Here's the scenario: We have a must-win game today and, by some miracle, we can choose any starting lineup, starting pitcher and relief pitcher to get the job done.

This is how we set about determining which Major League Baseball players are the best of the best at their positions right now.

Though we considered track records in some cases, this was mostly about what hitters and pitchers have done through the first two-and-a-half months of the 2023 season. Leading their peers in key stats mattered. So did not currently being on the injured list. Sorry, Aaron Judge.

Starting behind the plate, let's get to it.

Catcher: Sean Murphy, Atlanta

Age: 28

Position-Leading Stats: .535 SLG, .919 OPS, 2.5 rWAR, 3.0 fWAR

J.T. Realmuto is still out there doing his thing, and Will Smith, Adley Rutschman, Jonah Heim and Elías Díaz also have every right to count themselves among MLB's best backstops.

It's just that Sean Murphy's turn from good to great is that hard to ignore. The erstwhile Oakland A is tracking toward career-best offensive figures pretty much across the board, with underlying metrics that allow it all to pass the ol' smell test.

What likewise separates Murphy, a Gold Glover in 2021, from other catchers is that he also has a case as the best all-around defender. Framing? Blocking? Throwing? Per Statcast, his performance for each has been squarely above average.

Granted, this pick could end up having a short shelf life. After he exited Saturday's game with a tight right hamstring, whether Murphy will go on the IL is up in the air.

First Base: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers

Age: 33

Position-Leading Stats: 93 H, 25 2B, 59 R, 9 SB, 159 Total Bases, .324 AVG, .554 SLG, .958 OPS, 3.1 rWAR, 3.2 fWAR

William Shakespeare and his quill. Mozart and his piano. Freddie Freeman and his rake.

There will inevitably come a time when the latter pairing is no longer worthy of the first two. Yet even though he'll turn 34 in September, Freeman clearly has little interest in that time being right now.

Among other things, he's trying to make this season his fourth in a row and seventh out of eight with an average over .300. And with 13 already, the 2020 National League MVP is well on his way to improving on the 21 home runs he hit last year.

Not to be overlooked is Freeman's sneaky value on the basepaths. Even beyond his 9-for-10 performance swiping bags, he's also taking an extra base on hits more than half the time.

Second Base: Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers

Age: 32

Position-Leading Stats: 22 2B, 60 R, 54 RBI, 140 Total Bases, 2.8 fWAR

We've probably just lost the greater Miami area, as well as anyone else who's stanning for Luis Arraez amid his pursuit of MLB's first .400 average in 82 years.

Yet suffice it to say that there are actual reasons that it's not Arraez, but Marcus Semien who's leading second basemen in WAR. That he's hitting for significantly more power than Arraez is one of them, and his defense and baserunning are also factors.

He may not be the best in either department, but he is among the best. When paired with what he's doing in the batter's box, what you get is a player with no real flaws.

Ultimately, the short of it is that this is shaping up to be another ho-hum season for a guy who significantly out-produced his keystone peers across 2021 and 2022 as well.

Third Base: José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians

Age: 30

Position-Leading Stats: 136 OPS+, 2.4 fWAR

With Manny Machado, Nolan Arenado, Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman all falling below their usual performance thresholds, it's been a weird year for the legacy greats at third base.

Except for José Ramírez, of course. He's mostly still doing José Ramírez things, which is to say racking up plenty of hits with many of them going for extra bases to boot. Among third basemen, his 33 extra-base hits trail only noted Coors Field denizen Ryan McMahon.

This is also shaping up to be one of the four-time All-Star's better seasons on defense. After posting just three throughout all of 2022, he's already up to six Outs Above Average in 2023.

Like with Semien, it's also hard to not defer to Ramírez's track record. Since 2017, he's put up more rWAR than all but three other hitters.

Shortstop: Wander Franco, Tampa Bay Rays

Age: 22

Position-Leading Stats: 20 2B, 24 SB, 3.8 rWAR, 3.3 fWAR

Yeah, yeah. Bo Bichette is right there, specifically in the spot reserved for shortstops who lead their peers in average, slugging and OPS.

Wander Franco is nonetheless a close second in all three categories, and his 41 runs scored (second to Francisco Lindor among shortstops) are no accident. Between his doubles and his stolen bases, he puts himself in scoring position a lot.

And should we mention that Franco is probably going to win a Gold Glove? Because he's probably going to win a Gold Glove. He leads American League shortstops in both Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average.

It's also worth emphasizing that Franco is still just 22 years old, if for no other reason than to drive home the point that his current self almost certainly isn't his peak self.

Left Field: Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks

Age: 22

Position-Leading Stats: 55 R, 19 SB, 149 Total Bases, .596 SLG, 166 OPS+, 3.7 rWAR, 3.4 fWAR

Speaking of guys who are still just 22 years old, it's about time that the world beyond Arizona caught on to the fact that Corbin Carroll is really, really good.

In fact, let's go ahead and put him in the same sentence as Ronald Acuña Jr. He is, after all, the only other player in the sport right now who has at least 15 each of doubles, home runs and stolen bases.

Carroll's blazing speed—i.e., 30.1 feet per second—is a factor, but he also has way more power than any guy listed at 5'10", 165 pounds ought to be capable of. Notably, his six opposite-field home runs are the most of any hitter.

So, those "MVP!" chants that Carroll has been hearing at Chase Field? Those are well-founded.

Center Field: Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox

Age: 25

Position-Leading Stats: 18 HR, 145 Total Bases, .535 SLG, 2.9 rWAR

Mike Trout is not having a bad season, per se. He's just not having a normal Mike Trout season. If he doesn't want to hear it, well, it's his bad for setting such high standards.

Anyway, here's the thing about Luis Robert Jr.: if the All-Star voting is any indication, he might be having the most underrated season of any player in the majors.

He is striking out at an uncomfortably high rate, but he's generally barreling the ball when he makes contact. And with eight Outs Above Average already in hand, he's in the running for the best defensive outfielder in the entire league.

Thus will we defer to what White Sox right-hander Mike Clevinger said about having Robert behind him: "Megatron? Calvin Johnson in center field? Good grief."

Right Field: Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta

Age: 25

Position-Leading Stats: 94 H, 63 R, 30 SB, 162 Total Bases, .325 AVG, .403 OBP, .561 SLG, .964 OPS, 155 OPS+, 3.5 rWAR, 3.4 fWAR

A healthy Aaron Judge is the most feared hitter in the game, and right field is likewise home to fellow superstar Mookie Betts and the reborn (especially defensively) Fernando Tatis Jr.

But, well, what are we supposed to do? Not pick Ronald Acuña Jr. here? Psh.

He's the early frontrunner for the National League MVP, and he may well win it in a landslide if he stays as consistent as he's been. He's yet to do worse than a .930 OPS in any month so far this year.

Plus, anyone who likes the color red will also like Acuña's page at Baseball Savant. That's the color that denotes standout metrics, of which he has literal truckloads.

Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels

Age: 28

Position-Leading Stats: 83 H, 24 HR, 49 R, 58 RBI, 175 Total Bases, .300 AVG, .632 SLG, 1.015 OPS, 174 OPS+, 3.0 rWAR, 3.1 fWAR

The star designated hitter is making something of a comeback in 2023. For the first time since 2016, six different everyday DHs have an OPS+ of at least 120.

It's saying something, then, that Shohei Ohtani rules the roost like he does.

Beyond merely leading his fellow DHs, the 2021 AL MVP is also pacing all hitters in home runs, runs batted in, total bases and OPS+. And with half of his home runs coming just since May 30, his current hotness can only be measured in kelvin.

A more heated question is whether Ohtani is also the best starting pitcher in MLB right now. To answer that, it's on to the next page.

Starting Pitcher: Shane McClanahan, Tampa Bay Rays

Age: 26

Position-Leading Stats: 11 W, 2.12 ERA, 190 ERA+

The answer, in part because Ohtani has slumped a bit with a 4.67 ERA since April 27, is no.

This is not to say there's an easy answer to the question of who's the best starter in MLB right now. Joel Reuter and myself grappled with it less than two weeks ago, and my answer then (Zac Gallen) immediately responded with a 10-hit, five-run dud.

Which, in turn, is to say that Shane McClanahan is a sort of compromise. Because even if his strand rate is unsustainably high, any guy who's leading in two of three pitching triple crown categories is generally a safe pick as the best in class.

Plus, the last thing McClanahan is liable to do is totally bomb a start. Since the beginning of last year, he's allowed three earned runs or fewer in 39 of his 43 outings.

Relief Pitcher: Félix Bautista, Baltimore Orioles

Age: 27

Position-Leading Stats: 67 K, 50.4 K%, 1.6 fWAR

In Yennier Cano, the Orioles have another relief pitcher who's faced 131 batters and retired 101 of them. His WHIP is 0.77. Not quite 2013 Koji Uehara good, but still good.

So why sing Félix Bautista's praises instead? Well, his ratio of batters faced (133) to outs recorded (99) is nearly as good, and then there's how many of those outs have come by way of the K.

Even among relievers, a strikeout rate north of 50 percent is rarefied air. And the numbers indeed match what the eye test sees when he's pumping triple-digit heat and snapping off physics-defying splitters.

The 17 walks in 33.1 innings? Yeah, that's not ideal. But as Bautista's 1.08 ERA can vouch, the free passes aren't hurting him either.

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.