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We have nearly reached the end of the ’10s, and though selections of the Dodgers’ all-decade team should probably wait until after the 2019 World Series, these few days of relative calm before the storm of the postseason seemed like a good time to reveal them. Nothing is likely to affect these choices between now and then (although I’m fascinated by the idea that something could). 

Most challenging was having to deal with five legitimate candidates for the four openings at outfield/first base. Catcher was nearly a toss-up, and second base yielded its own surprise. 

Here we go … 

Yasmani Grandal, C: No lie: I had A.J. Ellis here until nearly the last moment. Ellis was integral to the Dodgers’ rise from also-rans in 2010-12 to repeat division titlists for the rest of the decade. He had a 1.065 OPS in 61 playoff plate appearances, and he was so much fun to root for. But it was hard for me to deny that overall, Grandal matches Ellis in his best stat, on-base percentage, and tops him in the power department as well as value in pitch-framing behind the plate. So at the risk of alienating Clayton Kershaw, I made the switch to the switch-hitting Grandal.  Backup: A.J. Ellis

Adrián González, 1B: González was the mainstay at first base for the Dodgers for nearly five seasons and probably one of the five best bats in cumulative value the Dodgers had during the 2010s. Though I considered abandoning him to make room for a home-grown alternative, it just didn’t feel right. No one else owned first base in Los Angeles during the past 10 years the way González did. Backup: Max Muncy

Chase Utley, 2B: This, I didn’t expect. Utley was really only the full-time starter for one season (2016) out of the 3 1/4 he spent in a Dodger uniform. But the next-best true second baseman as an alternative was Mark Ellis, who came close but didn’t really out-contribute Utley. I also considered Kiké Hernandez, but with barely more than 100 starts for the Dodgers at second base across his six seasons, it seemed forced. Backup: Kiké Hernandez

Corey Seager, SS: In contrast to second base, shortstop was easy pickings. Even with his injuries, Seager dominates for the Dodgers compared to Rafael Furcal, who spent most of his Dodger career in the ’00s, and Hanley Ramírez, who burned brightly but all too briefly in Los Angeles.  Backup: Hanley Ramirez

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Justin Turner, 3B: With all due respect to the joys of Uribear, this was the easiest choice among the position players. The cornerstone of the Dodger lineup for nearly all seven seasons of the current playoff run, Turner has twice as many wins above replacement in the 2010s as all but three other Dodger position players. Backup: Juan Uribe

Matt Kemp, LF: Kemp’s decade didn’t go nearly the way I hoped or expected after he put together an MVP-worthy season in 2011 while turning 27. Still, his 142 homers during the 2010s led the Dodgers (and his 85 steals are second only to Dee Gordon). With a .350 on-base percentage and .502 slugging percentage, there had to be a spot for him, even if it comes in the less desirable grasslands of left field. Backup: Joc Pederson

Cody Bellinger, CF: In my first draft of these picks, so to speak, I had Andre Ethier in the outfield and Bellinger on the bench, mainly because Bellinger didn’t arrive in Los Angeles until after the 2017 season began. But Bellinger has been so impressive offensively and defensively since then, with at worst a No. 2 finish in this year’s MVP voting ahead of him, that I couldn’t leave him off. So then I was left with Ethier vs. González, and when I tried to make the case for Ethier, I found myself stymied by how injuries and platoon issues waylaid him. Backup: Chris Taylor

Yasiel Puig, RF: You could also say that Puig represented promise unfulfilled. Or, you could accept that the promise was unrealistic, and what we were left with was a mostly productive, occasionally sensational and undeniably dynamic presence, who by the way, ranks second only to Turner in WAR for the Dodgers among position players in the ’10s. Backup: Andre Ethier

Clayton Kershaw, P: Um, yeah. Kershaw ended up five innings shy of 2,000 for the decade, with 2,179 strikeouts and a 0.96 WHIP, 164 ERA+ and 2.31 ERA. Bow down. Rotation: Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Kenta Maeda, Walker Buehler 

Kenley Jansen, RP: The only other person to suit up all 10 seasons for the Dodgers in the 2010s, Jansen ranks first in MLB history (minimum 600 innings pitched) in strikeouts per nine innings (13.3) and WHIP (0.91). Set-up men: J.P. Howell, Pedro Báez

Batting order for the all-decade Dodgers: 
Justin Turner, 3B (R)
Cody Bellinger, CF (L)
Matt Kemp, LF (R)
Adrián González, 1B (L)
Yasmani Grandal, C (S)
Corey Seager, SS (L)
Yasiel Puig, RF (R)
Chase Utley, 2B (L)
Clayton Kershaw, P (L)

Most valuable position player: Justin Turner
Most valuable player: Clayton Kershaw