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Data: Baseball Reference; Photos: Getty; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

On Friday, we looked back at the champions and MVPs of the last 10 years in the four major U.S. sports. In keeping with that theme, here are MLB's WAR leaders this decade.

WAR (wins above replacement) measures a player's value in all facets of the game by defining how many more wins he's worth than a replacement-level player at his position.

Go deeper: Nationals closer defends rejecting White House invite: "I just can’t do it"

This decade's MLB wins above replacement (WAR) leaders

WAR measures how many more wins a player is worth than a replacement-level player.

Baseball

On Friday, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="we looked back" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-sports-eafcb836-0942-48a3-ba6b-a1800b1fb348.html?chunk=0#story0" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-sports-eafcb836-0942-48a3-ba6b-a1800b1fb348.html?chunk=0#story0" target="_self">we looked back</a> at the champions and MVPs of the last 10 years in the four major U.S. sports. In keeping with that theme, here are MLB&#x27;s WAR leaders this decade.<ul><li>WAR (wins above replacement) measures a player&#x27;s value in all facets of the game by defining how many more wins he&#x27;s worth than a replacement-level player at his position.</li></ul>Go deeper: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Nationals closer defends rejecting White House invite: &quot;I just can’t do it&quot;" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/washington-nationals-closer-white-house-invite-b97f30e3-95a5-4942-bec5-ff43eb06ab0b.html" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/washington-nationals-closer-white-house-invite-b97f30e3-95a5-4942-bec5-ff43eb06ab0b.html" target="_self">Nationals closer defends rejecting White House invite: &quot;I just can’t do it&quot;</a>

Shifts in technology and media are changing the way we play, watch and understand sports. Business models are adapting and social change is forcing those in charge of teams and leagues to reconsider decades-old practices.