Now that the regular season is complete, this writer has come up with the best possible MLB lineup. An All-Star team.
The biggest thing that will be taken into account is 2015 performance, but overall talent and reputation had to be called upon in some cases.
All statistics used are the player's final regular season stats and they are courtesy of Baseball-Reference or FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted. All wins-above-replacement (WAR) numbers use FanGraphs' calculations.
Without further adu, let's get started:
Catcher: Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
2015 Stats: .318/.379/.478, 19 HR, 74 RBI, 138 wRC+
Arguably the easiest choice on this entire roster, Posey is an all-around beast. He hits for average and power, he drives in runs and plays great defense.
He also possesses the most important attribute for a catcher: leadership. He has already been the backbone for three World Series championships in his young career, and he does a phenomenal job of handling the Giants' pitching staff.
Posey was nearly two full wins better than any other catcher in baseball and also led his position in RBI, wRC+, slugging percentage and wOBA. Defensively, the 28-year-old backstop was fourth in MLB in pitch framing, per Stat Corner.
Also considered: None
First Base: Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks
2015 Stats: .321/.435/.570, 33 HR, 110 RBI, 164 wRC+
In the middle of the summer, Goldschmidt looked like he would run away with the title of best first baseman of 2015. However, he hit only .252 in August and September, which made this a tight race.
But even with the slump, the 28-year-old Texas State product still managed to lead or tie for the lead among all MLB first basemen in WAR, slugging percentage, doubles and stolen bases.
When you look at Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), Goldschmidt is far and away the best defensive first baseman in the game.
He hits to all fields with power and for a solid average, has one of the best batting eyes in the game, plays stellar defense and is the best baserunning first baseman in baseball. He is truly an all-around player, and is certainly deserving of this spot on the roster.
Also Considered: Joey Votto (Reds) and Anthony Rizzo (Cubs)
Second Baseman: Dee Gordon, Miami Marlins
2015 Stats: .333/.359/.418, 4 HR, 46 RBI, 113 wRC+
Last year, Gordon started the season hot but struggled mightily in the second half. In 2015, however, the speedy second baseman did not have that same problem.
He started the season off on a tear - he hit a gaudy .409 in April - and was able to sustain it all the way through. Even though he missed most of July with an injury, Gordon still eclipsed the 200-hit plateau.
He hit lefties incredibly well all season long - to the tune of .350 - and his wheels were on full display. Gordon led all of baseball with 58 stolen bases, and he joined Jackie Robinson as the only players in MLB history to lead the league in batting average and stolen bases.
Take a quick look at his fielding metrics, and it's clear that Gordon has made tremendous improvement defensively as well. Overall, it was just an awesome season for Gordon and he seems to have cemented himself as one of baseball's best second basemen.
Also Considered: Jose Altuve (Astros) and Jason Kipnis (Indians)
Shortstop: Carlos Correa, Houston Astros
2015 Stats: .279/.345/.512, 22 HR, 52 RBI, 133 wRC+
Despite playing only 99 games, Correa still led all big league shortstops in home runs as well as slugging percentage, wRC+ and wOBA.
Add in the fact that he is a human highlight reel on defense, and you get the best shortstop in baseball.
He is only 21 years old, but Correa displays an advanced approach at the plate and hits the ball with authority to all fields. In his first big league season he has already shown he has massive home run power, which is a skill that is getting rarer and rarer in today's game, especially at shortstop.
Also Considered: Brandon Crawford (Giants) and Francisco Lindor (Indians)
Third Base: Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays
2015 Stats: .297/.371/.568, 41 HR, 123 RBI, 154 wRC+
Your's truly has always loved Josh Donaldson as a player, but even after writing that Toronto could win the AL East after acquiring him, the immediate impact he has made couldn't have been foreseen.
To put it bluntly, Donaldson has been a beast in his first season north of the border. He led all of baseball in RBI, runs scored and total bases, trailed only Bryce Harper and Mike Trout in WAR and led all third basemen in wRC+, adjusted OPS+ and wOBA.
He made all kinds of hard contact and also showed a patient eye at the plate. Add it all up and he is one of baseball's most feared hitters, and he has a strong case to win the AL MVP award. All you have to do is ask one of his teammates what kind of player he is.
"I knew he was good, I didn't think he was this good," Toronto pitcher Marco Estrada told Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star about Donaldson. "It's amazing watching the guy play. Obviously his offense is really good, but you see him at third base and his defense is just as good. Most of the balls hit that way, you know he's going to make the play. He's just a talented player and I'm glad he's on our team."
He was a big part of the Blue Jays' transformation into an offensive juggernaut, and he will undoubtedly be a big part of their playoff push.
Also Considered: Nolan Arenado (Rockies) and Manny Machado (Orioles)
Left Field: Yoenis Cespedes, New York Mets
2015 Stats: .291/.328/.542, 35 HR, 101 RBI, 135 wRC+
Cespedes has been arguably the most important player in baseball since the July 31 trade deadline, when he was traded from the Detroit Tigers to the Mets. He has been a pivotal part of the Mets' resurgence, as his powerful presence in the middle of the order immediately transformed the lineup into a legitimate force.
The former Cuban defector was the third most valuable outfielder in baseball, judging by WAR, as well as one of the most intimidating. He hit the ball harder than every MLB outfielder except Jose Bautista, according to exit velocity tracked by Baseball Savant, and he also hit more line drives and ground balls than in the past, which strongly contributed to his career-high batting average.
He also plays excellent defense as well, and has been one of the best defensive left fielders in the league. He has a cannon of an arm, and he has also compiled 14 DRS and a 18.5 ultimate-zone-rating (UZR).
Others considered: A.J. Pollock (D-Backs)
Center Fielder: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
2015 Stats: .299/.402/.590, 41 HR, 90 RBI, 172 wRC+
For those of you who thought that Mike Trout was too good already and there was no way he could get better, he proved y'all wrong. Because in 2015, he did just that: he got better.
He seemingly eradicated his problems with high fastballs and he has hit for more power, walked more and struck out less. He has also hit more line drives and fewer fly balls, and hit the ball with authority more consistently. If you go by exit velocity, Trout has hit the ball the sixth-hardest in Major League Baseball.
Trout led the American League in adjusted OPS+ and trailed only Bryce Harper in WAR. He no longer steals bases, but his increased power has more than made up for that "deficiency."
However, despite all of his adjustments, he is no longer the best player in baseball. That title was wrestled away by this next player.
Also considered: Andrew McCutchen (Pirates)
Right Field: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
2015 Stats: .330/.460/.649, 42 HR, 99 RBI, 197 wRC+
You could write all day about Harper's phenomenal statistics - like the fact that he led all of baseball in wRC+, OPS+, WAR, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs created and wOBA - but this writer won't bore you.
Harper has masterfully transformed himself from a youngster with loads of raw power, to an advanced hitter with an ultra-keen eye at the plate. He saw the fewest percentage of pitches in the strike zone, and refused to open his zone.
He took his walks, bolstered his on-base percentage and walk totals, and made pitchers pay dearly when they decided to give him a pitch to hit.
And for good measure, he led the National League in runs scored and round-trippers. On one occasion, he scored four runs in a game without taking the bat off of his shoulder.
That's elite status, and Harper is the hands-down NL MVP and a legend in the making.
Others considered: None
Designated Hitter: Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
2015 Stats: .314/.459/.541, 29 HR, 80 RBI, 172 wRC+
Designated hitters are typically big, lumbering hitters who play DH because they can't field. Joey Votto does not fit any of that criteria - and it was difficult not putting either Miguel Cabrera or Nelson Cruz in this spot - but after looking at all the stats, it is evident that Votto is the best hitter not already mentioned.
He led all of baseball in walks, trailed Harper by one percentage point for the OBP title, tied Trout for second in MLB in wRC+, and he reached base more times than anyone else in the game.
Votto even flashed a little power, which makes him that much more valuable. He might not be the prototypical DH, but based on his 2015 performance and his outstanding hitting approach, there is no one else I'd rather have.
Others considered: Miguel Cabrera (Tigers) and Nelson Cruz (Mariners)
The Lineup
1. CF Mike Trout
2. 3B Josh Donaldson
3. RF Bryce Harper
4. 1B Paul Goldschmidt
5. DH Joey Votto
6. LF Yoenis Cespedes
7. C Buster Posey
8. SS Carlos Correa
9. 2B Dee Gordon
Starting Pitcher No. 1: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
2015 Stats: 16-7, 2.13 ERA, 301 K, 42 BB, 175 ERA+
Kershaw might not have the best win-loss record or the lowest ERA - those accolades go to the next two pitchers in this filthy rotation - but the southpaw is still the best pitcher in baseball.
If this writer had to win one game, Kershaw would be the one the ball is handed to.
In the second half of the season, he went 10-1 and dominated to the tune of a 1.31 ERA. He finished the 2015 regular season as the MLB leader in fielding independent pitching (FIP), strikeouts, innings pitched and WAR.
But most impressively, he became the first MLB pitcher to surpass 300 strikeouts in a season since Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson both did it in 2002. Say what you want, but Kershaw is still the best pitcher on the planet.
Starting Pitcher No. 2: Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers
2015 Stats: 19-3, 1.66 ERA, 200 K, 40 BB, 225 ERA+
Greinke was absolutely out of this world in 2015. He ended with a 225 adjusted ERA+, which is the highest number recorded in that category since Roger Clemens in 2005.
He has lasted at least six innings in all 31 of his starts. His ERA has started with a "1" for every single day of the season. Only six times all season did Greinke give up more than two runs in a start.
His season was historically awesome. Greinke's microscopic 1.66 ERA is the lowest since Greg Maddux's 1.63 campaign 20 years ago, he is only the sixth pitcher since 1956 to garner at least 200 strikeouts while having an ERA below 1.70.
Greinke led all of baseball in ERA, win-loss percentage and WHIP.
Starting Pitcher No. 3: Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs
2015 Stats: 22-6, 1.77 ERA, 236 K, 48 BB, 219 ERA+
It almost seems preposterous that Arrieta is the third starter in this all-world rotation after the phenomenal year he had, but it's just a testament to how good the pitching was around Major League Baseball in 2015.
Arrieta was absolutely masterful in the last two months of the season. In August and September, he allowed a grand total of four earned runs. In all, he finished with a 12-1 record and a miniscule 0.75 ERA in the second half.
The 29-year-old righty from TCU led all of baseball in wins and also allowed the fewest hits and home runs per nine innings in 2015.
Starting Pitcher No. 4: Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros
2015 Stats: 20-8, 2.48 ERA, 216 K, 51 BB, 162 ERA+
The likely winner of the 2015 American League Cy Young, Keuchel was fabulous all season long.
He leads the American League in wins (20-8), innings pitched (232), WAR (7.2) and is second with a 2.48 ERA. And when his team needed him most - in arguably the most important game the Astros have played in the past decade - Keuchel was at his best, pitching six innings of two-run ball to beat the Diamondbacks in Arizona.
"This guy has been as consistent as anybody," manager A.J. Hinch said, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today, after Keuchel's final regular season start. "Which is why arguably he's the best pitcher in the American League, with no disrespect to [David] Price and some of the other starters.
"I'm prejudiced for our guy because I've seen it,'' Hinch continued. "He's been the [AL] pitcher of the month for four of the five months. He started the All-Star Game. He's pitching for the pennant race for one team."
Hinch seems to have hit the nail right on the head. 'Nuf said.
Starting Pitcher No. 5: Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
2015 Stats: 14-12, 2.79 ERA, 276 K, 34 BB, 143 ERA+
2015 was an incredibly disastrous season for the Nationals and, at times, it was disappointing that Scherzer didn't come through when they needed him most. However, other than a funk he fell in toward the end of the season, he was terrific.
He threw some of the most impressive gems, most notably the two no-hitters he threw, both of which were oh so close to being perfect games.
Scherzer is an absolute horse - he led the National League in games started and batters faced - and his durability is something to be admired.
His record doesn't jump off the page, but he fell victim to an underperforming offense too many times this season.
Other SPs Considered: David Price (Blue Jays), Chris Sale (White Sox), Jacob deGrom (Mets) and Gerrit Cole (Pirates)
Relief Pitcher: Dellin Betances, New York Yankees
2015 Stats: 6-4, 1.50 ERA, 131 K, 40 BB, 266 ERA+
Even though he is not a full-time closer, Betances is still the most dynamic relief pitcher in the game as well as the most durable.
He has pitched at least 80 innings and racked up at least 130 strikeouts in each of the past two seasons, a level of production that has become nearly extinct in this age of pitch counts, etc.
Betances has one of the best curveballs in baseball, and he also throws incredible hard. He has jammed hitters all season long - as evidenced by his refusal to give up hard or even medium contact to his opponents.
So while he isn't a closer for the Yankees, he definitely could be. And he probably would be if he didn't play on the same team as Andrew Miller, another elite relief pitcher.
In conclusion, the starting lineup would absolutely murder opposing pitchers. The top of the order of Trout, Donaldson, Harper and Goldschmidt would give pitchers and opposing managers nightmares.
But even if the lineup was stocked with a bunch of scrubs, the squad could probably still win the World Series based on the sheer dominance of the starting rotation and Betances.