Decade: Obama / Trump  (2010-2019)
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Team Decade Pages (Average Win Shares / Points per year in decade):		Top Team Builders In Decade:
AMERICAN LEAGUE:	NATIONAL LEAGUE:	1 - Jim Crane (Owner), Jeff Luhnow (GM). AJ Hinch (Manager)  - Houston
New York Yankees - 886	Los Angeles Dodgers - 891	2 - Brian Sabean (GM), Bruce Bochy (Manager) - Giants
Texas Rangers - 862	St. Louis Cardinals -  889	3 - Dave Dombrowski (President / GM) - Boston
Boston Red Sox - 840	Washington Nationals - 869	4 - Mike Mozeliak (GM), Mike Matheny (Manager) - Cards
Tampa Bay Rays - 832	San Francisco Giants - 828	5 - Ned Colletti (GM), Andrew Friedman (President), Farhan Zaidi (GM) - Dodgers
Cleveland Indians - 831	Atlanta Braves - 811	6 - John Daniels (GM) - Texas
Detroit Tigers - 829	Pittsburgh Pirates - 793	7 - Ted Lerner (Owner), Mike Rizzo (GM) - Washington
Anaheim Angels - 827	Chicago Cubs - 790	8 - Theo Epstein (President), Joe Maddon (Manager) - Cubs
Baltimore Orioles -807	Milwaukee Brewers - 788	9 - Andrew Friedman (GM), Joe Maddon (Manager) - Tampa Bay
Toronto Blue Jays -807	Cincinnati Reds - 782	10 - Chris Antonetti (GM), Terry Francona (Manager) - Cleveland
Kansas City Royals - 802	New York Mets - 778	11 - Dave Dombrowski (GM), Jim Leyland (Manager) - Detroit
Oakland A's  - 797	Philadelphia Phillies - 773	12 - Brian Cashman (GM), Joe Girardi (Manager) - Yankees
Chicago White Sox - 753	Arizona Diamondbacks -770
Seattle Mariners - 742	San Diego Padres -745
Minnesota Twins - 722	Colorado Rockies - 727
Houston Astros - 714	Florida Marlins - 725
Decade Highlights
□ Analytics was again the big story of the decade.
Analytics continue to dominate.
□  Shifts, particularly for lefthanded batters, become the rule, not the exception. They definitely impact today's hitters who never learned how to handle a bat.
□  Relief pitchers become important. For most of the history of baseball, relief pitchers were mop up guys. They had a limited repertoire and clearly inferior to the starters. The one
exception had been closers, who had one or two unhittable pitches. Now, twice thru the lineup and the starters are through.
There's a theory, unsubstantiated, that starting pitchers are more susceptible to injury if they go over 100 pitches. It would be nice if there were some evidence for this. There isn't.
I cringe when I see a starter for my team, who is rolling along, taken out because of the 100 pitch rule.
The more relief pitchers you bring in, the greater the chance of one of them having an off day and screwing up.
□  They've stopped stealing bases.  Stolen bases and speed are undervalued
□   Guys who strike out a lot are OK as long as they also work their way on base a lot or have a lot of power.
□   The game is a lot less fun to watch when everybody is striking out, hitters can't take advantage of shifts, no one is stealing bases and there is an endless procession of relief pitchers.
It's even more frustrating when you know that none of this is necessary.
□ General Managers become Rock Stars
General Manager salaries have been going thru the roof.  There are probably a number of reasons for this. My guesses are that analytics has increased upper managements role in on field
performance, justified or not. The world is moving closer to a two tier society every day owner/manager vs. everybody else. In our new have vs. have not world, GM's are considered to be
part of the owner/manager class and thus must be given credit for everything good and, of course, paid accordingly.  General Managers have traditionally seemed to be undervalued
when it comes to evaluating team's success. Once a couple guys started making big bucks, then everybody wanted in. GM's have put themselves a lot more in the forefront now because
there's more at stake and they want to be paid. Similarly, GM cheating has gone up. The Braves GM had an incident involving international free agents. The Astros GM had an incident involving
sign stealing. When the stakes get higher, so does the temptation to cheat.
It must be noted that several of these guys are clearly overrated. If your team is terrible for a number of years and you draft high, when your team gets better, people shouldn't be genuflecting.
Also, if you win a couple of years, that isn't grounds for annointment. If you look around, very few teams have what could be called sustained success these days.
□ Field Managers become Peons
IF GMs are the guys now responsible for on field performance that means that field managers no longer are.  GM's used to only buy the groceries, but now they are participating in
preparing the meal as well. On a lot of teams, field managers have been reduced to being the waiters. They're working class guys, not management class guys in our new world.
Field managers are being paid a lot less and are considered to be much more interchangeable and expendable than even they used to be.
This is obviously a mistake. Field managers generally have way more savvy in the nuances of the game than the front office and analytic types and have their hands on the pulse of the team.
They are more expendable mainly because they have lost power within the organization. Unfortunately, this is the way of the world these days.
□  Baseball Owners master the art of colluding without colluding
They didn't know how to do it and make like they weren't doing it in 1985. They do now. Free agency isn't what it used to be.
□  The Astros are moved to the American League in 2013.
Baseball fans need an apology from baseball for having foolishly moved the Brewers to the National League in 1998 in the first place.
□ Home Runs Skyrocket in 2017.
They insist it wasn't the ball.
□ The Yankees stink, then stop stinking.
George Steinbrenner was his own worst enemy in the Eighties. Then he got suspended. When he came back in the mid nineties, he was a slightly humbler George. He relied heavily on Joe Torre
and Gene Michael, who both managed to keep the club relatively sane.  Somewhere around 2005, George was no longer capable of being in charge. The Yankees headed straight downhill after
that. Most likely it was that Torre and Michael were now cast into the background. Without their savvy, the Yankees went steadily downhill until they missed the playoffs in their last season
in Yankee Stadium in 2008. The 2008 offseason saw New York splurge on three high priced free agents: CC Sabbathia, Mark Teixiera and AJ Burnett. Even these three were signed for the wrong
reasons. Not as a workable strategy moving forward, but they were signed to give the new stadium and George a nice sendoff after the embarrassment of missing the playoffs in the last year
of the old Yankee Stadium.  With those three plus a resurgent A-Rod, the Yankees stemmed the downward tide for a year and won the World Series.
The following three seasons, thanks to these free agents, A-Rod and the core four (Mariano River, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Derek Jeter) who all came to the club during the old regime
in the early nineties and were still going strong, and to Robinson Cano (the only primo signing by the new regime), the Yankees remained competitive for another three years until
they fell into mediocrity in 2013 and missed the playoffs in three of four years, squeaking in in the fourth year. What happened was that the Yankees completely stopped replenishing their
talent after George, Michael and Torre left the scene. Not only did the farm system stink, but they didn’t even know enough to spend on free agents (how are you the most iconic team in
the world, even terrorists go around wearing Yankee hats, and not know that you'll always get back what you spend and more if you are the Yankees?). Management kept blaming A-Rod's
contract for their problems, but that was a flat out pile of bull. A-Rod's contract had been made a scapegoat for Yankee management's complete ineptitude post George. With the resources
at hand, competent management would never had let them sink to where they were, A-Rod's contract or no.  Not only that, early in the decade,  when the Yankees were still squeaking into
the playoffs, A-Rod's presence was the difference between the Yankees making the playoffs or not. Yankee management should have been thanking A-Rod, not villifying him.
If you subtracted his WAR from their win total and then realized that he had a major synergy affect on other's WAR in the lineup who he protected by his presence
(e.g. guys like Swisher and Cano who both saw a lot of fast balls in the strike zone so that they wouldn't walk and be on base for A-Rod), you understand that the Yankees would have
missed the 2010-2012 post seasons without him, as well. Yankee management, since George, was so inept that they didn't even make a World Series appearance during the Teens.
The first time that has happened in a century, the pre-Babe days. Even the presence of manger Joe Girardi, who year after year managed to get the roster he was given to overachieve,
couldn't get the Yankees into the World Series. Ironically, when upper management finally produced some players, the first thing they did was fire Girardi.
In 2017, things finally changed. After twenty years in the saddle, GM Brian Cashman appears to have figured out how to develop a farm system. The Yankees have talent. Young talent.
It's been a long, long time coming. Altho' the World Series continues to elude them.
□ The American League East had been dominant since the Nineties. This domination continues in the Teens. Even tho' the Yankees aren't what they should be for most of the decade, they're
still above average. Meanwhile the Red Sox make the post season several times, winning a couple more World Series in the process, and the Rays also make the post season several times.
Texas, Cleveland and Detroit make several post season appearances throughout the decade. And don't forget Houston who make the post season several times with two World Series wins,
altho' the sign stealing scandal may end up putting an asterisk on those.
□ In the National League, LA is clearly number one for the decade. The Dodgers have won seven straight Division Titles and counting altho' no World Series.
The Cards, Nationals and Giants have also been strong with the Giants accomplishing the unheard of feat of winning the World Series every other year three times.
That's a skippy three peat which is a lot harder than a regular three peat.
□ Outside of baseball, football and basketball continue to grow stronger and now soccer is making some great inroads into the American sports scene.
Baseball is still looking for ways to get its mojo back against the other sports. Not doing so well as we write this.
Streaming is now the way of the world for movies and TV shows. Phones are now surgically attached to people's hands.
No sense even going there with politics, it's a complete sham with the Orange One having become president.
That being said, it is nice that we had a black president. Now we need one who will actually do something.
Top Players In Decade Pages (Win Shares / Points and WAR (in parentheses)  for Decade ):
All Positions -  Top 50	Top Starting Pitchers	Top Catchers	Top 25 Outfielders
1 - Mike Trout Angels (72.5) - 156	3 - Clayton Kershaw Dodgers (58.97) - 120	4 - Buster Posey Giants (42.29) - 110	1 - Mike Trout Angels (72.5) - 156
2 - Andrew McCutchen Pirates (41.24) - 127	5- Max Scherzer Washington (56.02) - 110	7 - Yadier Molina Cards (30.64) - 102	2 - Andrew McCutchen Pirates (41.24) - 127
3 - Clayton Kershaw Dodgers (58.97) - 120	6 - Justin Verlander Detroit (55.95) - 110	33 - Carlos Santana Cleveland (30.63) - 79	12 - Adam Jones Baltimore (26.3) - 97
4 - Buster Posey Giants (42.29) - 110	11 - Zack Greinke Dodgers (43.97) - 98	48 - Joe Mauer Twins (27.8) - 74	14 - Giancarlo Stanton Miami (39.6) - 95
5- Max Scherzer Washington (56.02) - 110	16 - Jon Lester Boston (31.32)  - 94	50 - Brian McCann Braves (17.67) - 73	15 - Ryan  Braun Milwaukee (35.34) - 94
6 - Justin Verlander Detroit (55.95) - 110	25 - David Price Tampa Bay (36.62) - 85	Russell Martin Toronto (23.78) - 63	19 - Nelson Cruz Texas (34.13) - 90
7 - Yadier Molina Cards (30.64) - 102	26 - Felix Hernandez Seattle (32.48) - 85		22 - Brett Gardner Yankees (38.09) - 87
8 - Robinson Cano Seattle (54.01) - 100	27 - Madison Bumgarner Giants (32.13) - 85	Top First Basemen	24 - Justin Upton Arizona (29.88) - 85
9 - Joey Votto Reds (52.48) - 99	28 - Gio Gonzalez Washington (32.26) - 83	9 - Joey Votto Reds (52.48) - 99	30 - Jason Heyward Braves  (36.82)  - 82
10 - Paul Goldschmidt Arizona (42.56) - 99	41 - Chris Sale Chicago (45.48) - 77	10 - Paul Goldschmidt Arizona (42.56) - 99	32 - Bryce Harper Washington (31.68) - 79
11 - Zack Greinke Dodgers (43.97) - 98	43 - Adam Wainwright Cards (23.06) - 76	20 - Freddie Freeman Atlanta  (37.12) - 90	35 - Lorenzo Cain KC (36.97) - 78
12 - Adam Jones Baltimore (26.3) - 97	47 - Rick Porcello Detroit (17.555) -   74	23 - Anthony Rizzo Cubs (32.66) - 86	36 - Starling Marte Pirates (29.06) - 78
13 - Jose Altuve Houston (38.82) - 97	Jered Weaver Angels (21.31) - 72	31 - Miguel Cabrera Detroit (43.3) - 81	37 - Shin Soo Choo Cleveland (24.51) - 78
14 - Giancarlo Stanton Miami (39.6) - 95	Cole Hamels Phillies (46.1) - 69	Adrian Gonzalez Dodgers (26.93) - 72	38 - Dexter Fowler Cubs (18.48) - 78
15 - Ryan  Braun Milwaukee (35.34) - 94	Corey Kluber Cleveland (33.18) - 67	Albert Pujols Anaheim (26.67) - 66	39 - Matt Kemp Dodgers (11.06) - 77
16 - Jon Lester Boston (31.32)  - 94	Stephen Strasburg Washington (32.46) - 67		44 - Mookie Betts Boston (42.1) - 76
17 - Craig Kimbrel Braves (19.69)  - 92	Johnny Cueto Reds (31.97) - 67	Top Second Basemen	45 - Jose Bautista Toronto (35.58) - 76
18 - Elvis Andrus Texas (28.41) - 90	Jamie Shields Tampa Bay (17.3) - 67	8 - Robinson Cano Seattle (54.01) - 100	46 - Jacoby Ellsbury Boston (24.68) - 75
19 - Nelson Cruz Texas (34.13) - 90	Jake Arrieta Cubs (23.91) - 65	13 - Jose Altuve Houston (38.82) - 97	50 - Curtis Granderson Mets (25.83) - 73
20 - Freddie Freeman Atlanta  (37.12) - 90	CC Sabbathia Yankees (23.91) - 64	49 - Dustin Pedroia Boston (35.85) - 73	50 - Charlie Blackmon Colorado (18.15) - 73
21 - Adrian Beltre Texas (51.14) - 89	RA Dickey Mets (22.23) - 64	Ian Kinsler Texas (40.25) - 66	Christian Yelich Miami (33.19) - 68
22 - Brett Gardner Yankees (38.09) - 87	Ian Kennedy Arizona (15.92) - 64	Starlin Castro Cubs (18.75) - 66	Carlos Gonzalez Colorado (21.28) - 68
23 - Anthony Rizzo Cubs (32.66) - 86	Gerrit Cole Pirates (23.36) - 61	Ben Zobrist Tamp Bay (37.19) - 62	Nick Markakis Baltimore (16.4) -  67
24 - Justin Upton Arizona (29.88) - 85	Lance Lynn Cards (23.11) - 58
25 - David Price Tampa Bay (36.62) - 85	Ervin Santana Anaheim (18.08) - 58	Top Shortstops
26 - Felix Hernandez Seattle (32.48) - 85	Mark Buerhle Chicago (18.85) -   52	18 - Elvis Andrus Texas (28.41) - 90
27 - Madison Bumgarner Giants (32.13) - 84	Jacob DeGrom Mets (33.26) - 51	29 - Ian Desmond Washington  (14.51) - 82
28 - Gio Gonzalez Washington (32.26) - 83	Cliff Lee Philies (25.56) - 35	34 - Troy Tulowitzki Colorado (30.42) - 78
29 - Ian Desmond Washington  (14.51) - 82		Francisco Lindor Cleveland (28.85) -  71
30 - Jason Heyward Braves  (36.82)  - 82	Top Relief Pitchers	Jose Reyes Mets (14.96) -  70
31 - Miguel Cabrera Detroit (43.3) - 81	17 - Craig Kimbrel Braves (19.69)  - 92	Asdrubal Cabrera Cleveland (18.21) - 69
32 - Bryce Harper Washington (31.68) - 79	42 - Kenley Jansen Dodgers (15.73) - 77	Jean Segura Milwaukee (19.66) -  67
33 - Carlos Santana Cleveland (30.63) - 79	Aroldis Chapman Reds (17.62) - 73
34 - Troy Tulowitzki Colorado (30.42) - 78	Fernando Rodney TB (6.29) - 59	Top Third Basemen
35 - Lorenzo Cain KC (36.97) - 78	Wade Davis Tampa Bay (11.25) - 52	21 - Adrian Beltre Texas (51.14) - 89
36 - Starling Marte Pirates (29.06) - 78	Jonathan Papelbon Boston (8.95)- 52	40 - Evan Longoria Tampa Bay (42.55) - 77
37 - Shin Soo Choo Cleveland (24.51) - 78	Mark Melancon Pirates (10.69) - 51	Josh Donaldson A's  (44.45) - 70
38 - Dexter Fowler Cubs (18.48) - 78		Nolan Arenado Colorado (39.77) - 68
39 - Matt Kemp Dodgers (11.06) - 77		Manny Machado Baltimore (36.36) - 64
40 - Evan Longoria Tampa Bay (42.55) - 77		Edwin Encarnacion Toronto  (28.33) - 64
41 - Chris Sale Chicago (45.48) - 77		Kyle Seager Seattle (30.66) - 63
42 - Kenley Jansen Dodgers (15.73) - 77
43 - Adam Wainwright Cards (23.06) - 76
44 - Mookie Betts Boston (42.1) - 76
45 - Jose Bautista Toronto (35.58) - 76
46 - Jacoby Ellsbury Boston (24.68) - 75
47 - Rick Porcello Detroit (17.555) -   74
48 - Joe Mauer Twins (27.8) - 74
49 - Dustin Pedroia Boston (35.85) - 73
50 - Brian McCann Braves (17.67) - 73
50 - Curtis Granderson Mets (25.83) - 73
50 - Charlie Blackmon Colorado (18.15) - 73