Where the 1990s were all about domination, the first decade of the 21^st century was about parity. The 1990s had six different franchises win the World Series, including two teams repeating as champion at least once and accounting for five of the 10 winners. The first decade of the 21^st century (still no decent nickname to universally define it) had eight teams win and required eight years before there was a repeat champion (the Red Sox). This is not a backward looking article though; this is an article that asks what teams seem hell-bent on dominating for the next ten years.

The first candidate is the team that began and closed that first decade with World Series wins, the New York Yankees. They beat the Mets in five in 1990 and thwarted the Phillies in six in 2009. The team went off the tracks in between, seeming to have decided that merely throwing money at their pitching issues was the answer. They righted the ship though and appear to have a good harvest of young or young-ish players on the roster right now that can keep them in the lead for at least the next five years.

CC Sabathia is beginning his prime at the age of 29 and Joba Chamberlain is developing deep in the starting rotation at the age of 24. These two pitchers should be great foundations for a solid pitching staff. A.J. Burnett surely has at two or three good seasons in him and I am not completely convinced that Andy Pettitte is somehow stealing youth from the people in his vicinity. How does this guy still have enough stuff to 14-8 with a 4.16 in a ballpark designed to homerun alley?

Yes Derek Jeter will have to retire at some point in time, or risk becoming a deterrent. Yet, the Yankees have a suddenly focused and less creepy Alex Rodriguez on the field. He may be 34, but with his power he could switch to DH and play into his 40s. The real player to watch over the next 5 to 10 years is Mark Teixeira. The All Star first baseman is 29 and showed signs of being a rock for years to come. Surrounded with guys in their late 20s like center fielder Curtis Granderson, second baseman Robinson Cano, and right fielder Nick Swisher this team is dangerous and universally likeable.

Of course, whenever mentioning the New York Yankees, it is necessary to mention the Boston Red Sox. The AL East would not feel right if the Red Sox were not in play for the division or the World Series. Thank goodness MLB baseball adopted the wild card spot in 1995 after splitting the two divisions into three in each league; otherwise the Boston Red Sox would not have won the World Series in 2004 and may still be moaning about a curse.

This team won two World Series in the 21^st century, tying them with the Yankees for the century lead so far. They have also won the wild card spot four times, which means that as long as this team can put together one of the best rosters in baseball, then they have a chance to keep playing into the fall.

They have that roster too. The pitching staff has Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, and Jon Lester. These are all starters under the age of 30. There are only two position players under the age of 30 of note. Second baseman Dustin Pedroia and center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury are in their mid-20s. First baseman Kevin Youkilis is only 30, but has had his two best seasons by far these last two seasons. He could be a key player for a few more years. This Red Sox team is rather loaded and will be giving Yankees fans fits for at least a few more seasons.

The rest of the American League lacks any real obvious franchises. The Central Division is terrifyingly random. Never gamble on the division winner out of this division. The AL West is in the midst of a change. The Angels are finally showing some major chinks despite winning the division by 10 games in the final standings. The pitching is questionable and the Texas Rangers may actually be figuring out how to balance power and pitching. This means that any other teams of significance are coming out of the National League.

In the NL East the Philadelphia Phillies have won the division three times in a row. They have won a World Series (as well as lost one). This is not just a team built to win right now but for years into the future. The Phillies starting pitching staff has the stuff to dominate for at least five more years. Roy Holliday is 32, but he is also a superstar on the mound, which means he could be effective very late into his career. Cole Hamels and J.A. Happ are guys in their mid-20s that appear to have a bright career in front of them. Hamels had his worst season this last year, but could be a guy that posts a consistent ERA in the mid 3s. Happ is a converted reliever that has had one good season so far. Still it was an amazing season in which he went 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA. He could eclipse Hamels as the number two pitcher very soon if this season was not an aberration.

Philadelphia is loaded at the positions too. First baseman Ryan Howard just turned 30, second baseman Chase Utley is 31, right fielder Jayson Werth is 30, and center fielder Shane Victorino is 29. As long as Philadelphia does not become too concerned with money, this is a solid bunch or the next few years.

The NL Central should be the Chicago Cubs division. Cubs tickets should be available for playoff series deep into the fall every year, but this team can simply not get it together. The St. Louis Cardinals just won this past season, but they are winning and rebuilding so it is difficult to project (Does the Matt Holiday signing mean this team is for real for more than a season?).

This leaves the last division in baseball, the NL West. The Los Angeles Dodgers have won the NL West twice since Joe Torre has taken over as manager and have been to the NLCS twice, losing to the Phillies both times in five games. They have a couple of young pitchers worth noting, Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw, a couple of young outfielders in Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, and Manny Ramirez who might play until he’s 50 just out of spite.