The Arizona Diamondbacks: All-Decade Team (2000-2009)

The Arizona Diamondbacks entered their first full decade as a team with the fifth highest payroll in the league. In 2001, just their fourth year in existence, they won one of the most emotional world series in the history of the game.

But after ten years of entertaining baseball fans everywhere, the D'Backs could not be a more different franchise from the one that came back and beat the Yankees in seven games.

From the fifth highest payroll in 2000 to the 20th in 2009. From Jerry Colangelo to Ken Kendrick. From Joe Garagiola to Josh Byrnes. From Bob Brenly to A.J. Hinch. From Luis Gonzalez to Justin Upton.

Whatever the case, the team is different in every aspect you can imagine.

Year in and year out, the D'Backs have remained one of the most competitive and exciting teams in baseball. What follows is my personal all-decade team.

Some names may surprise you, some may not, but no matter who I pick everyone has their own favorites.

Here are mine...

All-Decade Catcher: Damian Miller

Damian Miller is first in the ever-changing line of catchers who have played for the club over the last decade.

Miller played in over a hundred games in each season he spent with the D'Backs this decade, and was the starting catcher in 2001 when they won the World Series.

Miller was never much of an offensive threat, and it is appropriate that his perfectly placed bunt against Mariano Rivera was what kept the the team’s two run championship-winning rally alive in the seventh game of the World Series.

From 2000-2002, Miller played in 324 games, hit 34 home runs, drove in 133 runs, and batted .266 in 1001 at bats.

All-Decade First Baseman: Mark Grace

Mark Grace’s legend lies with the Cubs, but his championship lies with the Diamondbacks, a telling, ironic tale that undoubtedly sits poorly with every Cubs fan.

Grace played the better part of two and a half seasons with the Diamondbacks, but he is one of the most memorable first basemen of the decade, if not the most consistent.

He was brought over as a veteran free agent for the 2001 season and earned every cent of his paycheck in the seventh game of the 2001 World Series when he lead off the bottom of the ninth inning with a single off of Mariano Rivera.

From 2001-2003, Grace played in 335 games, hit 25 home runs, drove in 142 runs, and batted .268 in 909 at bats.

All-Decade Second Baseman: Orlando Hudson

The O-Dog arguably enjoyed his finest seasons as a player when he put on his Diamondbacks uniform from 2006-2008.

He won Gold Glove awards in 2006 and 2007, was the team's MVP in 2006, and was awarded with an All-Star appearance in 2007.

During his three years he played in 403 games, hit 33 home runs, drove in 171 runs, and batted .294 in 1503 at bats.

All-Decade Shortstop: Tony Womack

Say what you want about Stephen Drew, but Tony Womack is my choice at short stop.

Not only did he tie the seventh game of the world series with his double to right, he also won the final game of NLDS against the Cardinals that same year with a two-out, bottom of the ninth single off of reliever Steve Kline.

The speedster was the perfect clutch hitter for that post-season and was a source of stability from 2000-2003. Womack playing some of the most consistent defense and base running that the team has ever seen.

In his three and a half years as starting short stop Womack played in 485 games, scored 281 runs, stole 110 bases, and batted .266 in 1907 at bats.

All-Decade Third Baseman: Mark Reynolds

The unheralded strikeout king, third baseman Mark Reynolds, has also been the team's most consistent and effective third baseman in the decade.

An undeniable power hitter, Reynolds can also steal bases, an awesome combo that only further establishes his credentials. If he learns to improve his walk rate, Reynolds will probably be on the next All-Decade team as well.

From 2007-2009, Reynolds played in 418 games, he hit 89 home runs, drove in 261 runs, and batted .257 in 1483 at-bats. He also struck out 556 times compared to 381 hits.

Those numbers are so fascinating that they cannot be ignored and Reynolds is still my choice above any other third baseman this decade.

All-Decade Left Fielder: Luis Gonzalez

How could he not be on the list?

Gonzo is arguably the best premier position player the team has ever employed. He is the longest tenured fielder as well, playing outfield for the D'Backs over the span of eight seasons (seven this decade.

He had the game winning, bat-shattering single that won the team their only world series championship in 2001, which capped off the best season of his career, a .325 batting average, 57 home runs, and 142 RBI in162 regular season games.

From 2000-2006, Gonzo played in 1041 games, hit 198 home runs, drove in 663 runs, and batted .292 in 3874 at-bats.

All-Decade Center Fielder: Steve Finley

Over the better part of five seasons, Finley won a world championship, two gold gloves, two team MVP awards, and accepted an all-star nod. That constitutes a place on the All-Decade team in my book.

From 2000-2004, Finley played in 693 games, hit 119 home runs, drove in 376 runs, and batted .281 in 2,459 at-bats.

All-Decade Right Fielder: Justin Upton

Justin Upton finished the decade when he was only 22 years old but he has already cemented his status as the best Right Fielder of the decade.

While not exactly the most experienced, having only played one true full season, Upton's strength lies in his amazing potential, which, if he stays in Arizona that long, has the chance to be on the next all-decade team, and the one after that.

Upton is now the franchise player, and in a few years will overthrow Luis Gonzalez as the teams greatest position player in it's history.

Since he broke onto the team in 2007 as a 19 year old rookie, Upton has played in 289 games, hit 43 home runs, driven in 139 runs, and batted .272 in 1022 at-bats.

All-Decade Reliever: Byung-Hyun Kim

All he is remembered for is blowing saves in games four and five of the 2001 World Series.

That he was one of the most explosive and dominant relievers for the Diamondbacks for the better part of four years is seriously overlooked.

Kim indeed flirted with the destruction his career in October of 2001 but responded in 2002 by saving 36 games in 42 opportunities and holding opposing batters to a.208 average.He was selected to his first all-star game that year.

From 2000-2004 Kim appeared in 218 games, had 69 saves in 85 chances, and posted an ERA of 2.87 in 295.2 innings.

All-Decade Starter: Randy Johnson

You can have Curt Schilling, Brandon Webb, Dan Haren.

I want Randy Johnson.

The most powerful and dominant lefty starting pitcher in the history of the game on my team.

Not enough can be said about how good Johnson was, and, having just retired at the end of the 2009, I nearly added the present tense to the end of that statement.

Johnson won three of his five Cy Young's in the 2000's, was a four time all-star, four time D'Backs pitcher of the year, and Co-World Series MVP.

Did I mention he threw a perfect game in 2004?

Must have slipped my mind.

Johnson was the winning pitcher in game seven of the 2001 World Series, cleaning up what fellow MVP Curt Schilling started with 1.1 innings of work after having thrown 101 pitches and winning the game before.

Over his seven seasons as a snake (2000-2004, 2007-2008) Randy Johnson won 101 games. He struck out 1,713 batters in 1357.2 innings worth of work.

He was the greatest left-handed pitcher of his generation, if not in the history of the game, and this surefire Hall-of-Famer is a fine way to end the 2000's All-Decade Arizona Diamondbacks Team.

What's yours?