All MLB Team

Ok so I've been very busy lately. Its taken a while but finally finished it. Heres the All MLB Team, with current players. Like the All Time MLB Team, steroids will not play a factor on my decisions and choices. Same thing as the All Time MLB Team, I am selecting 8 position players, 1 DH, 5 starting pitchers, and 1 closing pitcher. Once again feel free to comment

	C Joe Patrick Mauer 6'4" 215lbs. Throws: Right Bats: Left Joe Mauer plays for the Minnesota Twins. Mauer is considered by many to be the best catcher in the sport and has been said by some, including Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., to have the best swing in baseball. In his breakout 2006 season, Mauer became the first catcher in major league history to lead both leagues in batting average and the first American League catcher to win the batting title, finishing with an average of .347. In 2008, he became the first American League catcher to win the batting title twice when he led the AL with an average of .328, and in 2009, he became the first catcher to lead in average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage in a single year. He also won his third batting title in 2009, leading all of Major League Baseball with a .365 average, which is the highest among catchers in MLB history.
	1B Albert Jose Pujols 6'3" 230lbs. Throws: Right Bats: Right Albert Pujols plays for the St. Louis Cardinals. Pujols is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in modern Major League Baseball; this is due in part to his impressive accrual of statistics and records before the age of 30. Nearing the end of the 2009 season, Pujols currently ranks within the top 15 players in major league history in four statistical categories: on-base percentage (twelfth), slugging percentage (fourth), on-base plus slugging (OPS; fourth), and adjusted OPS (tied for sixth). He also ranks in the top 500 players in major league history in a variety of statistical categories, and is a two-time MVP. From 2001 to 2005, Pujols hit 201 home runs, second all-time for the most hit in a player's first five seasons. By 2009, he had reached the 350-homer plateau at the age of 29—the third-youngest to do so—and surpassed Ralph Kiner's record for most home runs in his first nine seasons. In so doing, Pujols became the first player to hit 30 or more home runs in the first nine seasons of his career, as well the second player to have 100 or more RBIs in the same timespan. Pujols holds the Cardinals' franchise record for most career grand slams; he broke the record of nine previously held by Stan Musial.Musial and Pujols are also two of only four players in history to have a career batting average above .330 and less than 500 strikeouts at the time of their 300th home runs. In his first 5,000 career at bats, Pujols had amassed 372 doubles, 358 home runs, and 14 triples for a total of 744 extra-base hits, the most in NL history,and is the second player in Major League Baseball to post nine consecutive seasons with 30 doubles, a .300 batting average, 30 home runs, and 100 runs batted in or better. He has scored 100 or more runs in eight of his nine seasons. He currently has eight career walk-off home runs. With his 129th RBI in 2009, he passed "Sunny Jim" Bottomley for third place in Cardinals' history in a career with 1,106. In the field, Pujols has set the Cardinals' franchise for the most assists by a first baseman in a single game (seven). He also set the all-time Cardinals' and National League record for assists by a first baseman in a season (182) in 2009, then in the last game of the 2009 season, broke Bill Buckner's 1985 major league mark of 184 with his 185th. Keith Hernandez held the previous Cardinals' record with 146 assists in 1979, and Mark Grace in 1990 held the old NL record with 181.
	2B Chase Cameron Utley 6'1" 185lbs. Throws: Right Bats: Left Chase Utley plays for the Philadelphia Phillies. Utley has demonstrated versatility as a player and as an athlete, spending some time at first base as well. As his fielding has improved over his career, Utley is seen in combination with Jimmy Rollins as one of the best middle-infield combinations in the NL. Utley is considered by fans to be a team leader, alongside Rollins and Ryan Howard. He received the Silver Slugger Award in 2006 for being the best hitting second baseman in the National League. He also batted .309 in 2006.Utley finished the 2007 season with a .332 batting average, 22 home runs, 103 RBIs and 48 doubles (second in the National League). He helped propel the Phillies to their first playoff appearance in fourteen seasons as the team capped a dramatic comeback by clinching the National League East division title on the final day of the regular season. Utley's offensive performance also earned him a Silver Slugger Award for the second consecutive season. At the end of the 2008 regular season, with 33 home runs, 104 RBI, and a team high 177 hits, Utley helped the Phillies get into the 2008 playoffs, and win their first National League pennant since 1993 and first World Series title since 1980 (the second ever World Series title for the team). Utley batted 3 for 18 (.167) in the World Series, but hit two home runs and walked five times as well. Overall, he batted .220 in the postseason (11 for 50). In 2009 he was named # 6 on the Sporting News' list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball. A panel of 100 baseball people, many of them members of the Baseball Hall of Fame and winners of major baseball awards, was polled to arrive at the list.
	3B Alex Emmanuel Rodriguez 6'3" 225lbs. Throws: Right Bats: Right A-Rod currently plays third base for the New York Yankees. He previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers. Rodriguez is considered one of the best all–around baseball players of all time. He is the youngest player ever to hit 500 home runs, breaking the record Jimmie Foxx set in 1939. He is a 12-time AL All-Star, and a 3-time AL MVP (2003, 2005, 2007). He won 10 AL Silver Slugger Awards, 4 AL Hank Aaron Awards (2001–03, 2007), 2 AL Gold Gloves, and Award (SS) (2002, 2003). He is a 5-time AL Runs Leader (1996, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007), a 4-time AL Total Bases Leader (1996, 2001, 2002, 2007), a 5-time AL Home Run Title winner (2001-2003, 2005, 2007), a 2-time AL RBI Title winner (2002, 2007), a 2-time AL OPS Leader (2005, 2007), and a 4-time AL Slugging Percentage Leader (2003, 2005, 2007, 2008). He was linked to steroids in 2009.
	SS Derek Sanderson Jeter 6'3" 195lbs. Throw: Right Bats: Right Derek Jetter plays for and has played his entire career for the New York Yankees. He has served as the Yankees' team captain since 2003. Jeter's presence in the Yankees' lineup, highlighted by his hitting prowess, played an instrumental role in the team's late 1990s dynasty. Jeter debuted in the Major Leagues in 1995, and the following year, he won the Rookie of the Year Award and helped the Yankees win the 1996 World Series. Jeter was also a member of championship-winning teams in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009. In 2000, Jeter became the only player to win both the All-Star Game MVP Award and the World Series MVP Award in the same year. He has been selected as an All-Star ten times, and he has won the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards on three occasions. He is regarded as a consummate professional, by teammates and opponents alike, and has a reputation as a reliable contributor in the postseason. Jeter is considered to be one of the best players of his generation. He is the all-time hits leader among shortstops and his .317 career batting average through the 2009 season ranks as the fifth-highest among active players. He has been among the American League (AL) leaders in hits and runs scored for the past ten years. He is the all-time Yankees hit leader, passing Hall of Fame member Lou Gehrig in 2009. Jeter has been noted as an exceptional postseason performer. He has a career .309 postseason batting average with 18 home runs and 50 RBIs. Except for 2008, the Yankees have been to the playoffs every year since Jeter joined the team. He has a Major League Baseball record 153 career postseason hits, and also holds records for most postseason singles (111), at-bats (495), runs scored (85) and strikeouts (96).
	OF Ryan Joseph Braun 6'1" 200lbs. Throws: Right Bats: Right Ryan Braun plays for the Milwaukee Brewers. He won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2007, and led the NL in slugging percentage. He also won the Sporting News NL Rookie of the Year, the Baseball America Rookie of the Year, the Baseball Prospectus Internet Baseball NL Rookie of the Year, and the Players Choice NL Most Outstanding Rookie Awards. Over the previous decade, the only other NL hitter to win all five awards was Albert Pujols, in 2001. Braun won the 2008 NL Outfielder Silver Slugger Award, was the starting left fielder for the US team at the 2009 World Baseball Classic, and was a starting NL All Star outfielder in both 2008 and 2009. In 2009 he was named to the Sporting News' list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball, ranking No. 32 on the list, and led the NL in hits for the season. Braun has the ability to hit for average and significant power. His swing is compact, with tremendous bat speed and a protracted follow-through. Braun waits well on offspeed pitches and uses the entire field.He drives the ball no matter where it is in the strike zone. In addition, his speed garnered him comparisons to New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez. Braun has been timed at 4.2 seconds to first base from the right side of the plate. During Scout Day at the University of Miami in 2004, Braun ran the 60-yard dash in 6.2 seconds. In spring training in 2007, he was second only to Corey Hart in the Brewers' 60-yard dash.
	OF Ichiro Suzuki 5'11" 172lbs. Throws: Right Bats: Left Ichiro plays for the Seattle Mariners. Ichiro has established a number of batting records, including the sport's single-season record for base hits with 262. He has had nine consecutive 200-hit seasons, the longest streak by any player, surpassing Wee Willie Keeler. Pete Rose, who had ten non-consecutive 200-hit seasons, is the only player with more in his career than Ichiro. Ichiro moved to the United States in 2001 after playing nine years for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan's Pacific League. Posted by Orix after the 2000 season, Ichiro became Seattle's right fielder. The second Japanese-born everyday position player in the major leagues, Ichiro led the AL in batting average and stolen bases en route to being named Rookie of the Year and MVP. Ichiro is the first MLB player to enter the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (The Golden Players Club). He has been voted onto nine All-Star teams by the fans, winning the 2007 All-Star MVP Award for a three-hit performance that included the event's first-ever inside-the-park home run. Ichiro has won a Gold Glove award in each of his first eight years in the major leagues, and has had six hitting streaks of 20 or more games, with a high of 27. He exists strictly within his own world, playing a game 100 percent unfamiliar to everyone else. The game has known plenty of 'slap' hitters, but none who sacrifice so much natural ability for the sake of the art... Ichiro, a man of wondrous strength, puts on impressive power-hitting displays almost nightly in batting practice. And he'll go deep occasionally in games, looking very much like someone who could do it again, often but the man lives for hits, little tiny ones, and the glory of standing atop the world in that category. Every spring, scouts or media types write him off, swearing that opposing pitchers have found the key, and they are embarrassingly wrong.
	OF Vladimir Alvino Guerrero 6'3" 235lbs. Throws: Right Bats: Right Vladimir Guerrero plays for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In 2004, he was voted the American League MVP. He helped lead the Angels to five American League West championships (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009), and was voted as one of the most feared hitters in baseball in a 2008 poll of all 30 major league managers. An eight-time All Star, he is widely recognized as one of the best all-around players in the game because of his impressive offensive production (regularly hitting for power and average), and stellar defense (which is highlighted by one of the strongest throwing arms in baseball). He is also regarded as the game's premier "bad ball hitter," for his ability to consistently hit balls thrown well outside of the strike zone, a skill made evident in a game a number of years ago when Guerrero hit a pitch which bounced in front of home plate. Guerrero bats without wearing batting gloves, a custom rarely seen in modern baseball. To improve his grip on the bat, he coats his helmet with pine tar and simply rubs his helmet before going into the on-deck circle. As the season progresses, his batting helmet becomes covered in the substance. This is particularly noticeable with the bright red helmet of the Angels. Guerrero batted over .300 from 1997-2008. He has driven in over 100 runs in every season but 2003 and 2008. Along with his 2004 MVP season, he has finished 6th (2000), 4th (2002), 3rd (2005), 9th (2006), and 3rd (2007) in MVP voting. In 2008, Guerrero tied Lou Gehrig's mark for most consecutive seasons with at least 25 home runs and a batting average of .300 or better with 11. He also swung at a higher percentage of pitches outside the strike zone, 45.5%, than any other hitter in major league baseball. He had a 44-game hitting streak exclusively against the Texas Rangers from 2004-06, the longest such player-vs.-team streak in MLB history since 1969. The streak occurred over his first 44 appearances against the Rangers. Guerrero has decimated Ranger pitching over his career, putting up a career batting line of .395/.466/.681 with 22 HR, 29 Doubles and 63 RBI in 87 games.
	DH Ryan James Howard 6'4" 255lbs. Throws: Left Bats: Left Ryan Howard plays for the Philadelphia Phillies. Howard was the 2006 National League MVP. Howard is the fastest player to reach both the 100 and 200 home run milestones in Major League Baseball history, passing the marks in 2007 and 2009, respectively. Due to Howard's reputation as an extreme pull hitter, opposing managers often utilize an unusual infield shift with him at the plate, with the third baseman playing shortstop, the shortstop playing second base, and the second baseman playing in shallow right field. Howard is known for his power, however he stikes out extremely often. He also is just a decent defensive 1st baseman, and has very low speed. His totals in the 2007 season totals were a .268 average, with 47 home runs and 136 RBIs, helping the Phillies win the National League East title on the final day of the season to earn their first postseason berth since the 1993 World Series. He finished the season 2008 with 146 RBI and a .251 batting average. Historically speaking, this was a statistical aberration, and is by far the lowest batting average ever for any season in major league history in which a player topped 130 runs batted in. His contributions again helped lead the Phillies to the division title and the post-season. The Phillies eventually won the series in 5 games to bring the Phillies their first World Series championship since 1980, and Philadelphia their first major sports championship since 1983; Howard finished second in the voting for the 2008 NL MVP award, behind Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals.
	P Tim Leroy Lincecum 5'11" 172lbs. Throws: Right Bats: Left Tim Lincecum plays for the San Francisco Giants. Lincecum is known for his long stride, unorthodox mechanics, and ability to generate high velocity despite his slight build of 5'11", 172 lbs. Lincecum won the 2008 NL Cy Young Award, becoming the first second-year player to win the Cy Young since Dwight Gooden and Bret Saberhagen both won in 1985. His repertoire includes a two-seam fastball that reaches well into the mid-nineties, a changeup he grips like a splitter, a curveball notable for its sharp breaking action, and a slider. He also has a four-seam fastball, but rarely uses it. Lincecum throws a fastball in the mid-90s that can sometimes reach 98-99 MPH. This pitch has little lateral movement, due to his overhand delivery and the speed at which the pitch is thrown. He also has a big breaking curveball that is thrown at about 80 MPH. Lincecum uses a changeup that he grips similar to a splitter to offset his top two pitches and keep batters off-balance. His changeup appears similar to his fastball for the first 30 feet, but then breaks down and in toward a right-handed batter as it approaches the plate, with a good 10+ MPH velocity difference from his fastball. He has recently added a cut fastball which breaks down and in against left-handers. With his power fastball and plus secondary pitches, he has quickly established himself as one of the top pitchers in the game.
	P C.C. Sabathia 6'7" 290lbs. Throws: Left Bats: Left CC Sabathia plays for the New York Yankees. His contract with the Yankees is the richest contract for a pitcher in the history of baseball. Sabathia played the first seven plus seasons of his career with the Cleveland Indians where he won the 2007 AL Cy Young Award, and played the second half of the 2008 MLB season with the Milwaukee Brewers, leading them to the NL Wild Card. Sabathia has four plus pitches: fastball, slider, cutter, and changeup. He also exhibits good command of his pitches, posting a 5.65 K/BB ratio in 2007. Sabathia holds a lifetime postseason record of 5 wins and 4 losses in 10 games. He has pitched a total of 61.1 postseason innings, giving up 61 hits, 25 walks and 30 earned runs resulting in a 4.40 ERA. He also struck out 56 batters. In the 2007 ALCS he beaned 3 batters. In interleague play as a player in the American League, Sabathia had a career batting average of .300 with three home runs and seven RBIs in 40 ABs, including a 440-foot home run on June 21, 2008. On July 13, 2008, in his second game with the Brewers, Sabathia hit his second home run of the season off Cincinnati Reds pitcher Homer Bailey, becoming the third pitcher in history to homer in both leagues in the same season and the first since Earl Wilson did it in 1970 with Detroit and San Diego.
	P Roy Harry Halladay 6'6" 225lbs. Throws: Right Bats: Right Roy Halladay plays for the Toronto Blue Jays. Halladay is a 6 time All-Star selection (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009), the 2003 AL Cy Young Award, and the 2003 AL TSN Pitcher of the Year. He led AL in WHIP (1.05), Complete Games (9), and Innings Pitched (246.0) in 2008. He led MLB in complete games (9), shut outs (4), and finished 2nd in Innings Pitched (239.0)in 2009. In 2009 he was named #7 on the Sporting News' list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball. A panel of 100 baseball people, many of them members of the Baseball Hall of Fame and winners of major baseball awards, was polled to arrive at the list.
	P Johan Alexander Santana 6'0" 208lbs. Throws: Left Bats: Left Johan Santana plays for the New York Mets. He is a two-time Cy Young award winner. His repertoire includes a 91-94 mph fastball, along with a circle changeup, and slider, considered by many to be one of the best pitch combinations in baseball. He played for the Minnesota Twins from 2000-2007. He was traded to the Mets in 2008. He is a 4 time All-Star (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009), a 2 time Cy Young Award winner (2004, 2006), a 2 time TSN Pitcher of the Year (2004, 2006), a 2 time Player's Choice Outstanding Pitcher (2004, 2006), a 2 time Warren Spahn Award winner (2004, 2006), a Gold Glove Award winner (2007),a Pitching Triple Crown winner(2006). He has led AL in wins (2006), in strikeouts (2004, 2005, 2006), in ERA (2004, 2006), and led NL in ERA (2008)
	P Zack Donald Greinke 6'2" 200lbs. Throws: Right Bats: Right Zack Greinke plays for the Kansas City Royals. Greinke made his major-league debut on May 22, 2004 against the Oakland Athletics, starting the game in which Reggie Jackson's number was retired by the A's. He ended the 2004 season with a record of 8 wins and 11 losses (second most wins on the team, after Jimmy Gobble) and a 3.97 ERA. Greinke's 2005 season, however, was not as successful, as he went 5–17 with a 5.80 ERA. He messed the entire 2006 season. In 2007, he returned to the Royals rotation at the start of the season, but was sent to the bullpen in early May after alternating good starts with bad ones and compiling a 1–4 record with a 5.71 ERA. As a reliever, he was very effective, going 4–1 with a 3.54 ERA. Greinke's 2008 saw him return to the rotation and put up a good year, starting in 32 games with a record of 13 wins and 10. His 3.47 ERA was the best by a full-time Royals starter in 11 years. His record for the 2009 season was 16-8, and he posted an ERA of 2.16, the lowest in MLB. On October 21st, 2009 Greinke was named American League Pitcher of the Year from The Sporting News, his first award for overall regular season performance. On October 28, 2009 Zack was awarded the MLBPA Players Choice AL Pitcher of the Year winner which was announced during Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio. This award was based on vote by major league baseball players.
	CP Mariano Rivera 6'2" 190lbs. Throws: Right Bats: Right Mariano Rivera plays for and has spent his entire career with the New York Yankees. His presence in the late innings of games to record the final outs has played an instrumental role in the Yankees' success, particularly the team's late 1990s dynasty. He has won five World Series championships as a Yankee. Rivera was signed by the Yankees organization in 1990 and debuted in the Major Leagues in 1995 as a starting pitcher. He found success after being converted to a relief pitcher in the bullpen. After a breakthrough year in 1996 as a setup man, he became the Yankees' closer in 1997 and has maintained that role for the team ever since. Rivera has become one of the best closers in baseball history, and he has done so by primarily throwing one pitch, a sharp-breaking, mid-90s mile per hour cut fastball that has been called an all-time great pitch. Rivera is a ten-time All-Star, a five-time American League (AL) Rolaids Relief Man Award winner, and a three-time saves leader. He has recorded the second-most saves in Major League history, and in 2009, he surpassed 500 career saves. Recognized as an exceptional postseason performer, he holds Major League postseason records for saves and earned run average (ERA), among other records. Baseball writers expect Rivera will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame upon retirement. Rivera's signature pitch is his cut fastball or "cutter". The pitch breaks sharply towards left-handed hitters, exhibiting late movement similar to a slider, but with the velocity of a fastball. He mixes the cutter with both a four-seam and two-seam fastball. He throws all three fastballs in the low-to-mid 90s MPH, usually at 92–95 MPH. Rivera varies the movement on his cutter by adjusting the pressure he puts on the ball with his middle finger. Rivera is considered by many baseball experts to be the greatest closer in baseball history, despite many of them unfavorably comparing modern closers to those who pitched between the 1960s and 1980s. The role of the modern closer has received criticism for becoming too specialized and easy; closers in past decades often entered games in the middle of innings with runners on base and had to pitch multiple innings, while modern closers are usually called upon to only pitch the ninth inning from the start. Despite being utilized much like a modern closer, Rivera has achieved a reputation as an all-time great reliever. Rivera is well-known for his composure and calm, placid demeanor, which contrasts with the rough-edged, emotional, and demonstrative nature of many other closers. Derek Jeter called Rivera the "most mentally tough teammate [he's] ever played with". In a 2009 ESPN.com poll, Rivera was voted as one of the top five postseason players in MLB history.