MLB:

Catcher: William Contreras

William is not Wilson’s little brother anymore. The Milwaukee catcher not only had a great encore to a powerful rookie campaign—he is the heaviest hitting backstop in baseball. Contreras finished second among catchers in wCR+ (125), OPS+ (126) and RBI’s (78). The Brewers backstop always matched his career high in home runs with 17 and did so hitting .291 when most big boppers have an average about 60 points lower than that. He also led all catchers in WAR (5.4) which finished just outside of the top 10 for all position players.

While dazzling at the plate, Contreras was the third best catcher in DRS (5) behind Will Smith (12) and Jonah Heim (8). Contreras has a way to go before he takes the mantle of best all-around catcher in the game, but a season like this will rocket him into contention.

1st Base: Matt Olson

The shear fact that Matt Olson challenged Aaron Judge’s 62 home runs the very next season is simply amazing. What makes even less sense is how few baseball people are talking about Olson’s chase for 60. Yes, Olson didn’t join Judge, Ruth, Maris, Bonds, Sosa, or McGwire as the only players to hit 60 in a season, but 54 is third most behind only Giancarlo Stanton (59) and Aaron Judge (62) post steroid era.

Like Judge, Olson also led the Majors in RBI’s (139), while also finishing third in runs scored (127).

2nd Base: Luis Arreaz

Even though the Miami second baseman didn’t finish with an average at or over the magical plateau of .400—he still had a season that is worth remembering. In an age of baseball history where the style of play that Arreaz brings to the ballpark daily isn’t rewarded heavily, it still leads to winning.

No Luis Arreaz is not Tony Gwynn, but what doesn’t get noticed with Arreaz because of his high average and singles (160 which is the most in MLB) is his high On-Base. The Miami second baseman is first among all of his peers in OBP (.393), OPS+ (122), first in strikeout percentage (5.5), first in Line Drive rate (28.5%), and Expected Batting Average (.325). Defensively he is no slouch either. He has four DRS which is 6th among second baseman and a UZR of 2.7 which places him 5th. After being a fantasy baseball darling the past two seasons, Arreaz finally gets his time in the real limelight, and hopefully next year he can continue his chase toward Ted Williams.

Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr.

Is he still a bust? Bobby Witt Jr didn’t have the most impressive rookie season a year ago. It’s clear that the Kansas City shortstop went into the lab and worked his tail off to get better for his sophomore campaign. Seemingly overnight, Witt Jr has become one of the game’s premiere shortstops. Witt Jr is one home run and one stolen base away from a 30/50 season. That shouldn’t be the case for a 23-year-old. In his rookie season Witt Jr allowed 18 runs to score (-18 Defense Runs Saved)—he’s slashed that down to only a negative five Defensive Runs Saved this season. He’s gotten better in every aspect of his game.

3rd Base: Jose Ramirez  

Cleveland’s third baseman is the forgotten Superstar of this generation. What Ramirez does year in, and year out is just finishes in the top five of MVP voting. The last six years (not including this season) he has finished top five in MVP four times. The other two times, in 2021 he finished 6th in voting and in 2019 he only played 129 games due to a wrist injury. This year he might not finish in the top 10 for MVP, but he is still the top of the class among his third base peers.

Ramirez finished first in average (.282), second in on-base (.356), and first in Base Running Runs (7.0) with 28 stolen bases helping his cause. He also has only a 10.6 % strike out percentage and walk percentage. Defensively, Ramirez is tied for 8th with Nolan Arenado with 1 DRS and is 6th in Ultimate Zone Rating. Add all of these numbers up and he is the second most valuable third baseman this year behind only Austin Riley according to FanGraphs WAR (5.1) while also having the same Baseball Reference WAR. While many people forget about Jose Ramirez I will not, he is a winning player, it’s just a shame he’s on a middle of the road team in a bad division.

Left Field: Juan Soto

In a lost season for San Diego, Juan Soto has continued to showcase his talents on an underperforming team that even the most “tapped in” experts can’t quite figure out why San Diego didn’t make it to the postseason. Majority of Soto’s career is comparable to the Bat Signal shining through the dark clouds of a storm. For the first time in his career Soto played every single game this year. For the third time in his career he led the Majors in walks (132). Soto only finished two points behind Ohtani in On-Base (.410), 8th in OPS+ (158), clobbered 35 homers, and finished tied with Ozzie Albies for 4th in RBI’s (109). Looking at other Left Fielders he finished first in wCR+ (155) and second in fWAR (5.5).

As San Diego is figuring out exactly why 2023 was a missed opportunity and searching for an identity, use Soto as the centerpiece moving forward. Not because of his age or ability to show up in the postseason when the lights are the brightest, but because that was why San Diego went out and traded for him last deadline. Soto is truly a once in a lifetime player and he showcased it every single day this season. 

Center Field: Luis Robert Jr.

FINALLY. After all this time, Luis Robert Jr stayed healthy and showcased his talent in a season that was one of the best in baseball. Robert had a great rookie season during the COVID shortened 2020 season and like many of those 60-game standouts looked to just be smoke and mirrors. That is not the case this season.

The South Side Center Fielder played over 100 games for the first time in his career and is one of the few things to cheer for this year for the White Sox. Robert fell two home runs short of having a 40/20 season while only getting caught on the bases four times out of 24 attempts. To show how truly amazing of a power-speed combo Robert was this year he finished 10th in baseball in slugging (.542). Robert finished 3rd among centerfielders in wRC+ (128), and second in WAR (5.0) only behind Julio Rodriguez. Another good sign for Chicago is that their centerfielder increased his walk rate to the highest it’s been since his rookie season. Being more selective and hammering the pitches he can handle should be a sign that a season like this will not be an outlier moving forward for the 25-year-old.

Additionally, Luis Robert Jr showed that he is a top tier defensive center fielder. Robert is tied for 4th with Myles Straw in Defensive Runs Saved (6) and that is better than the likes of Michael A. Taylor, Michael Harris II, and Julio Rodriguez.

The White Sox impending rebuild might take that long if Robert can channel this season moving forward.

Right Field: Mookie Betts

Putting Mookie in this spot was the hardest cut out of any I decided to make. I want to put him on the 1st Team, but… you know! You can say this almost any year, but if Betts had the season he had any other year, he’d win the MVP. It just so happened, that this incredible season from the Dodger Superstar happened when Ronald Acuna Jr made history.

This season for Mookie Betts is his best overall season since 2018 when he won the AL MVP for the World Champion Boston Red Sox. Betts is again in the conversation for best all-around player in the game. He can do everything and everything at a high level. If you watch Mookie for a week straight, he will do something different every game that adds to his team winning a game. Whether that’s making a diving game saving catch, going from first to home for the game tying or go-ahead run, or turning a tough double play ball to end a pivotal scoring threat. Betts scored 100 runs for the 6th time in his career, drove in 100 runs for the 3rd time in his career and the first time since 2017.

As players seem to fall off the age cliff younger and younger nowadays, Mookie is aging like a fine wine and looking more and more like another L.A. Superstar that chose the palm trees for the dog days of his career, LeBron James.

Designated Hitter: Kyle Schwarber

Kyle Schwarber might have the most unique season I’ve ever witnessed as a fan of baseball. He has almost as many singles as home runs. Schwarber hit 48 singles. While finishing with 47 home runs. He has 100 RBI’s (for the first time in his career) and is one of the most feared hitters but not everything adds up with Schwarber… The Philadelphia outfielder has a batting average in the .190’s! Oh and by the way he also led the league in strikeouts. Baseball is such a weird sport.

But, even with being a three true outcome god, Schwarber is on the short list of most feared hitters in the game. This year showed that the last two years are no joke. Schwarber has changed his game from a pure hitter to a full-time slugger that will mash anything in his zone.

Stat-heads rejoice, Kyle Schwarber is the modern-day Dave Kingman, and he is a MONSTER.

Starters (No Order):

1.         Kodei Senga

The Ghost Fork was worth the hype. Senga is the second rookie in Mets history to record 200 strike outs in a season. The only other is Doc Gooden. That’s pretty good company to hold. Senga has the 5th best ERA+ this season and 7th in walks allowed. Quickly and quietly Kodei Senga has become of the best starting pitchers already.

2.         Sonny Gray

Sonny Gray has finally put it back together. After a few rough seasons, Gray has found a home in Minnesota. The Twins ace finished third in all of baseball in ERA (2.79), third in ERA+ (154), however he was first in FIP (2.83), as well as Home Runs per 9 innings (0.39), yet because of the team and division he plays in he gets lost in the shuffle. Gray will most likely not finish in the top 10 in Cy Young voting, but Gray’s 2023 is comparable to his 2019 season in which Gray finished 7th that season for Cincinnati. In 2023, Gray bested that season in ERA, innings, FIP, walked less batters, and allowed less home runs. 

3.         Logan Webb

The San Francisco ace is perhaps the most underrated starting pitcher in baseball. Webb was the lone shining light for yet another miserable season for the San Francisco Giants. Webb led the Majors in innings pitched (216), finished 8th in ERA (3.25), 9th in ERA+ (130), 7th in FIP (3.16), and was tied for second in shutouts with one (yes, I know Bob Gibson is turning over in his grave). The Bay Area Right-Hander was also third in WAR behind only Gerrit Cole and Blake Snell at 5.6 Wins Above Replacement.

Webb was all but forgotten about after his breakout 2021 season where he was the best pitcher on the best team in baseball. Since then, he hasn’t stopped pitching well, it’s just the fact that the team around him stopped scoring runs. Hopefully the Giants won’t strike out for a second straight offseason when it comes to free agents and give their ace the ability to help the ballclub secure more wins.

4.         Zac Gallen

Baseball nerds rejoice! Zac Gallen has finally arrived. With that the Arizona Diamondbacks have finally ended rebuilding! Gallen was one of the first cornerstone pieces acquired in the rebuilding process and has shown this year why. Gallen finished second in innings pitched (210), finished 9th in FIP (3.27), was second in wins (17), had a 125 ERA+, and recorded one shutout victory. Every 5th day Arizona expected to win and because of Gallen they were able to finally bring postseason baseball back to the desert.

Gallen however, is one of the pitchers that does dazzle you with the numbers, but when you watch him pitch it seems like he’s on another level than almost everyone else. He attacks hitters the way a chess master might approach a high-level match, which is unlike most pitchers around the righty’s age. Pitchers today aren’t worried about the third time through the order because they won’t be around to see that point in the game. Gallen pitches like he wants to finish every game and attacks each at-bat differently to throw the hitter off-balance. In other words, he’s a pitcher and not a thrower.

5.         Zach Efflin

Somehow, someway, the Tampa Bay Rays have gone back to their usual roll of being the quiet giant that everyone discounts. Even after starting the season 35-15 over the course of the first 50 games. They were an unstoppable machine. Now, they are closing in on 100 wins and will be the first wild card in the playoffs. That seemed unfathomable back in May, you would ha've thought Tampa Bay would be challenging the all-time win record at this point of the season.

The lead arm for the Rays this season is a guy who people laughed at this offseason when he was acquired. Tampa Bay put him in their pitching lab and what was spat out the other side is a guy who is leading the league in pitching wins in the American League. Efflin is also 5th in Fielding Independent Pitching. And a guy who has taken the ball every 5th day on a team that has been riddled with injuries.  

Relievers (No Order):

1.         Paul Sewald

What a wacky season for the veteran reliever. Sewald was the answer for two teams as they tried to make the postseason. His first team of the season, the Seattle Mariners, most likely didn’t make the playoffs because they traded him away to Arizona. Sewald recorded 21 saves, finished 31 games, pitched 43 innings, and had 60 strikeouts in his time in the Pacific Northwest—which is why he was the most sought-after relief arms at the trade deadline. When he arrived in the desert, he was tasked with fixing a desolate snacks bullpen and trying to save Arizona as they were falling off the cliff from an exciting first half. Sewald wasn’t as dominant with the D-Backs as he was with the Mariners, but he still got the job done. He was the adult in the room and the calming force that ultimately help propel Arizona into the postseason. With Arizona in 20 games, Sewald recorded 13 saves (which landed him 7th in baseball in saves with 34) and had 20 strikeouts in 17.1 innings.

2.         Devin Williams

The owner of one of the most unhittable change ups in baseball history finds himself in familiar waters yet again. With Williams now the primary relief weapon for Milwaukee, the Brewers closer looks comfortable in his new role after Josh Hader was shockingly shipped to San Diego last trade deadline. Williams was 5th in the Bigs in saves (36), had a 1.53 ERA in 58.2 innings, and 87 strike outs. The Milwaukee Superstar Closer often gets looked over for where he plays and whose shadow he was in at the start of his career. Williams has not only taken over Hader’s job in Milwaukee, but he has taken over the mantle as best relief arm in the National League from his former teammate as well.

There it is the best group of teams for this season in baseball. In a year that was aimed at bringing back more action to the game these 32 men did so at the highest level. As the World Series is here, many fans might have playoff rose colored glasses on and forget about the rest of the teams that didn’t make the dance. Here’s to a great World Series and a quick winter so we can get back to baseball.