Who'd win this fathers vs. sons matchup?

Sunday is Father’s Day, which makes it a great time to honor the father-son connections that are part of the fabric of Major League Baseball. There have been many great father-son duos throughout baseball history, but let’s focus on the present at a time when many second-generation big leaguers are thriving, more are on the way and even more are about to enter pro ball.

The question here is: If you formed a team out of active players whose fathers made it to the Majors and another out of former players whose sons are still active, which would hold the upper hand? (Assuming, of course, that the dads were playing in their primes -- not as men in their 40s, 50s or 60s).

Team Father has a bit of a natural edge over Team Son, in that we are judging those players on their full careers, rather than a current snapshot. Still, the young guys look like they could hold their own. Read the breakdown below to see if you agree.

For each position, the entry for Team Son is listed first.

Catcher

Daulton Varsho (son of Gary): For the second season in a row, the 25-year-old is posting above-average offensive numbers while spending time both behind the plate and in center field.

Ivan Rodriguez (father of Dereck): One of three Hall of Famers in this lineup, Pudge owns a record 13 Gold Glove Awards at catcher, plus 14 All-Star selections.

First base

C.J. Cron (son of Chris): While Chris went homerless in 25 big league at-bats, C.J. (162 homers) and brother Kevin (six) have both gone deep in the Majors.

Phil Nevin (father of Tyler): Before he became the Angels’ new interim manager, he bashed 208 long balls over 12 big league seasons, including 41 in 2001.

Second base

Bo Bichette (son of Dante): He’s never played anywhere but shortstop in MLB, but we needed to find a spot for Bo’s electric bat in this lineup.

Craig Biggio (father of Cavan): Only 12 players in history have stepped to the plate more times in the Majors, and only five have racked up more doubles.

Third base

Ke’Bryan Hayes (son of Charlie): Manning the hot corner runs in the Hayes family, and while Charlie never won a Gold Glove, Ke’Bryan seems destined to do so -- sooner than later.

Tim Wallach (father of Chad): A five-time All-Star with the Expos, he captured three Gold Glove Awards and two Silver Sluggers.

Shortstop

Fernando Tatis Jr. (son of Fernando): While there is a lot of shortstop talent among MLB sons -- and Fernando Jr. has yet to play this year due to injury -- his overwhelming talent is far too much to ignore here.

Fernando Tatis (father of Fernando Jr.): The one thing Team Father is really missing is a true shortstop, but Fernando the elder (mostly a third baseman) did make five appearances there in his career, so he gets the call.

Left field

Michael Brantley (son of Mickey): Dr. Smooth is now 35 and still doing what he always does -- quietly spraying line drives around the field and posting an average of around .300 or better.

Raul Mondesi (father of Adalberto): The 1994 NL Rookie of the Year put together six 20-20 seasons and led his league in outfield assists three times.

Center field

Cody Bellinger (son of Clay): He still hasn’t rediscovered his MVP form at the plate but remains an asset in center and on the basepaths.

Mike Cameron (father of Daz): Always underrated, his all-around game made him worth nearly 50 career WAR despite just one All-Star selection.

Right field

Joc Pederson (son of Stu): While Stu got just a cup of coffee in 1985, Joc has starred in the postseason and the Home Run Derby -- and could be on his way to a career year in 2022.

Vladimir Guerrero (father of Vladimir Jr.): You’re in pretty good shape when Mondesi only has the second-best outfield arm in your lineup. Vlad Sr. remains one of the most distinctive, captivating players in baseball history.

Designated hitter

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (son of Vladimir): His name created almost impossible hype as MLB’s top prospect, but in 2021, Vlad Jr. somehow exceeded it, with a 1.002 OPS and 48 homers.

Dante Bichette (father of Bo): If only the DH was available in the NL while he was mashing for the 1990s Rockies, including his 40-homer campaign in ‘95.

Starting pitcher

Cal Quantrill (son of Paul): For whatever reason, this generation of MLB sons is light on pitching, but Quantrill has broken out since being traded from San Diego to Cleveland in August 2020.

Roger Clemens (father of Kody): Kody, an infielder, took the mound in the Tigers’ blowout loss on Wednesday, in just his 12th MLB game. Let’s just say The Rocket remains the best arm in the family.

Bench

Jeremy Peña (son of Geronimo), Bobby Witt Jr. (Bobby), Cavan Biggio (Craig), Robinson Canó (Jose), Adalberto Mondesi (Raul)

Peña and Witt get squeezed out of the lineup by teammates with slightly longer track records, but both have shown immense promise this year. Canó might be done in the Majors but takes a bench spot based on his 2,635 career hits.

Delino DeShields (father of Delino Jr.), Charlie Hayes (Ke’Bryan), Geronimo Peña (Jeremy), Mickey Brantley (Michael), Larry Sheets (Gavin)

DeShields stands out among this group, with his 463 career stolen bases, including six seasons with 40-plus.

Bullpen

Lance McCullers Jr. (son of Lance), Ryan Weathers (David), Jonathan Hernández (Fernando), Dereck Rodriguez (Ivan), Hunter Harvey (Bryan)

As mentioned, there’s not much pitching depth on this side. However, Lance Jr. is a significant weapon when healthy, which he has not been so far in 2022.

Tom Gordon (father of Dee and Nick), Jeff Shaw (Travis), Steve Bedrosian (Cam), Bryan Harvey (Hunter), Paul Quantrill (Cal)

Depth is not a problem here, as there are more quality arms behind these five. Gordon, Shaw, Bedrosian and Harvey all had more than 150 career saves.

Managers

Terry Francona (son of Tito): With apologies to Aaron Boone and his MLB-leading Yankees, Francona ranks 17th all-time in wins.

John Farrell (father of Luke): His three division titles with the Red Sox included a 2013 World Series championship.

Team Sons starting lineup

1. Michael Brantley -- LF
2. Fernando Tatis Jr. -- SS
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. -- DH
4. C.J. Cron -- 1B
5. Bo Bichette -- 2B
6. Joc Pederson -- RF
7. Ke’Bryan Hayes -- 3B
8. Daulton Varsho -- C
9. Cody Bellinger -- CF

(Cal Quantrill -- SP)

Team Fathers starting lineup

1. Craig Biggio -- 2B
2. Vladimir Guerrero -- RF
3. Ivan Rodriguez -- C
4. Raul Mondesi -- LF
5. Phil Nevin -- 1B
6. Dante Bichette -- DH
7. Mike Cameron -- CF
8. Tim Wallach -- 3B
9. Fernando Tatis -- SS

(Roger Clemens -- SP)