MLB Players To Watch out for: 2021 Season…

Matthew Ventura ’22

Francisco Lindor

Mr. Smile himself was acquired by the New York Mets and so for this spring, he’s been an absolute pleasure to watch. He has been a major component for this explosive Mets lineup including stars like Michael Conforto, and Pete Alonso. He has tallied himself 4 homers, 11 RBI’s, and is hitting a whopping .341. If this performance continues, don’t be surprised if the Mets attempt to lock him in for a contract extension to delay his free agency season. 

Mike Trout

The current face of baseball is always a great player to watch. Going into his age 29 season, he is still going strong. If you are a baseball fan, be happy you are currently watching this superstar in his prime. You know the player is something special when his “off-season” includes him hitting 17 Homers, driving in 46 runs, and hitting .281 during a 60 game season. Trout is at the age where his full potential is still present as well as his speed, agility, and durability and that is something that we as baseball fans must cherish highly. The last time we have seen such a generational talent in an outfielder was Ken Griffey, Jr, and the time before that…? Mickey Mantle. 

Trevor Bauer 

The man with the biggest mouth during the offseason. I will put my personal bias about this man’s ego and off-the-field antics aside but I will agree on one thing: he is a one hell of a pitcher. During the off-season, he was quite the advocate for himself and he managed to land himself one of the highest paying contracts among starting pitchers. With his amazing agent Rachel Luba and his marketing skills over social media, we will see if it was all bark no bite, or both this season. He has had quite a rough spring and even got mashed for back to back to back homers against the Mariners. We will have to wait till the season starts to judge his full potential.

Jacob DeGrom

Now to transition to a much more humble pitcher: Jacob DeGrom has been extremely stellar in his last 3 seasons. From the 2018 season to present day, he currently has a 2.17 ERA, and is ranked second in league strikeouts–behind fellow division competitor Max Scherzer. It seems as if the ageless ace gets better as the seasons tick by. His average fastball velocity has risen since his debut season on the Mets by over 3mph which is remarkable considering the fact he is going into his age 33 seasons. As he continues to prove why he is the ace for this talented Mets rotation, the fans have high expectations for him on the quest for a third Cy Young trophy.

Tim Anderson

In my opinion the most underrated shortstop in the game. Anderson is coming off a shortened 2020 season with great potential and will join an exciting White Sox lineup. Not only does he have the stats to show for his importance, (.322 AVG, 10HR, 21RBI’s) he also exudes great energy in the clubhouse and amazing passion for the game and is very fun to watch.