The 2021 Major League Baseball is finally upon us! After a COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, we’re back to a full 182 games this year. This could be one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory, so get ready for it by reading my preview & predictions!
(Predicted order of finish)
- New York Yankees – If healthy (which hasn’t been easy for the Yanks in recent years) the Yankees should win the division with relative ease. They have the best lineup in the AL on paper with the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and DJ LeMahieu. New York should put the bomb back in Bronx Bombers by leading the league in home runs. Gerrit Cole is an ace and the rotation has been bolstered by the additions of Corey Kubler & James Taillon. The rotation will only get stronger once Luis Servino returns from Tommy John surgery sometime in July/August. Starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery returned last season after missing most of the previous 2 seasons due to a Tommy John injury. If he can stay healthy, he’s in for a big breakout season. The Yankees should really finish the season with the best record in the AL as long as they aren’t struck with the injury bug once again.
- Toronto Blue Jays (wild card) – The Blue Jays struck gold in free agency adding George Springer and Marcus Semien to a potent lineup featuring young stars like Vlad Guerrero Jr & Bo Bichette. I think that Vlad Jr takes a big leap this season and leads Toronto’s offense back into the playoffs. Steven Matz helps form a solid rotation with Hyun Jin Ryu & Robbie Ray, and I expect a big breakout season on the mound by Nate Pearson. The Jays took a bit of a hit this spring when newly signed closer Kirby Yates was lost to Tommy John Surgery, but Jordan Romano has the goods to be a fine, if not better, replacement. The Blue Jays are a young team on the rise and will push the Yankees at the beginning of the season before fading at the end. But the future is bright in Toronto and they should be in the playoffs this year.
- Tampa Rays – The defending AL East Champs always just seem to contend each year, but I’m predicting some regression as a whole this season. Offfensively, the Rays need Randy Arozarena to replicate his amazing October throughout his first full regular season. This is a lineup that will get better as the season goes on, especially when young stars like Wander Franco start to make their way up from the minors. I’m still in shock that the Rays traded away Blake Snell, but Tyler Glasnow is a future Cy Young winner in his own right, so there’s still talent left in the rotation. The Rays have put a lot of faith in veteran pitchers Michael Wacha, Chris Archer, and Rich Hill, but Tampa will take a step back this season due to their pitching issues. Tampa won’t be a total walkover and will be back to contending in the AL East again soon, but just not this season.
- Boston Red Sox – Boston looks like a team that is just stuck in the mud. They haven’t completely torn things down for a rebuild, but they also didn’t add any real pieces to contend either. The Red Sox desperately need JD Martinez to lead this offense as he did in 2019, but I think that the best is behind him. Ace Chris Sale is recovering from Tommy John surgery and should pitch at some point this season. This is a rotation that desperately needs him as well. Boston should be sellers when the trade deadline hits, and maybe then a proper and necessary rebuild can finally begin.
- Baltimore Orioles – The bad news? Baltimore is a long way from even being an average baseball team. The good news is that they have one of the game’s best stories in Trey Mancini. Mancini missed the 2020 season due to colon cancer, and I believe that he will be the Orioles best player and an all-star, capping off a truly inspirational season. Catcher Adley Rutschman remains one of the most exciting prospects in baseball & should be called up by the end of the year. Baltimore will be one of the worst teams in baseball, but Camden Yards is still a truly beautiful place to see a ball game, so there’s that!
- Chicago White Sox – The White Sox were my pick to win the AL before one of their young stars, Eloy Jiminez, went down with an injury that will see him miss 5-6 months. While their margin of error is smaller now, they should still win a close AL Central race. The offense is full of pop and swagger and features reigning AL MVP Jose Abreu and 2019 batting champion Tim Anderson. Luis Robert also has all the tools to be one of the best players in the game real soon. Their rotation is stronger with the addition of the underrated Lance Lynn and they also added elite closer, Liam Hendriks, to an already strong bullpen. Watch out for young flamethrowers Garrett Crochet and Michael Kopech, both throw over 100 MPH and will start out in the bullpen. They should become really fun to watch starters at some point in their careers, possibly this season. Manager Tony La Russa is the real wild card here. La Russa, who coached the Sox 35 years ago, has 3 World Series rings but I wonder if the game gas passed him by and if he will be able to coach up this new generation of players.
- Minnesota Twins (Wild card) – The Twins still have one of the best offenses in baseball, even if they didn’t do much this offseason. Miguel Sano, Nelson Cruz, and Josh Donaldson are a strong offensive trio, but Cruz will turn 41 during the season, so I do wonder just how much he has left in the tank. Big-time prospect Alex Kiriloff will start the season off in the minors but should join Byron Buxton to form an impressive 1-2 punch in the outfield at some point this season. Kent Maeda leads a solid Twins rotation and he finished second in the AL Cy Young voting last season. The Twins have a lot of risks when it comes to injuries and age, but they should push the White Sox all season long. Ultimately, Minnesota will settle for one of the AL wild-card spots, but they could do better (or worse) depending on health & production.
- Cleveland Indians – Offensively, the Indians took a big hit when they traded Francisco Lindor to the Mets. The Indians weren’t an offensive powerhouse last season, and this season their offense could wind up being downright anemic especially when compared to their pitching. Jose Ramirez looking like an MVP hitter in 2020, but I’m not sure that he can do it for an entire season. Cleveland’s strength is still its pitching led by reigning AL Cy Young winner Shane Bieber. Biebs is joined in the strong rotation by Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale, and Triston McKenzie. McKenzie, only 23 years old, still has some learning to do but he looks like a future star in the MLB. The Indians pitching will only carry them so far and a lack of offense will be their undoing in 2021.
- Kansas City Royals – The Royals won’t be a pushover this year and it all begins with Adalberto Mondesi who has all the potential to put up MVP numbers. KC also added former Red Sox rising star Andrew Benintendi who will benefit from a change of scenery. Bobby Witt Jr is an exciting young prospect who will the lineup this summer as well. The Royals rotation has some surprising depth with Mike Minor, Brad Keller, Danny Duffy, and Brady Singer. This is an underrated group that could wind up being sneaky good. Kansas City is picked as a surprise team by many this year, but I think they’re still a good 2-3 years away from truly contending for a playoff spot.
- Detroit Tigers – The most interesting thing about the Tigers this year will be watching 37-year-old Miguel Cabrera chase history. It’s possible that Miggy, an 11-time all-star and world series champion, could reach 500 home runs and 3,000 hits this season. He is 134 hits away and 13 home runs away from these historic numbers that will solidify him as a first-ballot hall of famer. Spencer Torkelson is the #3 prospect in baseball, but he had an awful spring training and clearly isn’t ready for the big time yet. Some people believe that Detroit has a future solid rotation led by Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal, but this team has a long way to go back to respectability.
- Los Angeles Angels – The Angels could be a very exciting team this season. This spring I’ve seen Shohei Ohtani throw 100 MPH and also hit a nearly 500 ft home run. We haven’t seen a two-way player like this since Babe Ruth, and I believe this is the first full season he puts it all together on both sides of the field. Mike Trout is the best player of his generation and this is the best offensive team that he’s been on so far in Los Angeles, which also includes MVP-level talent Anthony Rendon. It’s easy to overlook Trout because of the lack of postseason success that he’s experienced in LA, but we all should appreciate more just how great of a player he is and we’re lucky to be able tow watch him play. Dylan Bundy has seen his career resurrected in LA and I think this is the year we finally see just how good of a pitcher Ohtani can be. The rest of the rotation is average at best, but that’s ok. The Angels will win the division with an average rotation because of all-star performances from Ohtani and Bundy combined with a scary fun offense.
- Oakland Athletics– Never count out the Oakland Athletics, and this year is no different. Every spring training there are concerns about players that they’ve lost and all Oakland does is continuously respond by sticking around the playoff picture. Offensively Sean Murphy is a future star at catcher and Matt Olson and Matt Chapman should be in for big bounce-back years as well. The A’s will once again have an underrated rotation led by Frankie Montas and Jesus Luzardo. I’m a big believer in AJ Puk, the A’s top pitching prospect, and I think that by the end of the season he’ll leave the bullpen and finally flash his true potential as a starter. Oakland will be in the division and wild card hunt, and as always, bet against Oakland at your own risk.
- Houston Astros– The Astros offense is banking on bounce-back seasons from Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa along with a return to health and production from Yordan Alvarez. They will need all three to step up especially since George Springer is now in Toronto and I’m just not sure they’ll get it. Houston’s rotation of Jose Urquidy, Framber Valdez, Lance McCullers Jr, Zack Grienke, Cristian Javier is the team’s strength. Justin Verlander, a free agent after this year, is 37 years old and recovering from Tommy John surgery, so there is a real chance that we will not see him pitch for the Astros again. The Astros are still a good team, and it would be no surprise if they win the division or a wild card spot, but I think that this is the year that they take a step back.
- Seattle Mariners– Mariners President/Ceo Kevin Mather resigned in late February after he made inappropriate comments at a Rotary Club meeting. That’s likely the biggest news that Mariners fans will see this season. Kyle Lewis won the AL Rookie of the Year last season, but he’s already dealing with an injury issue. Top prospect outfielder Jarred Kelenic will reach the majors at some point, and while he’s really exciting, there’s really not much else to like in this lineup. Justin Dunn and Justus Sheffield will form a solid 1-2 pitching punch for the Mariners in the future, but not quite yet. Starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi came over from Japan in 2019 and if he finally puts it all together, 2021 could be his breakout campaign. Seattle is another team that is a few seasons away, at best, from contending.
- Texas Rangers– The Rangers are in full rebuild mode and it could be ugly for a long while down in Arlington. While Joey Gallo isn’t a consistent hitter, he can sure kill a ball when he gets the chance. He could lead the league in home runs, but he could also lead the league in strike outs. He’s still fun to watch when he gets hot and he’s actually turned himself into a better player defensively as well. The Rangers got Dane Dunning, a nice young starting pitcher with tons of potential from the White Sox in exchange for Lance Lynn. Texas however has a long way to go and will spend a few seasons in the AL West basement.
- Atlanta Braves – Last year the Braves came really close to beating the Dodgers and they could wind up being even better this year. The offense is loaded with reigning NL MVP Freddie Freeman, future NL MVP Ronald Acuna, and all-star Marcell Ozuna. This year, I believe that Acuna will join an elite group of Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, A-Rod, & Alfonso Soriano and become the 5th player in MLB history to join the 40/40 club (home runs/stolen bases). Atlanta’s rotation of Max Fried, Charlie Morton, Ian Anderson, and Drew Smyly is really solid and will only become stronger when Mike Soroka returns from injury. This rotation has the possibility to be good enough to lead the Braves all the way through the playoffs. The Braves will be pushed by an improved Mets squad but they will ultimately win the close NL East, the toughest division in baseball. The Braves are also really one of only three teams (Los Angeles, San Diego) who have the possibility of making the World Series from the National League this year, sorry fans of other teams.
- New York Mets (wild card) – New Mets owner Steve Cohen made a splash this offseason and quickly improved an already talented Mets squad. New York traded for former Indians star SS Francisco Lindor and added him to a lineup featuring Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, and Michael Conforto. The Mets have now the most offensive pop that they’ve had in many seasons. Jacob deGrom remains arguably the best pitcher in baseball until further notice, but he’s going to need some help and health behind him in the rotation. Carlos Carrasco came over from Cleveland with Lindor, but he’ll be out to start the season with a hamstring tear. Noah Syndergaard is also recovering from injury and he should return in May/June. Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker should be able to help deGrom steady the ship until the rotation is completely healthy. The Mets will be in the playoffs this season, I just think it’ll be the wild card spot but I also wouldn’t be surprised if they sneak out a close division title as well.
- Washington Nationals – The Nationals simply have too much talent to not compete, even in a tough division. Outfielder Juan Soto is a truly exciting player and a future MVP in the NL, maybe even this year. I think the offseasons additions of Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber make an already solid lineup featuring Starlin Castro, Trea Turner, and Victor Robles even scarier. The Nationals easily have the strongest veteran rotation in baseball with Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, Joe Ross, & Jon Lester. Closer Brand Hand was brought in on a 1-year deal to help solidify the bullpen. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Nationals are in the hunt for a playoff spot at the end of the season, there’s just too much talent here to disregard as long as they stay healthy.
- Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies were able to bring back all-star catcher JT Realmuto this off-season and that move was more important than all of their free-agent moves combined. Bryce Harper’s contract however will continue to look worse each season as he once again proves that he’s not the transcendent player that Philadelphia is paying him to be. 3B Alec Bohm can hit for a solid average and decent power, so he could be in for a breakout hitting season. He’s a liability on the field however and this is a very leaky defense overall as well. Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler are a solid 1-2 punch, but there are a lot of big question marks in the rotation behind them. The Phillies bullpen won’t be historically bad like they were last season, but they’re still a big weakness that will drag down the rest of the team. Look for the longest playoff drought in the national league to continue this year in Philadelphia.
- Miami Marlins – The Marlins surprised everyone last year by sneaking into an expanded playoff, but this year they won’t be so lucky. Offensively, the Marlins won’t be scoring a lot of runs again this season which is why they won’t be able to cotend over 162 games. 3B Brian Anderson and OF Starling Marte are solid, but the rest of the lineup is fairly unimpressive. Highly regarded 2B prospect Jazz Chisholm will surprisingly start the season in the majors and the Marlins are hoping that he’s a future star. Sixto Sanchez is one of those pitchers that is worth watching every start. Sanchez, Pablo Lopez, and Sandy Alcantara are on a trajectory to be one of the best 1-2-3 rotations in baseball in the near future. If the Marlins keep all of their strong young pieces around, they’ll at least be in the playoffs again in a season or two, just not this year.
- St. Louis Cardinals – St. Louis made a huge splash this offseason by trading for Rockies 3B Nolan Arenado, one of the best players offensively and defensively in all of baseball. 1B Paul Goldschmidt is still a solid veteran middle of the lineup presence and the Cardinals have a young outfield full of potential. The defense in St. Louis will once again be a strength, especially with the addition of Arenado and the return of catcher Yadier Molina. The Cardinals rotation is led by Jack Flaherty and they have tons of depth in their pitching rotation, which they will need with starters Kwang-Hyun Kim and Miles Mikolas starting out the season injured. Adam Wainwright is around still defying father time, but St. Louis will really need Carlos Martinez to step it up this year. St. Louis will be vastly improved offensively from last season, but their pitching and defense are still their bread & butter. The Central is up for grabs this season and while any of these top three teams could win it, I think the Cardinals have the edge right now solely based on the addition of Arenado.
- Milwaukee Brewers – Can Christian Yelich return to MVP form for the Brew crew? If so, Milwaukee could be a sleeper team in the National League. I expect a big breakout season from 2B Keston Hiura who has all the tools to be one of the best at his position. Another X-factor for Milwaukee is Lorenzo Cain who played five games before opting out of the rest of the 2020 season due to the COVID pandemic. The Brewers are another team in this division with a great defense. Don’t you dare sleep on Milwaukee’s vastly underrated 1-2 pitching punch of Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes, both of whom have the potential to win 20 games. Relief pitchers Josh Hader and Devin Williams are two of the best in the game, and when you’ve got a great bullpen and two solid starting pitchers, anything is possible. It wouldn’t surprise me if Milwaukee wins this division as this is a division that really could come down to the last day of the regular season.
- Chicago Cubs – Are the Cubs pretenders or contenders? On one hand, you’ve got a solid lineup that features Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Wilson Contreras. All four of those players have all-star potential if they produce like they’re capable of and they have the ability to make most teams a contender. On the other hand, after losing Yu Darvish and Jon Lester, there’s a lot of questions with this starting rotation. Kyle Hendricks has been quietly consistent and rookie Adbert Alzolay has tons of potential, but this is a rotation that isn’t built to strike a lot of people out. It’s a rotation with a lot of question marks that’s built to pitch to contact, which is why it will ultimately be Chicago’s downfall. Chicago’s pitching will hold them back and we will see Chicago sell off a few of their stars during the season in preparation for a new rebuild of sorts.
- Cincinnati Reds – The Reds went for it last season, and it paid off with nothing but a quick exit from the expanded playoffs. To make matters worse, Cincinnati lost 2020’s Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer to the Dodgers in free agency. So what’s left? Last year Cincinnati’s offense was vastly disappointed but you’d have to think that an offense that features Mike Moustakas, Nick Castellanos, Nick Senzel, Eugenio Suarez, and Joey Votto has to bounce back this year right? I’m not so sure. The Reds rotation still has two strong pitchers in Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray, but I believe one or both will be traded during the season. I think that this is a Reds team trending in the wrong direction which means a huge step backward this year and selling off some of their parts.
- Pittsburgh Pirates – The good news for the rest of the division is that they all get to play the Pirates. Pittsburgh is a terribly run organization that was really bad last year and will be even worse this season after trading Josh Bell and Joe Musgrove. 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes is a future star and the frontrunner in my opinion for Rookie of the Year in the NL. Enjoy him while you can Pirates fans because knowing your organization you’ll ship him off too in a few seasons. Rotation “ace” Mitch Kellar has Tyler Glasnow 2.0 written all over him in that he’s likely going to disappoint in Pittsburgh but become a good pitcher somewhere else. The Pirates will fight it out with the Orioles, Tigers, and Rockies for the title of worst team in baseball, and I think Pittsburgh will take the crown this year.
- Los Angeles Dodgers – Last year’s champions got even better this year, and that should scare fans of other teams across baseball. Their lineup which features Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner, Corey Seager, Max Muncy, and Will Smith is completely stacked. Betts, Seager, and Bellinger could all win NL MVP this year, but I think they will take votes away from each other (the only real negative I can say about this team). This is as complete of a lineup as there is in baseball right now, and they’ve also got depth to deal with any injury issues that may pop up. Los Angles has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to pitching, and that was before adding Trevor Bauer. Clayton Kershaw, Bauer, Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, and Dustin May are such a great rotation that guys like David Price and Tony Gonsolin who would start for most other MLB teams, come out of the bullpen. The Padres have gotten better in a hurry, but I don’t think anyone pushes Los Angeles this year, and the Dodgers cruise through the season while also chasing history when it comes to most regular-season wins in National League history.
- San Diego Padres (wild card) – On paper, the Padres clearly won the offseason and they could very well be the 2nd best team in the NL or possibly all of baseball. SS Fernando Tatis Jr is the real deal and one of the new exciting faces of the game. 3B Manny Machado is a future hall of famer and provides one of the best hitting combos in basbeball. Catcher Austin Nola and outfielder Trent Grisham will both start the season injured, but I expect both to have their first full breakout seasons this year. The Padres have depth across the board to deal with injuries that may pop up during the season. The rotation is absolutely loaded now with newcomers Yu Darvish and Blake Snell joining Dinelson Lamet, Joe Musgrove, and Chris Paddack. Alot of their big name pitchers have been plagued in the past by injuries and/or inconsistent performances, but there’s as much potential here as any team in MLB. The Padres really have gotten better quickly, but at least this year they’re still second best. It’s only a matter of time however before the Padres win the franchises’s first World Series title.
- Arizona Diamondbacks – Arizona’s biggest concern is on offense where they need to have some bounceback/break out performances if they’re going to compete for a wild card spot. OF Ketel Marte had a down 2020 after an impressive 2019, but I think he’s in for a big bounceback this year. One breakout star to look out for is 3B Josh Rojas who has had tons of buzz this spring training. The strength of the DBacks remains its rotation. Madison Bumgarner had a disappointing first year in Arizona, but he’s still too talented to have two bad years in a row. Zac Gallen, who starts the season with a small fracture in his arm, is one of the most underrated pitchers in basbeall and he will win at least one Cy Young award in the near future. Arizona’s solid rotation will keep them respectable this year, but they’re likely not looking at a playoff spot this year.
- San Francisco Giants – While the Giants still have three holders (Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, and Brandon Belt) from their championship teams in 2012 & 2014 the sun is quickly setting on their careers. This is a team that isn’t completely rebuilding but they’re also not contenders either. The Giants best player is Mike Yastrzemski (Carl’s grandson) but he was a 28 year old rookie in 2019, so he’s likely already hit his ceiling. Kevin Gausman and Johnny Cueto provide the Giants with an underrated 1-2 pitching punch, but there’s a lot of other questions with the rest of the rotation. This is a quickly aging Giants team that’s too good to be awful, but also too uninspiring to really be any good.
- Colorado Rockies – The Rockies traded away one of their best players this offseason (Nolan Arenado) and their next best player, SS Trevor Story will also likely be moved by the trade deadline. Story is a great athlete and a lot of fun to watch, but there’s no reason for a rebuilding team this bad to keep him around. OF Charlie Blackmon is still solid at 34 years old, but don’t be surprised if the Rockies trade him away too. 1B CJ Cron will likely have the best year of his career now that he is hitting in the thin air of Denver. The Rockies starting pitching really has never been good, and while some people will blame it on the atmosphere, I blame it on the fact that Colorado has been one of the worst drafting teams in MLB in recent years. For Rockies fans, at least Coors Field is a really beautiful place to watch a baseball game and the altitude will always inflate their players numbers offensively..
NLCS: Los Angeles Dodgers over Atlanta Braves – The Braves pushed the Dodgers to 7 games in last’s year NLCS, but this Dodgers team is even better and will win the NLCS in 5 games.
ALCS: New York Yankees over Chicago White Sox – The White Sox will give the Yankees all they can handle, but New York will outslug the still-developing White Sox and win the ALCS in 7 games.
World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over New York Yankees– These cross-country rivals will meet for the 12th time in the history of the World Series which will become the most-watched Series in recent years. The Dodgers are loaded and built to withstand almost anything, which means they cool down the Yankees’ firepower and win the World Series in 6 games.
AL MVP – Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angeles) – I believe the AL MVP is coming down to teammates Mike Trout & Shohei Ohtani, and the reason why I give the edge to Ohtani is that I believe he’s going to have a Babe Ruth-esque type of season both hitting and pitching which will make his MVP case too hard to ignore.
AL Cy Young – Lucas Gioloto (Chicago White Sox) – The ALCY is wide open, but I’ll give Lucas the nod here over the Rays Tyler Glasnow since I predict Lucas to win over 20 games and lead the AL in strikeouts.
AL Rookie of the Year- Randy Arozarena (Tampa Rays) – After what we saw from Randy in the playoffs for the Rays, I think any other prediction than him would just be silly.
NL MVP- Ronald Acuna (Atlanta Braves) – The NL MVP should come down to either Braves or Dodgers position player (Sorry Juan Soto of the Nationals), but I think Acuna puts up the first 40/40+ season since 2006, and in doing so takes the MVP.
NL Cy Young – Jacob deGrom (New York Mets) – deGrom is the best pitcher in baseball right now and should lead MLB in strikeouts for a contending Mets team. That equals an easy NLCY for the Met’s ace.
NL Rookie of the Year- Ke’Bryan Hayes (Pittsburgh Pirates) – The Pirates are going to be really bad, but Hayes is a star in the making and should win the NLROY with his combo of athleticism and power.
