2021 MLB award predictions: Who will win MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year?

The easy answer is to just pick Mike Trout but Ramirez has been one of the consistently best hitting third basemen in the majors over the last few seasons. He has 30-home run power and can swipe 20 bases. His on-base percentage has been above .360 three of the last four years.

The 28-year-old has been a perennial MVP candidate, finishing in the top-three in three of the last four years and this is the year he finally comes out on top.

Ramirez is Cleveland’s star now that Francisco Lindor is gone and his ability to hit for average, power and steal bases ought to keep Cleveland in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Honorable mentions: OF Mike Trout, 3B Alex Bregman, 2B DJ LeMahieu, SS Bo Bichette, 1B Jose Abreu

It is hard to believe that Acuna is just 23 years old heading into his fourth MLB season but he has established himself as one of the best players in the game and this is the year he gets recognized for it.

Acuna is a legitimate threat to become the fifth-ever player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season and first to do so since Alfonso Soriano did it in 2006. In fact, prior to the shortened 2020 season, Acuna barely missed the mark with 41 home runs and 37 stolen bases in 2019.

He is one of the most exciting and dynamic players in the game and there is no telling what he could do over the course of a full season and is only just scratching the surface of his potential.

Honorable mentions: SS Fernando Tatis Jr., OF Juan Soto, OF Mookie Betts, 1B Freddie Freeman

This is going to be a peculiar year for pitchers. Due to the 2020-shortened season, it’s been two years since anyone has thrown 200 innings. There may be shorter leashes and turns skipped in the rotation, even with aces, to keep their arms fresh.

Cole is a seasoned veteran and a workhorse, though, with four seasons of at least 200 innings under his belt. There may not be many pitchers who finish between 175-190 innings this year but Cole’s proven durability should get him there and maybe even give him a leg up in the Cy Young race.

Despite his tendency to give up the long ball, the Yankees’ $324 million ace will be worth every penny this year. Cole is still one of the most dominant arms in the game and has consistently had one of the best K/9 ratios in the AL the last three years. He’ll also be able to finally pitch outside the AL East this year. Shane Bieber won the Cy Young last year but the moment he faced a team outside his division, Cole’s Yankees, he was shellacked.

Expect Cole to finally add that Cy Young title to his resume.

Honorable mentions: Shane Bieber, Lucas Giolito, Hin-Jin Ryu, Tyler Glasnow

Jacob deGrom is one of the most intriguing future Hall of Fame cases for where his career stands entering the 2021 season. He was a late bloomer who has gotten some of the worst run support imaginable but he has been arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball over the last three years.

He already has two Cy Youngs to his name and third could very well solidify his Hall of Fame case. At 32 years old, deGrom is still in the prime of his career and has shown no signs of slowing down. He’s been the NL strikeouts leader the last two seasons and has hit triple-digits with his fastball this spring.

Another dominant season and deGrom could become the 10^th pitcher in MLB history to win three Cy Young Awards.

Honorable mention: Yu Darvish, Trevor Bauer, Walker Buehler, Blake Snell, Luis Castillo

The White Sox are on the rise with loads of young talent finally making their way to the big-league squad and have two prime Rookie of the Year candidates in Nick Madrigal and Andrew Vaughn.

The 22-year-old is expected to open the season as the team’s DH despite never playing above Class-A, but the way he’s played this spring and ever since Chicago drafted him with the third overall pick in 2019 he has impressed.

So much so, the White Sox have engaged in contract extension talks with him already and have no plans to play the service-time manipulation game. They are all-in on him being one of the premiere power hitters in baseball in the not-too-distant future and he will put himself on the map his rookie season.

Honorable mentions: OF Randy Arozarena (Rays), OF Jarred Kelenic (Mariners), 2B Nick Madrigal (White Sox), SS Wander Franco (Rays), 1B Bobby Dalbec (Red Sox)