The 25 best MLB teams from the 2000s

After missing the playoffs in 2008, the Yankees revamped their roster by handing huge contracts to CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira. The result was a historic roster, with that trio adding to stars Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Hideki Matsui, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera. The Yankees won 103 games during the regular season before charging through the playoffs and defeating Philadelphia in the World Series.

The memories of Boston’s 2007 squad might not be as distinct as 2004, but the team was better overall. The Red Sox tied for the league lead with 96 regular season wins, showing off an elite pitching staff with the arrival of Daisuke Matsuzaka, Josh Beckett, and Curt Schilling. The lineup was also strong throughout, including 35 home runs from David Ortiz and AL Rookie of the Year Dustin Pedroia. Like in 2004, Boston swept the World Series, this time over Colorado.

The 2004 Red Sox team was the most memorable of the decade for not only breaking the team’s World Series curse, but also how they accomplished the feat. Trailing the Yankees 3-0 in the ALCS, Boston won four straight games with amazing performances from Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, and others. Then Boston swept the Cardinals in the World Series. The Red Sox could certainly hit, easily leading the league with 949 runs scored as Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz both hit over 40 home runs while Johnny Damon, Jason Varitek, and Kevin Millar also had big seasons. The team’s 98-win regular season stands out on its own, though Boston was only able to win the AL Wild Card behind the Yankees in the AL East.

Arguably the best team ever to not win a World Series, the Mariners tied the 1906 Cubs with 116 wins during the regular season before getting ousted by the Yankees in the ALCS. Seattle led MLB in both runs scored (927) and runs allowed (627), as Ichiro Suzuki won both AL MVP and Rookie of the Year after hitting .350-8-69 with 56 stolen bases and 127 runs scored. Second baseman Bret Boone also had a career year, hitting .331-37-141, and the team featured a deep starting rotation led by Freddy Garcia.

The Angels had a magical 2002 season after winning only 75 games in 2001. The team won 99 games in the regular season to claim the AL Wild Card, and took the baseball world by storm with the Rally Monkey. The team saw big seasons from sluggers Troy Glaus, Garret Anderson, and Tim Salmon, while Jarrod Washburn was a Cy Young candidate after winning 18 games with a 3.15 ERA in 32 starts. Anaheim emerged victorious in a thrilling seven-game World Series vs. San Francisco.

The Diamondbacks won the NL West with 92 wins, with aces Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling finishing 1-2 in the NL Cy Young voting. The offense was driven by Luis Gonzalez’s incredible year, hitting .325-57-142, and Reggie Sanders also launched 33 home runs. The season was disrupted by the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the Diamondbacks pulled on one of the biggest surprises in World Series history with a dramatic seven-game win over the Yankees.

Manager Ozzie Guillen got the most out of his talent in 2005, as the White Sox led the AL with 99 wins and lost only one game in the playoffs. The offense was anchored by first baseman Paul Konerko, who hit .283-40-100, and four starting pitchers posted sub-4.00 ERAs, led by Mark Buehrle.

A common theme of the early 2000’s Oakland A’s was a great regular season, followed by playoff disappointment. The 2001 squad could certainly bash, with 30-plus home run hitters Jason Giambi, Eric Chavez, and Miguel Tejada, but the team’s elite starting rotation was even more important for its 102-win season, led by the Big Three of Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson, and Barry Zito. Oakland was defeated by the Yankees in a five-game ALDS, which preceded the Moneyball season in 2002.

The Cardinals won the World Series in 2006, but few would argue that team was better than the 2004 version. St. Louis won 105 games during the regular season before getting swept by the magical Red Sox in the World Series. The Cards led the NL with 855 runs scored, with Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, and Jim Edmonds finishing in the top five of the MVP race. The team’s pitching was far from dominant, but had a reliable starting five and a tremendous bullpen with Jason Isringhausen recording 47 saves.

The Marlins fired manager Jeffrey Torborg after a 16-22 start to the season and turned to experienced manager Jack McKeon. The rest is history, as the team went 75-49 the rest of the way and marched through the playoffs for their second World Series in six years. Florida shocked the Yankees in the World Series, but their playoff run will always be remembered for the Steve Bartman incident at Wrigley Field in the NLCS. The Marlins 91-win squad featured hitting stars like Derrek Lee, Mike Lowell, and Ivan Rodriguez, but it was the young pitching that made the team so special with breakout years from Josh Beckett and Dontrelle Willis.

New York’s World Series drought continued in 2007, losing to Cleveland in the ALDS after claiming the AL Wild Card with 94 wins. The team remains notable because of its historic lineup, led by AL MVP Alex Rodriguez hitting .314-54-156 to help New York lead MLB with 968 runs scored. The team’s lineup also included big years from Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, Hideki Matsui, and Bobby Abreu, with Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon also contributing.

The 2000 Yankees marked the end of an incredible World Series run with four wins in five years. This team was far from the best of the run with only 87 wins during the regular season, but that was enough to win the AL East before the team caught fire in the playoffs. The playoffs will be remembered for the Subway Series vs. the Mets, which the Yanks claimed in five games behind series MVP Derek Jeter and fiery starter Roger Clemens. The team’s top offensive contributors during the regular season were Bernie Williams (.307-30-121) and Jorge Posada (.287-28-86).

Philadelphia’s World Series team in 2008 wasn’t the most talented of their five-year playoff run, but it was the only one to claim a ring. First baseman Ryan Howard finished second in the NL MVP voting after hitting .251-48-146, while he was well-supported in the lineup by Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell, and Jayson Werth. World Series MVP Cole Hamels capped off a great year after going 14-10 with a 3.09 ERA in the regular season to help the team win 92 games and the NL East.

The additions of Jason Giambi and Robin Ventura, along with a breakout season from Alfonso Soriano, helped the Yankees lead MLB with 897 runs scored and win 103 games. The team also had big names in the starting rotation, led by Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, David Wells, and Andy Pettitte, but that group wasn’t enough to beat the surging Angels in the ALDS.

The Red Sox won two World Series during the 2000’s, but we also shouldn’t forget about their great teams that fell short. The defending champion 2008 squad won 95 games during the regular season, with an elite offense led by MVP Dustin Pedroia (.326-17-83), Kevin Youkilis, Manny Ramirez, J.D. Drew, and David Ortiz. They fell to a worst-to-first Rays team in the ALCS after also trailing Tampa Bay by two games in the AL East.

The 2002 A’s were immortalized by the famous Michael Lewis book Moneyball, winning 103 regular season games before losing in the ALDS to Minnesota. The book focused on the under-the-radar additions like Scott Hatteberg and Billy Koch, but the starting pitching was again the team’s biggest strength. The team claimed both the AL MVP (Miguel Tejada) and Cy Young (Barry Zito), plus a 20-game regular season winning streak, but that didn’t lead to playoff success.

The Braves won their 12th consecutive division title over a full season, and yet their disappointing playoff story continued in 2003. Atlanta won 101 games before falling to the Cubs in the NLDS. Unlike the 1990s versions of the Braves, it was the offense that sparked the 2003 team with the most runs in the NL built on memorable offensive campaigns from Gary Sheffield, Javy Lopez, Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, and Marcus Giles.

Minnesota made the playoffs five times during the 2000s, but their teams aren’t memorable due to their lack of playoff success. That includes a great 2006 that claimed the AL Central with 96 wins before losing to Oakland in the ALDS. The 2006 team was special, with Cy Young winner Johan Santana, MVP Justin Morneau, and a late-season breakout from Francisco Liriano in the rotation. The team’s great pitching also got a boost from closer Joe Nathan, who posted a 1.58 ERA with 36 saves.

The Yankees were upset by the Marlins in the World Series, though that shouldn’t take away from an outstanding team that won 101 games in the regular season. New York had big offensive performances from Jorge Posada, Jason Giambi, and Alfonso Soriano during the regular season, and Andy Pettitte got Cy Young consideration after winning 21 games.

The Angels made the playoffs six times in the decade, with their final run coming in 2009. L.A. lost to a historic Yankees team in the ALCS after winning 97 games during the regular season. Scoring runs was this team’s biggest strength, finishing second to the Yanks with 883 runs scored as Kendrys Morales, Torii Hunter, and Bobby Abreu had huge seasons.

Coming off a disappointing finish in 2004, the Cardinals made another run with a 100-win regular season. The team’s pitching raised the bar with Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter (21-5, 2.83 ERA), while Albert Pujols won his first MVP Award after hitting .330-41-117 with a 1.039 OPS. However, the team fell short again in the playoffs, losing to a stacked Astros team in a six-game NLCS.

The 2004 Yankees greatly overachieved their plus-91 run differential, winning 101 games in the regular season before losing to Boston in arguably the most memorable ALCS in history. The team had problems getting consistent starting pitching despite a staff that included Kevin Brown, Mike Mussina, and Javier Vazquez, but they never had a problem hitting. The trio of Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui, and Gary Sheffield each hit over 30 home runs. Perhaps it’s fitting they were the first team ever to squander a 3-0 lead in the ALCS.

A year after reaching the World Series, San Francisco won 100 games before a disappointing loss to the Marlins in the NLDS. The team was built on elite pitching, with ace Jason Schmidt posting a 2.34 ERA in 29 starts, plus the familiar dominance of MVP Barry Bonds posting a cartoonish 1.278 OPS in the regular season.

The 2006 Tigers are a story of what could have been. The young squad had a 24-win improvement during the regular season and made it all the way to the World Series before a disastrous finish against the Cardinals. The Tigers still deserve acclaim for 95 wins, with a well-rounded team that was led by Kenny Rogers and Justin Verlander in the rotation, and six hitters with at least 19 home runs.

The worst World Series winner ever? A banged-up Cardinals team limped to the finish in 2006, winning the NL Central despite a 83-78 record. Heroic playoff performances from Jeff Suppan, David Eckstein, and Jeff Weaver helped the team shock the Padres, Mets, and Tigers in their World Series run. Of course, the Cardinals did have their share of stars, with Albert Pujols finishing second in the NL MVP voting and Chris Carpenter finishing third in the Cy Young race.