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All-decade teams: Picking the ultimate roster for each NL East franchise

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Over the next week, theScore's MLB editors will roll out a series that assembles the best roster for every franchise during the 2010s.

These rosters include eight position players, five starters, two relievers, and a closer. All WAR statistics in tables are only for the player with that franchise since the 2010 campaign, and only performances since that year were considered when building rosters. Players must have spent a minimum of one full season with their club.

We continue with the National League East:

AL EAST I AL CENTRAL I AL WEST
NL EAST I NL CENTRAL I NL WEST

Atlanta Braves

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Pos. Player WAR
C Brian McCann 22.5
1B Freddie Freeman 34.6
2B Ozzie Albies 10.3
3B Josh Donaldson 4.9
SS Andrelton Simmons 10.1
OF Jason Heyward 19.5
OF Ronald Acuna Jr. 9.3
OF Justin Upton 7.2

Donaldson gets the nod at the hot corner over Braves legend Chipper Jones thanks to a big year in what could be his only season in Atlanta. The 2015 AL MVP posted a .900 OPS with 37 home runs while accruing a 4.9 WAR, according to FanGraphs. In comparison, it took Jones three campaigns to accumulate a 6.9 WAR. The Hall of Famer also hit just 42 homers in 333 contests during the twilight of his brilliant career.

Eric Hartline / USA TODAY Sports
Pos. Player WAR
SP Mike Soroka 4.6
SP Kris Medlen 6.9
SP Julio Teheran 13.7
SP Mike Foltynewicz 7.9
SP Tim Hudson 7.9
RP Arodys Vizcaino 2.0
RP Billy Wagner 2.0
CL Craig Kimbrel 11.0

Soroka is the all-decade staff ace after one brilliant rookie campaign in 2019. Medlen made 23 more starts when he was in the rotation but it took him four seasons to put up a 6.9 WAR. The numbers are similar between the two as Medlen authored a 2.75 ERA with a 3.21 FIP, while Soroka owns a 2.79 ERA and 3.38 FIP. Teheran made six straight Opening Day starts but never reached his potential as a No. 1. The fact he was a fixture at the top of the rotation is more indicative of just how average the Braves' pitching was in the 2010s.

Miami Marlins

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Pos. Player WAR
C J.T. Realmuto 11.5
1B Justin Bour 4.7
2B Dee Gordon 9.4
3B Brian Anderson 6.5
SS Hanley Ramirez 6.4
OF Giancarlo Stanton 34.6
OF Christian Yelich 18.2
OF Marcell Ozuna 15.0

Oh, what could've been for the Marlins this past decade. Nobody in the NL swatted more long balls in the 2010s than Stanton's 267, which included a single-season major-league high for this decade with 59 in 2017. Although Yelich wasn't the perennial MVP candidate with Miami he is now with the Milwaukee Brewers, he was a budding star and posted a 51.7 offensive WAR rating over his last two seasons with the Marlins. Gordon is the pick for second base as he was a better overall player than Dan Uggla. Winning a batting title in 2015 and collecting 148 stolen bases in just three seasons in South Beach certainly helps, too.

Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Pos. Player WAR
SP Jose Fernandez 14.5
SP Josh Johnson 11.1
SP Anibal Sanchez 9.4
SP Henderson Alvarez 4.8
SP Ricky Nolasco 9.4
RP Kyle Barraclough 2.4
RP AJ Ramos 4.4
CL Steve Cishek 5.8

Fernandez posted some of the best pitching numbers of the decade before his tragic death in September 2016. The electric right-hander authored a 2.58 ERA with an 11.2 K/9 rate across 471 1/3 innings (76 starts). People forget how good Johnson was with the Marlins because his career ended shortly after being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays due to injuries. The former All-Star posted a 2.88 FIP in 68 starts between 2010 and 2012.

New York Mets

Geoff Burke / USA TODAY Sports
Pos. Player WAR
C Travis d'Arnaud 8.5
1B Pete Alonso 5.3
2B Jeff McNeil 7.3
3B David Wright 20.7
SS Jose Reyes 10.9
OF Michael Conforto 14.0
OF Curtis Granderson 12.0
OF Yoenis Cespedes 8.8

McNeil is the starting second baseman over Daniel Murphy even though the latter played 503 more games with the Mets in the 2010s. Peak performance should be valued over longevity in certain situations and this is one of them. All McNeil has done in 196 contests is hit. He owns a career .318/.384/.531 slash line with 82 extra-base hits. Alonso is at first after a historic 2019 campaign that saw him belt a major-league rookie record 53 homers. He easily beats out Lucas Duda and Ike Davis.

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Pos. Player WAR
SP Jacob deGrom 31.5
SP Noah Syndergaard 18.8
SP R.A. Dickey 10.2
SP Matt Harvey 13.0
SP Zack Wheeler 12.6
RP Bobby Parnell 3.8
RP Addison Reed 3.6
CL Jeurys Familia 5.5

New York features arguably the best starting rotation in this division over the past decade. DeGrom and Dickey won three Cy Young Awards, Harvey was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball at his peak, and Syndergaard might have the best pure stuff out of the group. It might be too soon for Mets fans, but Wheeler was a top-five hurler for this club in the 2010s. Reed gets the last bullpen spot over Francisco Rodriguez thanks to a 2.09 ERA in 120 appearances.

Philadelphia Phillies

Eric Hartline / USA TODAY Sports
Pos. Player WAR
C J.T. Realmuto 5.7
1B Rhys Hoskins 7.1
2B Chase Utley 19.1
3B Placido Polanco 6.5
SS Jimmy Rollins 16.0
OF Bryce Harper 4.6
OF Shane Victorino 10.8
OF Jayson Werth 5.0

Harper and Werth are on the team after just one season as Odubel Herrera is the definition of an average player; it took the latter 631 contests to accrue a 10.8 WAR. Hoskins could've had a spot in the outfield as well, but with minimal options at first base, all it took was his 2019 campaign to lock up the position. Realmuto is behind the plate, even though Carlos Ruiz played in 703 games for Philly. The All-Star catcher will likely surpass Ruiz's total WAR next season.

Rich Pilling / Major League Baseball / Getty
Pos. Player WAR
SP Cole Hamels 25.6
SP Cliff Lee 19.6
SP Roy Halladay 17.2
SP Aaron Nola 16.8
SP Roy Oswalt 4.8
RP Hector Neris 3.5
RP Ken Giles 3.9
CL Jonathan Papelbon 5.1

The Phillies could definitely give the Mets a run for their money when it comes to the best starting rotation in the 2010s. Halladay is already in the Hall of Fame, Hamels could join him there one day, and Lee authored a 2.89 ERA in 106 starts. One of the greatest baseball moments of the decade came on October 6, 2010, when Halladay threw just the second no-hitter ever in MLB postseason history. It's crazy to think Philadelphia didn't win a championship with those three guys and Roy Oswalt all pitching at the same time.

Washington Nationals

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Pos. Player WAR
C Wilson Ramos 11.3
1B Ryan Zimmerman 20.7
2B Daniel Murphy 10.0
3B Anthony Rendon 32.7
SS Trea Turner 14.3
OF Bryce Harper 30.5
OF Jayson Werth 14.1
OF Juan Soto 8.5

The Nationals won the division's only World Series in the 2010s, meaning Washington has ultimate bragging rights when it comes to hardware. Harper didn't get to celebrate a title with the club he spent seven years with but makes his second all-decade team. Werth also double-dips thanks to seven seasons in D.C. that included a 2013 campaign when he slashed .318/.398/.532 with 25 round-trippers.

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Pos. Player WAR
SP Max Scherzer 32.6
SP Stephen Strasburg 36.7
SP Gio Gonzalez 23.5
SP Jordan Zimmermann 18.5
SP Tanner Roark 12.7
RP Tyler Clippard 6.0
RP Drew Storen 4.5
CL Sean Doolittle 3.7

Scherzer won a pair of Cy Youngs while finishing top five in voting in every season with the Nats, Strasburg accumulated the highest WAR out of any starting pitcher in the division, and Gonzalez won 86 games with a 3.45 FIP. However, Washington's bullpen had more downs than ups. Doolittle was the best of the bunch with 75 saves, a 10.4 K/9, and a 1.19 BB/9 rate in three seasons.

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