The best positional seasons for every team

MLB.com's beat writers just recently finished picking the best individual offensive and pitching seasons for each of their clubs -- a task that led to some excruciating decisions. And now, as a follow-up, they were asked to complete another daunting mission: Assemble an all-time roster for each club, filling each position with the best player season in team history.

Some impossible questions arose. How, for instance, does one choose between Chipper Jones and Eddie Mathews' best years to fill third base for the Braves? Do you go old-school with Brooks Robinson manning third for the Orioles, or new-school with Manny Machado? And which Babe Ruth season tops the rest of the Babe Ruth seasons?

With all that and more to consider, our fearless writers pressed on. Below is a quick look at each roster of the best single-year performances, and you can read on at each club's site.

American League East

Blue Jays
From John Olerud versus Carlos Delgado at first base to Edwin Encarnación versus Paul Molitor at designated hitter, Toronto fans have plenty of powerful seasons to choose from. More >

Orioles
In 2015, Manny Machado might have enjoyed the best season by any Oriole this millennium, but Baltimore's historical roster is so loaded that it didn't make our final cut. More >

Rays
From Carlos Pena's breakout 2007 campaign to Blake Snell's AL Cy Young Award campaign in 2018, Rays players have fit in a lot of brilliance in a short amount of time. More >

Red Sox
Yaz's Triple Crown season? Pedro's 2000 masterpiece? Dustin Pedroia's '08 MVP follow-up to Rookie of the Year in '07? Don't worry, they're all on our list. More >

Yankees
Needless to say, this list is absolutely stacked. The Babe, the Iron Horse, Mickey, Yogi and Derek all put up seasons that still dazzle the mind decades later. More >

AL Central

Indians
It's hard to tell the story of the Cleveland franchise without mentioning icons like Tris Speaker, Al Rosen, Lou Boudreau and Jim Thome, who all put up seasons that make our final cut. More >

Royals
George Brett is one of the few men to make a serious run at Ted Williams' most recent .400 season, recorded all the way back in 1941. But Brett's magical .390 campaign in 1980 is far from the only highlight in Kansas City history. More >

Tigers
Two Triple Crown campaigns (one for hitting, another for pitching), a season featuring a .411 batting average and a very rare MVP award for a reliever all grace this best-of list from Tigers history. More >

Twins
Very few catchers have ever enjoyed the season Joe Mauer had when he won the 2009 AL MVP, and very few 38-year-olds have ever mashed like Nelson Cruz did in '19. More >

White Sox
The passing of the late Dick Allen last year shed light again on his incredible 1972 campaign, while fellow White Sox sluggers like Frank Thomas and Albert Belle join Allen in giving this list some serious punch. More >

AL West

Angels
Yes, Mike Trout can be found on the Angels' all-time list -- though it's hard to pick his best season. There's already so many to choose from. More >

Astros
There's a mix here of Astros stars who were routinely brilliant (Jeff Bagwell, Jose Altuve) along with others, like Mike Scott in 1986, who briefly rose to nearly untouchable dominance. More >

Athletics
As one of the AL's original (and most successful) franchises, the A's have seen stars dominate from Eddie Collins in the 1910s all the way through Matt Chapman and Marcus Semien in 2019. More >

Mariners
The M's took a while to find their winning ways, but boy, did Seattle fans see some incredible seasons once they did. Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Ichiro Suzuki and Edgar Martinez can all lay claim to some of the best campaigns put up by anyone -- Mariner or otherwise -- at their respective positions. More >

Rangers
Some tough decisions had to be made when evaluating the Rangers' annals, from Julio Franco versus Ian Kinsler at second base to A-Rod versus Michael Young at shortstop. More >

NL East

Braves
Did any of Chipper Jones' seasons rival Eddie Mathews' brilliance at third base? And where do you slot Hank Aaron, who put up stellar seasons at first base, center field and right field? It's all part of a very stacked puzzle for the Braves. More >

Marlins
An errorless season behind the plate. A legitimate assault on the 60-homer milestone. The only 20-win season in team history. The Marlins are a relatively young franchise, but they've featured plenty of starpower. More >

Mets
All of your favorite Met heroes (Mike Piazza, David Wright, Tom Seaver, etc.) can be found on this list, along with a name or two (Bernard Gilkey, anyone?) that you might not have expected to see. More >

Nationals
The Nats didn't begin playing in Washington until 2005, but a host of top-flight seasons submitted by the likes of Max Scherzer, Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon have made them a postseason mainstay ever since. More >

Phillies
There were times in 2006 where no one wanted to pitch to Ryan Howard. There were many times in 1972 that no hitter wanted to face Steve Carlton. And oh yeah, some guys like Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Mike Schmidt went on pretty intimidating tears, too. More >

NL Central

Brewers
Cecil Cooper’s .352 average or one of Prince Fielder’s monster years? Tommy Harper’s impressive introduction to Milwaukee or the first of Paul Molitor’s top 10 finishes in Most Valuable Player Award balloting? These were some of the debates staged while ironing out the Crew's all-time list. More >

Cardinals
Rogers Hornsby's 1924 season, Albert Pujols and Stan Musial's third MVP campaigns in 2009 and 1948 and Bob Gibson's 1968 would all have a chance to make any team's list of best all-time years -- and truthfully so would some of the Cardinals' best backup choices at each of those positions. More >

Cubs
You can find the great Hornsby on the Cubs' list, too, alongside some of the very best seasons submitted by North Side legends including Ron Santo, Sweet Swingin' Billy Williams and Mr. Cub himself, Ernie Banks. More >

Pirates
How about an outfield of Barry Bonds, Andrew McCutchen and Roberto Clemente? The Bucs have indeed enjoyed an embarrassment of outfield riches through the years. More >

Reds
At just 22 years old, Johnny Bench hit 45 home runs, drove in 148 RBIs and guided a pitching staff to the 1970 World Series. Several of his Big Red Machine mates, including Joe Morgan, Pete Rose and George Foster, can also be found on Cincinnati's best-of list. More >

NL West

D-backs
Choosing between Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling's best seasons is a thankless task, but someone had to do it. More >

Dodgers
From the "Boys of Summer" Dodgers of the 1950s to Sandy Koufax's untouchable '60s all the way through Cody Bellinger's 2019 MVP campaign, L.A. boasts some serious starpower. More >

Giants
Buster Posey's comeback MVP season in 2012 -- the year after he suffered a fractured fibula and torn ligaments in his ankle -- will live on in Giants lore for decades to come. And of course, don't forget about titan achievements like Barry Bonds' 73-homer 2001 season and Willie Mays' all-around brilliance in 1965. More >

Padres
Many of you can probably name the Padres' all-time best right fielder. Same goes for their closer. But picking the very best seasons by Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman? That's a little more difficult. More >

Rockies
Having Coors Field as your home park certainly doesn't hurt in regards to putting up monster stats. But venerable Rockies sluggers like Todd Helton, Larry Walker and Troy Tulowitzki didn't need much help mashing on the road, either. More >