After the regular season has finished we look at who performed the best in their respective position and pick the team of the year for 2022.
| What: | MLB |
| Where: | Various |
| When: | 7th April - 5th November |
| How to watch: | MLB.com and bet365's Sports Live Streaming |
| Odds: | LA Dodgers 3/1, HOU Astros 15/4, NY Yankees 9/2, ATL Braves 5/1, SD Padres 12/1 |
Catcher: J.T Realmuto (Philadelphia Phillies)
Philadelphia Phillies' catcher J.T Realmuto became only the second catcher in Major League Baseball history to hit at least 20 home runs and steal at least 20 bases in a season after Ivan Rodriguez did it in 1999. The 31-year-old hit .276 with 26 doubles, five triples, 22 home runs and 84 RBI's.
First Base: Paul Goldschmidt (St.Louis Cardinals)
Goldschmidt had a batting average of .317 with 41 doubles, 35 home runs and 115 RBI's and he could win the National League Most Valuable Player award. The 35-year-old missed out on the triple crown award and adding a World Series ring to an MVP award would be a truly magical season.
Second Base: Jose Altuve (Houston Astros)
Altuve hit .300 as a batting average during the regular season with 39 doubles, 28 home runs, 103 runs scored and 18 stolen bases in 19 attempts. The 32-year-old will be again in the postseason as Houston hopes to emulate their World Series crown of 2017. This will be his seventh postseason and he hopes to get to the World Series for the fourth time.
Third Base: Manny Machado (San Diego Padres)
There are plenty of excellent players at third base, but one player that stands out is Manny Machado. With Fernando Tatis Jr being injured and unavailable for the whole season, the 30-year-old has carried the team and been the side's leader and made sure that they reached the playoffs via the Wild Card places. Machado hit .298 with 37 doubles, 32 home runs and 102 RBI's with stellar defence at third base.
Shortstop: Carlos Correa (Minnesota Twins)
With so many candidates at shortstop it was almost an impossible task to pick just one. However, Correa edges it for me, almost making the playoffs in his first season with the club. This also could be his last as he may activate his get-out clause after just one season. With the Twins' collapsing in the Division and allowing the Cleveland Guardians to win the Division. Correa's performances were not enough to see the Twins make it through to the postseason.
Correa hit 22 home runs with an .833 OPS and is expected to opt out of his current deal and is expecting something long-term. Will that be with the Twins and can they afford it?
Related MLB Season
MLB - US Sports: Rookie of the Year contenders
MLB - US Sports: Wild Card Series preview
Right-Field: Aaron Judge (New York Yankees)
Well it had to be Aaron Judge didn't it? The Yankee hit 62 regular season home runs, beating the Yankees' own franchise record set by Roger Maris in 1961. Judge hit .311 as a batting average with 391 total bases, 28 doubles, 62 home runs and 131 RBI's while leading MLB in both runs scored and runs driven in.
Judge is a four-time All-Star and will be named as the American League Most Valuable Player over Shohei Ohtani which is quite a remarkable feat in itself.
Centre-Field: Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels)
Despite having an injury-hit season, Trout managed to hit .283 with 28 doubles, and 40 home runs with 80 runs batted in. Despite battling injuries throughout the course of the season, the 31-year-old still managed to make his 10th All-Star appearance in 12 years.
Left-Field: Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia Phillies)
Schwarber led the National League with 46 home runs and played well despite only having a .218 batting average and 200 strikeouts. Schwarber has helped the Phillies reach the postseason via the Wild Card spots after 11 seasons without playing in the playoffs.
Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels)
With Trout and Ohtani in the lineup it's scandalous the Angels haven't reached the playoffs since 2014. They fired Joe Maddon to improve things during the season but it didn't have the desired effect. However, new season, new hope I'm sure and if Ohtani and Trout can keep up their form then I'm sure that a postseason appearance won't be far away.
Ohtani hit .273 with 30 doubles, six triples, 34 home runs, and 95 RBI's. On the mound he went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA striking out 219 in 166 innings.
Starting pitcher: Justin Verlander (Houston Astros)
The 39-year-old is going to win his third Cy Young Award isn't he? Another sensational season and he wants another World Series ring I'm sure. Verlander had a 1.75 ERA in the regular season and he made his ninth All-Star team. He led the AL in wins, ERA, ERA+, WHIP and hits per nine innings. A truly stunning season.
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