The MLB will be returning to regular-season action on April 1st, 2021. They are only about 6 months removed from a wacky and exciting 60 game season that ended with the Dodgers finally being crowned World Series champions after years of close World Series losses. The 2021 season should be a return to relative normalcy, and we’ll be crowning a World Series champion after a whopping 162 regular-season games and a stretch of playoff baseball that always brings excitement in October. Here’s a bold (some probably a little too bold) and hopeful prediction for every MLB team that is about to begin the 6-month marathon that is Major League Baseball.
Arizona Diamondbacks – Zac Gallen wins the NL Cy Young award
Gallen was supposed to be a middle-of-the-rotation guy for a Diamondbacks team that was in the wild card race at the time of his acquisition. He’s outperformed every pitcher on the Diamondbacks roster since joining the team, including former all-star Madison Bumgarner. He has a career ERA of 2.78 entering his 5th MLB season. This prediction doesn’t seem too bold for a guy with a sub-3.00 ERA in his career, but keep in mind that he’ll have to pitch against the Padres and Dodgers in the stacked NL West. Gallen will overcome this task and handle these two stacked teams en route to a surprise Cy Young-winning season. The Diamondbacks will need this and probably a few more pleasant surprises to be in playoff contention this season though.
Atlanta Braves – Freddie Freeman wins back to back MVPs
Freddie Freeman was absolutely amazing over the shortened 60 game season in 2020, and he’s been a consistent and reliable presence in the Brave’s lineup for almost a decade. After posting a .341/.462/.640 slash line last season, he’s shown that he can get on base in a number of ways. Having an OBP of .462 would be a very difficult number to replicate or surpass over 162 games, but he has shown no signs of regression yet. Freddie Freeman is one of the best hitters in the league, and there’s no reason to think that he can’t repeat as the National League’s Most Valuable Player hitting alongside Ronald Acuña, Dansby Swanson, Ozzie Albies, Marcell Ozuna, and the rest of that potent Braves lineup in 2021.
Baltimore Orioles – Trey Mancini hits 30 home runs and has 100 RBIs in his return from colon cancer
Trey Mancini missed all of the shortened 2020 season undergoing treatment for colon cancer after breaking out for 35 HRs and 97 RBIs in 2019. No matter what team you root for, you have to respect and support Mancini for his battle against cancer and he will be playing with a major chip on his shoulder. He’ll be hitting in the heart of a dismal Orioles lineup and they’ll rely heavily on his bat to be competitive this season. There is no reason to think that Mancini couldn’t match his 2019 form or surpass it in 2021. Regardless of his play, he has the support of the entire MLB and their fans for his brave battle against colon cancer.
Boston Red Sox – Alex Verdugo is named an all star in his first chance as a full time player in a 162 game season
Alex Verdugo was a huge piece in the trade for Mookie Betts, this trade already netted the Dodgers a World Series victory. It’s time for the players involved in the return for Mookie Betts to start making a splash at the major league level. The most likely to break out is Alex Verdugo, who has all the tools to be a star in the league. Verdugo batted .308 with 6 HRs and 15 RBIs in his first season in Boston last year. He provided a spark to a disappointing Red Sox lineup and should do it again along with other all-star caliber players like Rafael Devers, J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts. The opportunity is right in front of Verdugo going into this season, and the Red Sox front office is hoping that he can provide an all-star caliber season and prove that the Mookie Betts trade wasn’t highway robbery for the Dodgers.
Chicago Cubs – Jake Arrieta pitches to a sub-3.00 ERA in his return to Chicago
This is a rather bold prediction, given that Arrieta pitched to a 4.36 ERA over his last three seasons, all of which were played for the Phillies. Arrieta has a great chance to bounce back in a familiar place though, as he spent 5 full seasons pitching for the Cubs earlier in his career. In his tenure with Cubs, he went 68-31 with a 2.73 ERA. He won the 2015 Cy Young award and is still the last Cubs pitcher to win a playoff game, despite last stepping on the mound for them in 2017. A fresh start in a place that Arrieta had already succeeded in could put him back on track and give the Cubs some much-needed help in their starting rotation that already lost a Cy Young contender in Yu Darvish during the off-season. Arrieta could very well benefit from the change of scenery and flourishes in his return to Chicago.
Chicago White Sox – Eloy Jiménez wins the AL MVP award
Eloy Jiménez is a superstar in the making, and he’s entering only his 3rd season in the majors. A lot of the attention in this dangerous White Sox lineup goes to last year’s MVP Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson, and Luis Robert, but Jiménez may be the best hitter on the team. He hit 31 HRs and 79 RBIs in his first season and followed it up with 14 HRs and 41 RBIs in a shortened 2020 season. There’s no doubt that this White Sox lineup will be among the best in the league, but many casual fans overlook arguably their best hitter. Jiménez deserves more attention, and he’ll finally be getting his well-deserved attention in 2021, en route to an AL MVP and hopeful World Series run on a dangerous White Sox team.
Cincinnati Reds – Eugenio Suárez leads the league in home runs after a disappointing 2020 season
To say that the Reds were disappointing last season would be an understatement. They had a solid lineup filled with many players obtained on big free-agent contracts, as well as one of the best rotations in all of baseball. Trevor Bauer was amazing and won the NL Cy Young award in 2020, but the offense was extremely unreliable despite the many star players littered across the lineup card. They batted a collective .212 during the 2020 season and were held scoreless in the first game of their playoff series against the Braves for a whopping 13 innings as Trevor Bauer delivered an absolute gem on the mound to try and keep them in the game, though it was to no avail. Suárez, as well as many other players on the Reds roster, will look to bounce back in 2021 after a lackluster season in 2020. Eugenio Suárez has plenty of power and the ability to lead the league in home runs over a full season, but he’ll have to avoid the severe slumps that have plagued him over various points in his career. The Reds will need a big season out of him and probably many others in order to make a playoff push after a disappointing season in 2020.
Cleveland Indians – Triston McKenzie wins the AL Rookie of the Year award
The Indians used to have the best rotation in baseball. In fact, they had Shane Bieber and Trevor Bauer at one point last year. Those two pitchers both went on to win the Cy Young award in the 2020 season. While Bieber is still in Cleveland, they have traded away the rest of what was once a lethal rotation. Trevor Bauer, Corey Kluber, Mike Clevinger, and Carlos Carrasco are all gone now. It will be impossible to replace their production this year, but Triston McKenzie could at least account for some of it. He was stellar in his debut season in 2020, going 2-1 with a 3.24 ERA. He showed signs of being a long-time piece of this Indians’ rotation, unless they decide to trade him away too. He could take advantage of a full season of pitching and snag the AL Rookie of the Year award unexpectedly from some of the other betting favorites.
Colorado Rockies – Trevor Story wins the NL MVP award
After trading away Nolan Arenado for virtually nothing, the Rockies are expected to be among the bottom feeders of the league in 2021 and beyond. There might not be a team that is more dependent on one player than the Rockies’ dependence on Trevor Story. He’s among the league’s best shortstops and will play his home games in the very hitter-friendly Coors Field in Denver. Any success that the Rockies have this year will most likely come off the bat of Trevor Story. Since entering the league, Trevor Story has 162 game averages of a .277 batting average, with 36 home runs and 101 runs batted in. He has a great chance to exceed all of these averages and provides a huge source of offense for the Rockies. If this Rockies team is even close to the playoff hunt in the later months of the season, it will be because of Story, and he should get MVP consideration regardless of their finish. He has a lot on his shoulders this season, and he could succeed greatly and take home the NL’s Most Valuable Player award as a result of it.
Detroit Tigers – Miguel Cabrera reaches the 500 home run mark, as well as the 3000 hit mark during this season
Miguel Cabrera is nearing the end of a Hall of Fame career and is inching closer to many historic checkpoints that very few players have ever reached. Two of these marks are the 500 home run club and the 3000 hit club. Cabrera will need 134 hits and 13 home runs to join these very prestigious clubs in 2021. While these are possible, they won’t be easy for Cabrera. His play has dropped off quite a bit from the 2 time MVP we saw in his prime. Everyone is rooting for Cabrera to reach these marks and find success in 2021 though, and he may have enough left in the tank to reach these landmarks. The Tigers are a few years away from competing for a playoff spot as they are in the midst of a major rebuild, but they are still hoping to see good signs and production from the plethora of young talent at all levels of their farm system. The fans are hoping to see Miguel Cabrera make history, as his playing days are becoming numbered. He may provide some excitement to a Tigers team that will still be looking for anything to be excited about at this point in their rebuild.
Houston Astros – Yordan Alvarez bounces back from a lost 2020 season and wins the AL MVP award
The Houston Astros are a team that is loaded with talented hitters at the major league level, and perhaps the most intriguing hitter is Yordan Alvarez, who missed all but 2 games in 2020 due to a bout with COVID-19 and surgery on both knees. In his rookie season though, he was spectacular. He batted .313 with 27 HRs and 78 RBIs in only 87 games. If he was able to come anywhere close to that level of production in 2021, he would easily win the AL MVP award. He is a rising star that many have forgotten about after a lost 2020 season, but he will be a problem for opposing pitchers if he can stay healthy. We have yet to see Alvarez over a full 162 game season, and it will be quite a treat if he stays on the field and matches the production that he has had through his young career thus far. Yordan Alvarez is a superstar in the making, and he could definitely be in the running for the AL MVP award this year.
Kansas City Royals – Jorge Soler and Whit Merrifield lead the Royals to the playoffs
The Royals would shock many fans if they snuck into the playoffs in 2021. They have quietly built a great offense and could get good enough production from their pitching staff to fuel a playoff run. Jorge Soler and Andrew Benintendi would have to both bounce back in big ways, after having disappointing seasons in 2020. They would also need many pitchers to emerge as viable options over the course of a full season. Mike Minor and Brady Singer may be the biggest X-Factors, they’ll need to find a lot of success in 2021 if the Royals are going to make a playoff push. The Royals are well coached and have plenty of weapons on offense, they might be good enough to shock a lot of people and sneak into the playoffs in 2021.
Los Angeles Angels – Shohei Ohtani bats over .300 and pitches to a sub-3.00 ERA
Shohei Ohtani was a player who was supposed to change baseball forever when he signed with the Angels out of Japan in 2018. Injuries have kept baseball fans from witnessing the two-way sensation in full effect. He has proven himself as a great hitter in the heart of the Angels batting order already, but his pitching has come along much slower. He has many elite pitching traits that could translate into a productive season on the mound for the Angels in 2021, but he’ll have to avoid injuries. If Ohtani can stay healthy and avoid unexpected regression, he will be a superstar in 2021 as the two-way player that he was advertised to be when he came to the United States. There is no reason that Shohei Ohtani couldn’t be both a pitching ace and middle-of-the-order batter, and he’ll finally showcase that talent in 2021 for an Angels team that will need more production from people not named Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon in order to have a chance at the playoffs.
Los Angeles Dodgers – Walker Buehler bounces back and wins the NL Cy Young award
The Dodgers are simply the best team in baseball, there is hardly a debate over that. They marched to a World Series championship last season and they did it without Walker Buehler being as dominant as he was expected to be by many analysts. Being sandwiched in a rotation led by Clayton Kershaw and Trevor Bauer could allow for Buehler to have his best season yet. Much of the attention will go to the former Cy Young winners on this team, and it may be the kind of situation that makes Buehler the next pitcher on this stacked Dodgers team to win the award. He has all the tools to be the best pitcher in all of baseball and he could very well prove this in 2021. The greatest competition for this award may come from his own clubhouse, but Buehler has the potential to successfully battle his way to a Cy Young award, whether he’s trying to outperform players from his team or from other teams.
Miami Marlins – A young and talented pitching staff leads the Marlins back to the playoffs
The Marlins shocked the majority of the baseball world by making the playoffs last season. As if that wasn’t enough, they swept the Chicago Cubs in the first round before being eliminated by the Braves. They are playing in a stacked NL East that’ll provide many obstacles to a potential playoff run, but they may surprise everyone once again in 2021. With Sixto Sánchez, Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez, and eventually Edward Cabrera on this pitching staff, the Marlins could be very hard to score on. If they get solid production out of their bullpen and batting order, they’ll be in the playoff hunt. This is a team on the rise that has enough young talent to build a playoff team, they will hopefully be able to maximize this talent and make the playoffs in 2021 and beyond. The future is bright in Miami, and they could surprise a lot of people again this season if all goes according to plan.
Milwaukee Brewers – Christian Yelich bounces back and leads the Brewers to the top of a weak NL Central division
After winning the NL MVP award in 2018 and almost winning it again in 2019, Christian Yelich completely fell apart in 2020. He batted a paltry .205 and the Brewers weren’t able to make the playoffs. Yelich will definitely improve from his weak numbers in 2020, and the NL Central is up for grabs. The Brewers could win the division and make the playoffs in 2021, but it’ll require a great season from Yelich and strong play from the rest of the batting order. The starting rotation is weak, so the bullpen and batting order will have their work cut out for them if they want to be atop the division at the end of the year. A strong season from Yelich and some of the other Brewers could be enough to propel this team into the playoffs, as they look to take advantage of a weak NL Central in 2021.
Minnesota Twins – Nelson Cruz will continue to defy Father Time and hit 40 home runs
Nelson Cruz will be 40 years old during the 2021 season, and most other players never even see the field at that age. Retirement or having their production fall off drastically are usually the main reasons for this. Nelson Cruz is almost the opposite, he’s seemingly improved every year of his career. He became an elite presence in the batting order with the Baltimore Orioles at the age of 33. Since then, he’s hit at least 37 home runs in every season. There’s no reason that Father Time catches Cruz now, and he very well could continue to thrive in 2021. 40 home runs is almost unheard of at his age, but Nelson Cruz may once again prove that age is just a number and smash 40 home runs for a Twins team that will need his bat to make a deep run in the playoffs.
New York Mets – Jacob deGrom pitches to a sub-2.00 ERA and leads the Mets to the playoffs
The age-old question of “who is the best pitcher in baseball?” will never be a unanimous vote. Jacob deGrom, however, deserves a unanimous vote. He has been a stud since being promoted to the majors in 2014, having never had a season with an ERA above 3.53. He has a career ERA of 2.61 and has been a bright spot on some very disappointing Mets teams over the years. 2021 will be different though for the Mets, they have rounded out the rotation behind deGrom, added much-needed bullpen pieces, and finally have a potent lineup filled with numerous all-star caliber players. In 2018, Jacob deGrom pitched to an unbelievable 1.70 ERA. He was 10-9 that season. In 2021, he may somehow match that ERA, but his record will be better because of the supporting cast around him. He’ll lead this Mets team through a tough NL East and into the playoffs. Jacob deGrom is the best pitcher in baseball, and he’ll be at his best in 2021.
New York Yankees – Corey Kluber outperforms Gerrit Cole and wins the AL Cy Young award
This is one of those predictions that may be a little too bold, given that Kluber has only thrown 36.2 innings over the last two seasons. People quickly forget how great Kluber was on the Indians before he suffered season-ending injuries in his last two seasons. He threw over 200 innings for 5 straight seasons before injuries derailed his last two seasons, and has won two Cy Young awards. Gerrit Cole is one of the favorites to take home the award in the AL this year, but it may be his Yankee teammate that shocks everyone and wins it. He went 56-20 over his last three healthy seasons, with an ERA well below 3.00. If Kluber stays healthy and turns back into the pitcher who can go deep into games with ease, he could surprise everyone and grab the AL Cy Young award. The Yankees could use another superstar arm to pair with Gerrit Cole, and Kluber could very well be the guy they’ve been looking for.
Oakland Athletics – Matt Chapman wins the AL MVP award
The Athletics are a team that never breaks the bank on star players and often has to lose or trade away their own star players due to their spending budget. Marcus Semien and Liam Hendriks were casualties of this debacle in the 2020 off-season. Losing stars every off-season puts extra pressure on the stars that managed to stay in Oakland, and Matt Chapman is an example of this. He is arguably the best defensive player in all of baseball and has great power and good plate vision to go with it. He’ll have to improve his batting average and RBI output to win the MVP award, but he’s only entering his 5th major league season and has considerable room for growth. The Athletics will need him to take a huge step into superstardom to make the playoffs this season, and he might answer their prayers. Chapman has all the traits of an MVP player, but he’ll need to make a few improvements this season with the bat to achieve this lofty goal.
Philadelphia Phillies – Alec Bohm bats .300 with 30 HRs and wins the NL Rookie of the Year award
Alec Bohm cruised through the minor league and made his major league debut in 2020. He was outstanding in his first major league stint, batting .338 with 4 HRs and 23 RBIs. He also hit .305 with 21 HRs and 80 RBIs over a full minor league season in 2019. While he looks more like a contact hitter with average power, he has shown how far he can hit a ball at the major league level already. He should see a large jump in his home run output in 2021, and hitting in a solid Phillies lineup will only help his batting numbers. Alec Bohm is on a path to stardom with his amazing abilities at the plate, and 2021 will be his first chance to showcase his abilities over a full season. The Phillies have an absolute stud at the hot corner.
Pittsburgh Pirates – Ke’Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds both hit over .300 with 20 HRs a piece for a dismal Pirates team
The Pirates are not going to be competitive in 2021, and probably not in 2022 either. While we’re at it, they probably won’t be competitive for a few years after that. Sorry Pirates fans. There are a few things to be excited about though, and the biggest thing is Ke’Bryan Hayes. He hit .376 last season and was on pace for 34 HRs in a full 162 game season. He’s a stud. Bryan Reynolds though wasn’t as good last year. After hitting for a .314 batting average in 2019, he hit an atrocious .189 in 2020. Reynolds bouncing back will be key for the Pirates’ present and future. I expect him to return to form in 2021, I also expect Ke’Bryan Hayes to continue his rise to stardom at the major league level. These two are the future of the Pirates as of right now. Reynolds needs to bounce back and Hayes needs to keep doing what he’s already done at this level. Both of those things could definitely happen, and maybe the Pirates won’t lose 100 games thanks to these two guys.
San Diego Padres – The Padres knock out the division rival Dodgers and make it to the World Series
The Padres are a team on the rise, with plenty of great bats in the lineup and possibly the best rotation in baseball. Although the Dodgers might challenge them for that second title. They just locked up Fernando Tatis Jr. through 2034 and got the kind of production out of Manny Machado, Wil Myers, and Eric Hosmer in 2020 that warrants their contracts. The strength of this team though is easily the starting rotation. They added Blake Snell and Yu Darvish this off-season, and they have Dinelson Lamet, Mike Clevinger, and Chris Paddack already. Wow. Any of those guys could be an ace on some other pitching staffs. You also can’t forget about Mackenzie Gore, who is one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball. This Padres team is built to win a World Series, and the only thing standing in their way is the Dodgers. They could ride their starting rotation into the playoffs and surprise the defending World Series champions. The sky is the limit for this talented team led by Fernando Tatis Jr. and the loaded pitching staff.
San Francisco Giants – Mike Yastrzemski hits 30 HRs, 100 RBIs, and bats .300 for the Giants in 2021
The Giants are a team with a solid future, they have good prospects scattered throughout the minors that will eventually bring a spark to this Giants team. 2021 may be a bit early for many of these prospects though. That will leave much of the production come from a sneaky good pitching staff, a shaky bullpen, and some key veteran hitters. The best hitter on this Giants team is Mike Yastrzemski. He batted .297 with 10 HRs and 35 RBIs in the shortened 2020 season. He’s only played two seasons at the major league level, but he is not a very young player. He’ll be 30 years old during the 2021 season. His prime may be coming to a close as the young prospects in the Giants system are beginning to enter their respective primes. That means it’ll be his job, along with other veterans like Buster Posey and Evan Longoria, to put competitive Giants teams on the field in the meantime. They did this in 2020 when they almost snuck into the playoffs. Yastrzemski, despite being 30 years old, will have his best season in 2021 as he tries to keep the Giants close to the playoffs.
Seattle Mariners – Jarred Kelenic wins AL Rookie of the Year
The Mariners are going to be very good in the near future if their prospects pan out at the major league level. Their biggest prospect is probably Jarred Kelenic, who marched through the minors and was lighting up the Cactus League at spring training before suffering a leg injury. If he is healthy enough to play significant innings at the MLB level this year, he may not give anyone else a chance to win this award. He can hit for power and contact, providing the Mariners with a potential middle-of-the-order bat for a long time to come while they wait on the rest of their talented prospects to make it through the minors and reach the major league roster. Don’t count the Mariners out of the playoffs this year either if they are able to get ahead of schedule with many of their talented prospects and take advantage of a somewhat weak AL West.
St. Louis Cardinals – The addition of Nolan Arenado leads to a World Series appearance for St. Louis
The Cardinals are looking to take advantage of a wide-open NL Central. They absolutely fleeced the Rockies out of one of the best players in baseball this off-season and have one of the better offenses in the National League now. While Arenado may be due for some regression now that he won’t be playing 81 games at Coors Field, he’s still an elite fielder and will be one of the better batters in the entire league. Having other great hitters throughout the lineup and a great pitching staff led by Jack Flaherty could have this Cardinals team catching fire at the perfect time. They have a great chance to make the playoffs, but it’ll of course be a challenge to take down some of the other behemoths in the National League. The Cardinals have always been a well-managed team, and they’ll use their combination of great pitching and an improved lineup with Arenado to try and make a surprise run at the World Series. Don’t count out the Cardinals in 2021.
Tampa Bay Rays – Randy Arozarena hits 40 home runs en route to a Rays playoff appearance and AL Rookie of the Year award
This is a rather bold prediction given that we have only seen Arozarena play in 42 regular-season games, but he outplayed everyone in last year’s playoffs and almost led the Rays to a World Series title. He can hit for a solid average and has proved his power is elite in his limited major league experience. Hitting 40 home runs would be quite a tall task for anyone, but Arozarena is just as capable to do it as anyone if he continues to build off of the success that he’s already sustained. After losing Charlie Morton and Blake Snell during the off-season, the Rays will be counting extra on Randy Arozarena while they wait on the plethora of elite prospects in their farm system to make their major league debuts. Arozarena will try and help keep them in playoff contention while the prospects make their way through the minors. The most exciting part of Rays baseball may not be the thought of solely having Randy Arozarena in the lineup, but rather the idea of pairing Arozarena with the top prospect in all of baseball, Wander Franco, at some point in the 2021 season and seeing how much potential and success that this Rays team will have in the near future with these two young superstars in the lineup.
Texas Rangers – Joey Gallo hits 50 home runs
Joey Gallo is one of the most powerful hitters in the MLB, and a dismal Rangers team will probably need him to be healthy for a full year to find any success. Health has been a bit of an issue for Gallo, but he’s a constant long ball threat when in the batting order. Gallo is the prime example of the “home run, strikeout, or walk” issue that currently plagues baseball, so expect an unfathomable amount of strikeouts to come with the long balls. If you like moon shots though, the Rangers may be a fun team to watch with Khris Davis joining Gallo in the lineup. As long as Joey Gallo is healthy in 2021, there’s a chance that he could eclipse the 50 home run mark. The Rangers just have to hope that he doesn’t eclipse the 200 strikeout mark with it.
Toronto Blue Jays – The young talent and free agent acquisitions pan out and lead the Blue Jays to the World Series
The Blue Jays are a team on the rise, and their off-season activities proved this. They spent big on George Springer, Marcus Semien, and Kirby Yates. The Blue Jays will have an elite offense, among the league’s best. The pitching staff of this team will be the X-Factor though. They have an ace in Hyun-Jin Ryu and a solid closer in Kirby Yates, but the back of the rotation and the rest of the bullpen will need to step up in order for this team to reach their lofty goals. Even if some of the pitching staff struggles in 2021, the offense can pick up a lot of the slack. The Blue Jays will have Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, and Teoscar Hernandez, on top of Marcus Semien and George Springer being acquired in the off-season. This is a team that could break through and surprise many people with a deep playoff run. Don’t sleep on this Blue Jays team that is on the rise heading into 2021.
Washington Nationals – Juan Soto hits 40 home runs, bats over .350, and has an on base percentage over .450 en route to an NL MVP landslide victory
We may have saved the boldest prediction for last, but you can’t count out Juan Soto. He’s only 22 still and has already proved himself as one of the better hitters in baseball, if not the best. Hitting 40 home runs is very doable for Soto, as long as he’s healthy. Batting over .350 and having an OBP over .450 should easily win Juan Soto the National League Most Valuable Player if he was able to accomplish it. While those numbers seem almost unreachable, especially in this era, Soto has already done it in his young career. In the shortened 2020 season, he hit an astronomical .351 with a .490 on-base percentage. Had he not missed part of the season in COVID-19 protocols, he would’ve easily won the NL MVP award last year. Reaching base at that rate is unbelievable, and Soto is only going to get better. Expect a little regression on his OBP over a full 162 game season, but Soto has the tools to reach these lofty goals and be a perennial MVP candidate for the next decade. The sky is the limit for Juan Soto, and no prediction is too bold for a player of his skill level. He may hold the title of “best player in baseball” by the end of the 2021 season.