Build Your MLB Dream Team, and We'll Guess How Old You Are

By: Zoe Samuel
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Build Your MLB Dream Team, and We'll Guess How Old You Are
Image: Fancy/Veer/Corbis / Corbis / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Ever since Abner Doubleday invented the game of baseball, the national pastime has undergone changes with every generation. At first, all teams were amateurs, but with Lip Pike, the first professional baseball player, the game changed. Then there were the two big leagues, National and American, in competition for fans. When they combined for the World Series, it was magical, and the formula was born. There was the deadball era. The expansion era. The steroid era. Every period had its heroes, and every hero has his fans. The baby boom generation watched as great teams from the Yankees and the Reds took the World Series by storm. Generation X had the Braves of the early 1990s, and Millennials have watched baseball history as the Red Sox, Cubs, and Giants all won World Series championships long overdue.

If you put together a dream MLB team, it may not be all down to your favorite players from your own age, but the sort of lore you were fed by your parents. If you take the time to put together a professional organization, we can guess with a high degree of accuracy how old you are. Really! Give this quiz a shot and find out!

You have to start your rotation somewhere. Who is the bullpen ace?
Clayton Kershaw
Cy Young
Nolan Ryan
Justin Verlander
Time to stick the power in the corner. Who gets relegated to right field?
Aaron Judge
Babe Ruth
Ichiro Suzuki
Giancarlo Stanton
Everyone needs a little relief, but some people need a lot! Who would you like in long relief?
Oliver Perez
Hoyt Wilhelm
Terry Mulholland
Rick Honeycutt

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This one will come out of nowhere: Who do you like for left field?
Matt Holliday
Ted Williams
Barry Bonds
Ryan Braun
What uniform would you like to see your dream team wearing?
Red Sox
Reds
Yankees
Dodgers
You've got a big open spot that needs patrolling. Who starts in center field?
Willie Mays
Ty Cobb
Joe DiMaggio
Mike Trout

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The bullpen roles are changing. Who would you like in middle relief?
Jon Lester. Wait, he is a reliever now, right?
Lee Smith
Joe Nathan
Jonathan Papelbon
The good news here is you can splurge like Steinbrenner in the 2000s! Who do you like as your backup catcher?
Yadier Molina
Yogi Berra
Mike Piazza
Jorge Posada
Second banana isn't so bad when you're a starting pitcher. Who slots in as your number two starting pitcher?
David Price
Bret Saberhagen
Andy Pettitte
CC Sabathia

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Time to pick who takes the biggest beating! Who is your backstop?
Buster Posey
Johnny Bench
Ivan Rodriguez
Joe Mauer
Every super hero needs a sidekick. Who would you pick as your setup man?
Fernando Rodney
Goose Gossage
Tom "Flash" Gordon
Billy Wagner
Don't ignore the utilities! Which player is your utility man?
Michael Young
Jeff Reboulet
Maicer Izturis
Ben Zobrist

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Who would you want managing this team?
Alex Cora
Connie Mack
Joe Torre
Bruce Bochy
Even some infielders need a cannon for an arm. Who stands in the hot corner, at third?
Adrián Beltré
Ozzie Smith
Mike Schmidt
Evan Longoria
You need someone to slam the door! Who do you like as your closer?
Edwin Diaz
Dennis Eckersley
Mariano Rivera
Blake Treinen

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Pitchers are notoriously superstitious, so number three could be lucky! Which pitcher makes it as your number three starter?
Jacob deGrom
Randy Johnson
Roger Clemens
Madison Bumgarner
The rules, they are a-changing. AL or NL, who rides the bench, as DH?
Chris Davis
Frank Thomas
Mark McGwire
Chase Utley
You don't have to be short in stature to be a great shortstop! Who starts at short?
Xander Bogaerts
Honus Wagner
Cal Ripken Jr.
Alex Rodriguez

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What clever larceny would you turn a blind eye to your team employing?
Designer steroids
Gaffing the ball, corking the bat, etc.
They can do anything they want for all I care.
Nothing. I'm puritanical about cheating.
Soft hands, but probably a soft arm: Who is your starting second baseman?
Robinson Cano
Rogers Hornsby
Rod Carew
José Altuve
Someone's gotta ride the bench. Who would you like as your backup outfielder?
Matt Kemp
Hank Aaron
Dave Kingman
Vladimir Guerrero

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Which maneuver do you want your team to emphasize?
Hidden ball trick
The suicide squeeze
The hit and run
The shift
Four is the lowest whole non-prime number! Whose arm is number four in your rotation?
Zack Greinke
Tim Keefe
Walter Johnson
Stephen Strasburg
You gotta have a plan B. Who acts as the backup first baseman in your dream team?
Joey Votto
Hank Greenberg
Harmon Killebrew
Paul Goldschmidt

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Where do you put your most powerful hitter in your lineup?
The #2 hole
#3 in the lineup
Cleanup
#5, behind someone struggling
How long should a starting pitcher be left on the mound?
1 inning
Until the unravel
At least 7 innings
5 innings
Five isn't the loneliest number, that's for sure! Which hurler rounds out your rotation?
Max Scherzer
Christy Mathewson
Orlando Hernandez
Pedro Martínez

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How do you measure the effectiveness of a batter on your squad?
OPS
RBI
WAR
Hits
Power, defense, both are needed at this position. Who stands watch over first base on your squad?
Anthony Rizzo
Jimmie Foxx
Don Mattingly
Albert Pujols
With all these big personalities, do you think your clubhouse will get along?
I'll pay them to get along.
Yes. Chemistry is tricky, but I think I nailed it.
For the most part, but I think talent would get them through any troubles there.
No, but I think their competitiveness with each other will mean they play hard.

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You Got: