Here is the inaugural All-MLB Team

Here is the inaugural All-MLB Team

December 16th, 2019

SAN DIEGO -- Baseball had never before had an official star squad that salutes a full season's worth of work the way other major professional sports do. But the results of the voting for the first All-MLB Team finally arrived Tuesday at the Winter Meetings.
And the 2019 winners are …

First Team
C: , Phillies
1B: , Mets
2B: , Yankees
3B: , Nationals
SS: , Red Sox
OF: , Angels
OF: , Dodgers
OF: , Brewers
DH: , Twins
SP: , Astros
SP: , Astros
SP: , Mets
SP: , Nationals
SP: , Nationals
RP: , Padres
RP: , Brewers

Second Team
C: , Brewers
1B: , Braves
2B: , Astros
3B: , Astros
SS: , A's
OF: , Braves
OF: , Nationals
OF: , Red Sox
DH: , Astros
SP: , D-backs/Astros
SP: , Dodgers
SP: , Cardinals
SP: , Rays
SP: , Braves
RP: , Yankees
RP: , A's

*Denotes player has since changed teams or is a current free agent.

Fans accounted for 50% of the voting for the All-MLB Team, with a panel of experts handling the other 50%. Nominees were selected by merit, with no set number of nominees per position and no distinction between leagues.

With the All-Star Game voting obviously taking only the first half of the season into account, the All-MLB squad is a more accurate representation of the best of the best of the 2019 season.

Here's a closer look at the winners at each position:

CATCHER

1st Team -- Realmuto: The Phillies' key trade acquisition was a defensive dynamo who exploded offensively in the second half and finished with a .275/.328/.493 line, 25 homers and 83 RBIs.

2nd Team -- Grandal: Before signing his four-year, $73 million contract with the White Sox, Grandal turned in a stellar single season with the Brew Crew, hitting 28 homers with 77 RBIs, an .848 OPS and 119 OPS+.

FIRST BASE

1st Team -- Alonso: How's this for a rookie year? The Polar Bear broke the rookie record for home runs (53) and became the first rookie to lead the Majors outright in dingers.

2nd Team -- Freeman: One of the game's most consistently productive players had another fantastic season, with a .295/.389/.549 line and a career-high 38 homers.

SECOND BASE

1st Team -- LeMahieu: Further proof that sometimes the lower-profile offseason signings can turn out to be among the best, LeMahieu was instrumental in the Yankees' American League East title amid a wave of injuries. He had a .327/.375/.518 slash.

2nd Team -- Altuve: He was neither an All-Star nor a Silver Slugger winner for the first time since 2013, but Altuve had a monster second half to finish with season totals -- a .903 OPS, 31 homers, 27 doubles -- very much in line with his absurd career standard.

SHORTSTOP

1st Team -- Bogaerts: The Red Sox didn't get where they wanted to go in 2019, but that had nothing to do with Bogaerts, who had a .309/.384/.555 slash, 85 extra-base hits, 117 RBIs and a 140 OPS+.

2nd Team -- Semien: A key piece of the A's continued ability to amaze, Semien, who finished third in the AL MVP voting, ranked fifth among MLB position players in FanGraphs WAR (7.6) and fourth in Baseball Reference WAR (8.1) thanks to his offensive (138 OPS+) and defensive prowess.

THIRD BASE

1st Team -- Rendon: We're still waiting to find out where Rendon lands in free agency, but we know he's on the first team here after a typically stellar season in which he had a 1.010 OPS and 153 OPS+ before stepping up big in the Nats' October run.

2nd Team -- Bregman: First, he finished second to Trout in the AL MVP vote, and now he finished second to Rendon here. But Bregman had an extraordinary season, ranking second only to Trout among MLB position players in fWAR (8.5) and bWAR (8.4), with a 1.015 OPS.

OUTFIELD

1st Team -- Trout: The AL MVP was his typical dazzling self in every respect. He had a .291/.438/.645 slash, 45 homers, 104 RBIs and a Major League-leading fWAR (8.6) and bWAR (8.3).

1st Team -- Bellinger: The NL MVP shook off any doubts about his ability as an everyday player by turning in a .305/.406/.629 slash with 47 homers, 115 RBIs, a 169 OPS+ and Gold Glove-winning outfield play.

1st Team -- Yelich: A close second in the NL MVP tally, Yelich bettered his 2018 explosion with a .329/.429/.671 slash, 44 homers and 179 OPS+ before fracturing his kneecap in mid-September.

2nd Team -- Acuña: He was a major sparkplug for the NL East champs again in his sophomore season, leading the NL in runs scored (127) and steals (37), and posting a .280/.365/.518 slash with 41 homers.

2nd Team -- Soto: His real coming-out party occurred in the postseason, but Soto had a fantastic sophomore effort in the regular season, too, with a .282/.401/.548 slash, 34 homers, 32 doubles and 110 RBIs.

2nd Team -- Betts: Though not quite to his MVP standard of a year earlier, Betts was well above most players' standards with a .915 OPS, a Major League-high 135 runs scored, 29 homers and 40 doubles.

DESIGNATED HITTER

1st Team -- Cruz: The ageless slugger changed the direction of the Twins with a 1.031 OPS, 41 homers, 26 doubles and 108 RBIs.

2nd Team -- Alvarez: A unanimous AL Rookie of the Year selection, Alvarez's 1.067 OPS and 27 homers significantly lengthened the Astros' lineup, and his 173 OPS+ was the second-best all-time (behind only "Shoeless" Joe Jackson in 1911) for a rookie with at least 300 trips to the plate.

STARTING PITCHERS

1st Team -- Cole: His 2.50 ERA was best in the AL, and his 326 strikeouts and 185 ERA+ were the best in baseball. He then stomped over the Rays and Yankees in October, and as you might have heard, is headed toward a major payday.

1st Team -- Verlander: Aging like a fine wine, the 36-year-old won his second Cy Young Award after posting a 2.58 ERA while leading the Majors with 21 wins, 223 innings and a 0.803 WHIP.

1st Team -- deGrom: He went back-to-back in Cy Young standing with a 2.43 ERA and an NL-high 255 strikeouts across 204 innings.

1st Team -- Scherzer: The 2.92 ERA and Major League-best 7.36 strikeout-to-walk ratio were typical Scherzer stuff. But his 2019 season will really be remembered for the way he battled through injuries (including a broken nose and neck spasms) to become a World Series champion.

1st Team -- Strasburg: He had one of his best regular seasons to date (18 wins, 3.32 ERA across 209 innings), then reached another level in October to win the World Series MVP honor and cash in on a new mega-contract.

2nd Team -- Greinke: In his age-35 season, Greinke changed teams midseason, but remained remarkably consistent, with a 2.93 ERA and 0.982 WHIP across 208 2/3 innings.

2nd Team -- Ryu: He bet on himself by taking the Dodgers' qualifying offer a year ago, then delivered the Majors' best ERA (2.32) and his highest workload (29 starts, 182 2/3 innings) since his stateside debut season in 2013.

2nd Team -- Flaherty: You can't tell the story of the Cardinals' return to the top of the National League Central without Flaherty's dramatic second half, in which he went 7-2 with a 0.91 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 99 1/3 innings.

2nd Team -- Morton: His signing worked out wonderfully, as the Rays got a rotation anchor who went 16-6 with a 3.05 ERA and a Major League-best 0.7 homers-per-nine rate in 194 2/3 innings.

2nd Team -- Soroka: The 22-year-old rookie was masterful in crafting a 2.68 ERA and 169 ERA+ in 29 starts covering 174 2/3 innings for the division-champion Braves.

RELIEF PITCHERS

1st Team -- Yates: With a 1.19 ERA, a Major League-best 41 saves and a 0.89 WHIP, Yates was utterly dominant for the Padres.

1st Team -- Hader: Though bit more by the long ball in 2019, Hader remained a back-end force for the Brewers with a 0.81 WHIP and 138 strikeouts in 75 2/3 innings.

2nd Team -- Chapman: The heat isn't quite at the insane level it was back in the day, but Chapman can still deliver, as evidenced by his 2.21 ERA, 37 saves and 85 strikeouts in 57 innings.

2nd Team -- Hendriks: A rock for Oakland and almost unhittable for everybody else, Hendriks had a 1.80 ERA, 124 strikeouts and a 0.97 WHIP in 85 innings.