Who would be in your dream lineup?

What’s your ultimate baseball lineup? It’s a fun debate topic, one that Marc Carig of The Athletic posed via Twitter on Sunday.

The all-time scope of that question creates a vast array of possibilities, not to mention the challenge of comparing across wildly different eras. MLB.com decided to take a slightly different approach, asking 11 writers to pick their dream teams -- consisting only of active players.

In other words, the writers were asked, if you had to pick a team to win you one game in 2020, based on the players’ current ability levels, who would be on your lineup card? (For the purposes of this exercise, players were considered at their primary position in 2019 or ‘20, and the writers were permitted to pick a designated hitter and relief pitcher).

Here is a look at the lineup written out by each “manager,” followed by some analysis of the selections.

Manager: David Adler (@_dadler)
1) Mike Trout, CF
2) Juan Soto, LF
3) J.D. Martinez, DH
4) Christian Yelich, RF
5) Nolan Arenado, 3B
6) Anthony Rizzo, 1B
7) Javier Báez, SS
8) DJ LeMahieu, 2B
9) Buster Posey, C
Jacob deGrom, SP
Josh Hader, RP

Overall philosophy: Top of the order? Guys who are impossible to get out. I love Trout leadoff, and Trout-Soto-Martinez-Yelich? Good luck. I also wanted Javy because someone's going to have to make a magic play to win this game, and I'm 1,000% sure LeMahieu's getting a huge base hit when I need it. The best for last: Posey. Everyone's going to take J.T. Realmuto, but in a must-win game, I want Buster behind the plate every time. deGrom -- the true ace of New York -- will love throwing to him. He's my team captain.

Guy you hated to leave out: Cody Bellinger is the obvious one, but Martinez is the best hitter in the league not named Trout, and Yelich is better, too, so Cody got the squeeze. So did Aaron Judge.

Manager: Anthony Castrovince (@castrovince)
1) Mike Trout, CF
2) Francisco Lindor, SS
3) Ronald Acuña Jr., RF
4) Christian Yelich, DH
5) Josh Donaldson, 3B
6) Juan Soto, LF
7) José Altuve, 2B
8) Joey Votto, 1B
9) J.T. Realmuto, C
Max Scherzer, SP
Josh Hader, RP

Overall philosophy: I wanted lineup balance, I wanted high on-base, I wanted a blend of youth and experience but with a general lean toward experience in the one-game-to-win setting, and I wanted a couple dudes who’ve got that crazy look in their eye and will fire my team up (here’s looking at you, Scherzer and Donaldson).

Guy you hated to leave out: Mookie Betts. I ultimately used the right-field spot as an opportunity to get some young blood into the picture with Acuña. Considering Acuña nearly had a 40-homer, 40-steal season in ‘19, I think that’s justifiable. And I used the DH spot for Yelich, which I also think is understandable. I’m just very, very sorry, Mookie. You deserved better.

Manager: Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand)
1) Christian Yelich, RF
2) Anthony Rendon, 3B
3) Mike Trout, CF
4) Juan Soto, LF
5) Cody Bellinger, DH
6) Trevor Story, SS
7) Max Muncy, 2B
8) Matt Olson, 1B
9) J.T. Realmuto, C
Gerrit Cole, SP
Josh Hader, RP

Overall philosophy: I wanted on-base monsters who would continuously put pressure on the opposing pitcher. The top of the lineup -- Yelich-Rendon-Trout-Soto-Bellinger -- is about as good as it gets from that standpoint, not to mention they can hit one out at any time. The defense isn’t bad, either, especially with Realmuto behind the plate and Olson at first base.

Guy you hated to leave out: It came down to Bellinger vs. Mookie for me at DH, and given my love for OBP, Bellinger got the call. The fact that the Dodgers have both of them in real life is kind of insane.

Manager: Alyson Footer (@alysonfooter)
1) Ronald Acuña Jr., RF
2) José Altuve, 2B
3) Mike Trout, CF
4) Pete Alonso, 1B
5) Anthony Rendon, 3B
6) Christian Yelich, DH
7) Juan Soto, LF
8) Marcus Semien, SS
9) J.T. Realmuto, C
Gerrit Cole, SP
Josh Hader, RP

Overall philosophy: For this game, beyond the obvious criteria -- power, speed, defense, yada yada yada -- I want some mix of players who have done this before. It's not a requirement obviously, but I'm going with a handful of guys who I'm fairly certain would thrive under pressure (oh hi, Rendon and Soto!)

Guy you hated to leave out: Not sure how Betts doesn't make this list. Is this what it’s like to vote for All-Star teams?

Manager: Thomas Harrigan (@HarriganMLB)
1) Mookie Betts, RF
2) Mike Trout, CF
3) Christian Yelich, LF
4) Nolan Arenado, 3B
5) Cody Bellinger, DH
6) Francisco Lindor, SS
7) José Altuve, 2B
8) Freddie Freeman, 1B
9) J.T. Realmuto, C
Jacob deGrom, SP
Kirby Yates, RP

Overall philosophy: I looked to build a balanced lineup with well-rounded players. I also avoided anyone who is particularly strikeout-prone, considering the quality of pitching I expect to face. Power, speed, on-base ability, contact hitting, defense -- this lineup has all of that, and it isn't overly right- or left-handed. I'm giving the ball to deGrom because he might be unbeatable with an elite offense behind him. And I picked Yates over Hader because he's less likely to surrender a crushing homer in what will probably be a close game.

Guy you hated to leave out: Acuña is unreal, but there just wasn't room for him in this outfield, and I opted for Bellinger as my DH for more left-handed power.

Manager: Richard Justice (@richardjustice)
1) Christian Yelich, RF
2) Mike Trout, CF
3) Cody Bellinger, DH
4) Alex Bregman, 3B
5) Freddie Freeman, 1B
6) Xander Bogaerts, SS
7) Juan Soto, LF
8) J.T. Realmuto, C
9) Ketel Marte, 2B
Gerrit Cole, SP
Kirby Yates, RP

Overall philosophy: I began by penciling in Yelich and Trout at the top of my batting order, then went for some left-right balance even though it probably doesn’t matter with players of this caliber. I focused on on-base ability, with four of the top five in OBP in my lineup.

Guy you hated to leave out: To have a lineup without Rendon, Nelson Cruz and Betts shows how difficult this exercise was. However, I hated leaving Marcus Semien off my team most of all because of how good he was in 2020 and how hard he’d worked to get to where his game now is.

Manager: Matt Kelly (@mattkellyMLB)
1) Mike Trout, CF
2) Mookie Betts, RF
3) Anthony Rendon, 3B
4) Christian Yelich, DH
5) Juan Soto, LF
6) Freddie Freeman, 1B
7) Xander Bogaerts, SS
8) Ketel Marte, 2B
9) Yasmani Grandal, C
Jacob deGrom, SP
Josh Hader, RP

Overall philosophy: I wanted my lineup to be absolutely relentless, so my hitters all posted below-average strikeout rates, with walk rates near or above the MLB average. My No. 9 hitter, Grandal, could walk multiple times to set the table for the gauntlet of Trout-Betts-Rendon-Yelich -- a modern-day Ruth-Gehrig-Foxx-Simmons-Cronin. I’ll take deGrom’s composure and focus over any other starter, and Hader can carry us to the finish line over multiple innings.

Guy you hated to leave out: Bellinger was practically levitating last season, but I worry about swing-and-miss issues in a winner-take-all. With only one DH spot to go around, it’s Yeli over Belli, by a hair.

Manager: Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports)
1) Mike Trout, CF
2) Mookie Betts, RF
3) Cody Bellinger, DH
4) Nolan Arenado, 3B
5) Juan Soto, LF
6) Francisco Lindor, SS
7) Freddie Freeman, 1B
8) Ketel Marte, 2B
9) J.T. Realmuto, C
Jacob deGrom, SP
Josh Hader, RP

Overall philosophy: I wanted a balance of power, on-base and speed, for sure, but defense also played a role -- thus Arenado over Rendon at third base. That’s also what led to Realmuto over Grandal -- in a one-game scenario, I want to be sure nobody is stealing a base, and Realmuto basically guarantees that. Another factor? Postseason experience, given the one-game atmosphere, which a handful of these players have, including the pitchers.

Guy you hated to leave out: Acuña. With his move to right field, I was picking two players for the RF and DH spot between him, Bellinger and Betts. Ultimately, I went with Betts in right for his defense and Bellinger at DH for his bat, but I wish I could’ve had all three -- two MVP winners and another who’s bound to win his own MVP Award soon.

Manager: Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello)
1) Mike Trout, CF
2) Juan Soto, LF
3) Freddie Freeman, 1B
4) Christian Yelich, DH
5) Alex Bregman, 3B
6) Francisco Lindor, SS
7) Mookie Betts, RF
8) Yasmani Grandal, C
9) José Altuve, 2B
Gerrit Cole, SP
Josh Hader, RP

Overall philosophy: I surrendered myself to the numbers. First, I went to the Steamer projections, choosing the No. 1-rated player at each position, per the terms of our eligibility here. This turned out to be entirely uncontroversial, as it was essentially the exact group I would have taken anyway. Then I spun on over to the Baseball Musings lineup tool to optimize them based on their 2020 projections, flipping only Grandal and Altuve to get the much speedier Altuve ninth as a second leadoff man. My lineup would be projected to score 6.9 runs/game. That’s tied with the 1930 Yankees for the modern-era runs/game record. That’ll work.

Guy you hated to leave out: Bellinger. He just won the MVP, and I still didn't find room for him on my team, and that may very well be a mistake, but at a certain point, we're talking about "Betts vs. Bellinger vs. Soto vs. Yelich," and -- aside from Trout -- that's all just a matter of degree, isn't it? There might not be a right answer, but there isn't a wrong one, either.

Manager: Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB)
1) Ronald Acuña Jr., RF
2) Fernando Tatís Jr., SS
3) Mike Trout, CF
4) Juan Soto, DH
5) Kris Bryant, 3B
6) Yuli Gurriel, 1B
7) José Altuve, 2B
8) J.T. Realmuto, C
9) Christian Yelich, LF
Gerrit Cole, SP
Aroldis Chapman, RP

Overall philosophy: Yes, these guys can hit the ball out of the park, but they can also run the bases. Scoring from first base is a big deal and my team is going to be aggressive on the bases. A great pitcher can shut down any offense, so these guys will have to be able to steal a bag, tag up on a shallow fly, maybe force an error because of their speed and get home any way they can in this one-game scenario.

Guy you hated to leave out: Betts, you’re still awesome. Arenado is one of my personal favorites, and it stings to leave him out. The same goes with Rendon. Too many good players. What a great problem to have!

Manager: Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB)
1) Mookie Betts, RF
2) Mike Trout, CF
3) Christian Yelich, DH
4) Anthony Rendon, 3B
5) Juan Soto, LF
6) Francisco Lindor, SS
7) Matt Olson, 1B
8) J.T. Realmuto, C
9) DJ LeMahieu, 2B
Gerrit Cole, SP
Josh Hader, RP

Overall philosophy: For this one-game scenario, I wanted pitchers with overpowering stuff, and a balanced lineup featuring power, speed and contact ability (Only Olson had a higher-than-average K-rate in 2019). Defense matters, too, which factors into the Olson and Realmuto picks, in particular.

Guy you hated to leave out: Bellinger. He’s one of my absolute favorite players to watch and can do it all, so I wanted to squeeze him in somehow. But I couldn’t pick him over Trout, and I coveted Betts’ bat-to-ball skills and Soto’s preternatural control of the zone. The toughest call was Belli vs. Yeli, but the former’s biggest edge (defense) isn’t a factor in the DH slot. Someone had to be the odd man out.

OVERALL RESULTS

Consensus lineup
This is the player listed the most times at each position, with the batting order based on where each player typically was placed. The vote totals are listed in parentheses.

1) CF Mike Trout (11)
2) RF Mookie Betts (5)
3) DH Christian Yelich (5 at DH, 10 total)
4) 3B Anthony Rendon (4)
5) LF Juan Soto (9 in LF, 10 total)
6) SS Francisco Lindor (5)
7) 2B José Altuve (5)
8) 1B Freddie Freeman (5)
9) C J.T. Realmuto (8)
SP Gerrit Cole (6)
RP Josh Hader (8)

The runaway winner: Trout
He was the only unanimous candidate, which makes sense. Even a contrarian would have a hard time thinking of a reason not to include him.

Yelich and Soto both were listed in all but one of the 11 lineups, though those votes were split between multiple positions.

The closest competition: Third base
The talent is absolutely overflowing at the hot corner these days, so it makes sense that our managers wouldn’t all agree. While Rendon prevailed with four selections -- it’s nice when a great postseason run is fresh in everyone’s minds -- he was closely followed by Arenado (three) and Bregman (two). Donaldson and Bryant also received votes, while worthy candidates such as Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers, Yoán Moncada and Eugenio Suárez were victims of the crunch.

The most spread-out positions: First base and shortstops
Six different players were included in at least one lineup at both of these spots. While Freeman was clearly the most popular first baseman, Alonso, Gurriel, Olson, Rizzo and Votto also got picked. It was a similar situation at short, with Báez, Bogaerts, Semien, Story and Tatís trailing Lindor.

Guys who caused the most regret: Bellinger, Betts
The Dodgers decided this offseason that they could have both Bellinger and Betts. But that was a tough fit for our managers, who had to leave somebody out amid the outfield/DH glut caused by those two, plus Trout, Soto, Yelich and Acuña.

As a result, five participants mentioned that they hated to leave Betts out, even though he still wound up with the most votes in right field. He got picked once more than his new teammate, whose four selections were the most for a player not in the consensus starting lineup. Four others listed Bellinger as the guy they hated to exclude.

Life as a manager -- even a pretend one -- isn’t always easy.