It's the ultimate fantasy team, drafted by the ultimate baseball experts with the ultimate advantage of not having anyone else drafting against them.

And it's quite a squad, indeed. It's MLB's Best, position by position.

MLB.com's reporters recently sought out Major League scouts in their organizations to put together a survey of MLB's Best -- first broken down by tools and in this installment broken down by position.

The only challenge with this team might be putting together the lineup card, it's so full of talent.

So here's how it went, starting with the pitchers and moving through the positions:

(CLICK HERE FOR FULL RESULTS >>)

Starting pitcher
Tie: Josh Beckett/Johan Santana
Fair enough. Perhaps the game's top right-hander of the moment in Boston's Beckett and its top left-hander in Santana, who made the move from the Twins to the Mets this offseason.

With his first 20-win season last year, the 27-year-old Beckett is just hitting his career stride.

"He's just a horse," a scout said. "Just look what he's done every year when his team that he's pitching for gets into the playoffs. They just ride him. The Marlins rode him and so did the Red Sox."

As for Santana, the AL Cy Young Award winner in 2004 and '06, well, the scouts just fall all over themselves.

"If I have to win one game, he's my guy," one said. "His fastball and slider are among the best in the game, and his changeup is baseball's premier pitch."

Concurred another of his change: "The single best pitch in baseball."

Setup man
Jonathan Broxton
Maybe it seems like an upset, but the 23-year-old Dodgers right-hander has established a strong reputation in baseball circles. At 6-foot-4, 290 pounds, he's hard to miss.

"He's a young stud," a scout summed up.

The Yankees' Joba Chamberlain, another big (6-2, 230) and young (22) stud who made an impression in that role last year, finished second in the voting.

Closer
Jonathan Papelbon
While veteran Mariano Rivera registered second and all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman wasn't ignored, it's clear Boston's Papelbon is the closer of the present and future, in scouts' eyes.

One scout said, technically: "(He) goes to the filthy hard downward split after changing the hitter's eye level by elevating the fastball."

Said another, more esoterically: "It's time for Marino Rivera to pass the torch to Papelbon, who has pitched in big games."

Catcher
Russell Martin
A first-time All-Star in 2007, the latest in a long line of star Dodgers backstops, Martin has gained favor among the scouts quickly, scoring high with an all-around game.

"He's a Gold Glove defender with an impact bat and he can also run," a scout said of Martin. "It's very rare to find a catcher with that combination of skills."

First base
Albert Pujols
There's another Prince (Fielder) at first base these days in Milwaukee, but there's only one Prince Albert. The combination of power at the plate and stellar play at first puts the Cardinals' superstar a hands-down winner.

"He's the best hitter of our generation, and on top of that he plays peerless defense," said a scout. "There are a lot of good first basemen out there, but Pujols is clearly the best."

Second base
Chase Utley
A two-time Silver Slugger winner and an MVP-caliber performer, the Phillies' Utley has hitting machine written all over him but isn't one-dimensional by any stretch.

"He'd be a middle-of-the order bat for any team in baseball, but still takes great pride in his defense," said a scout. "He's a franchise player."

Third base
Alex Rodriguez
Perhaps the game's premier talent of the past decade coming off his career year, Rodriguez didn't lead a single category in the tools survey. But there's no doubt where he stands at his position and, by extension, among the game's elite.

"How could you not pick A-Rod at third base, especially with the season that he had?" a scout said of Rodriguez and a 54-homer, 156-RBI season in 2007 that earned him his third MVP.

Shortstop
Jimmy Rollins
J-Roll got his due in 2007 by winning the NL MVP, but Phillies fans have known about this talented, dynamic performer for years. He capped three straight years of 190-plus hits with 212 in 2007, including 20 triples and 30 homers, leading the Phillies into the playoffs.

Left field
Matt Holliday
The Rockies left fielder -- like Rollins, to whom Holliday finished a very close second in the MVP voting -- wasn't a secret to his team's fans, but he became a national figure last year well before he bounced his chin off the dirt at home plate to send the Rockies to the playoffs.

Or, as one scout put it: "The Rockies' pennant run finally brought him into the national spotlight, but Holliday has been one of the league's best players for a while now."

Center field
Carlos Beltran
This guy does it all, which explains how he went from relative obscurity to superstardom upon his trade from Kansas City to Houston and subsequent boffo free-agent deal with the Mets.

Let the drooling commence.

One comment: "He's a scout's dream ... He can hit, run, field, throw, and has big-time power. One of baseball's few true five-tool players."

And another: "His makeup, we can talk about all day. But to me, he's the most talented."

Right field
Vladimir Guerrero
The Angels' superb all-around player has been called many things in his day, but perhaps one scout says it best, with a comment that is stinging in its complimentary sincerity: "Freak of nature."

"The only problem is injuries," another scout said. "When he plays right, he can throw with anyone. He can run down anyone and he's a gifted offensive player."

Quite a ballclub, eh?

Now, if we can just get a manager ... but that might have to wait for another version of MLB's Best.

Meanwhile, a tip of the cap to the scouts who gave their opinions for this survey, serving up MLB's Best tools and players by position.

And a final note: After Ichiro Suzuki owned the tools category in our first installment, he couldn't possibly do the same in the position-by-position ratings -- in fact, one might notice he didn't make the squad. But, ironically, he's actually the only one who showed up twice, finishing second both in center field and his former spot in right field.

In the end, that tells you something about the depth of elite talent in the Major Leagues: Even the player with the best tools couldn't make the ultimate fantasy team.