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

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

The 28-year-old Ramirez has been a perennial MVP candidate, finishing in the top three in three of the last four years. 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's 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. This is the year he gets recognized for it.

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

He's one of the most exciting and dynamic players in the game, and there's no telling what he could do over the course of a full season. Acuna 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 shortened 2020 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 log between 175-190 innings in 2020, 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, Cole -- who signed a $324-million deal with the Yankees -- 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 pitch outside the AL East this year after only facing divisional foes in 2020 as the pandemic altered the schedule. Cleveland ace 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

deGrom is one of the most intriguing future Hall of Fame cases considering where his career stands entering the 2021 season. He was a late bloomer who has gotten some of the worst run support imaginable from the Mets, 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 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.

With another dominant season, deGrom could become the 10th 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 making its way to the big league squad, and they have two prime Rookie of the Year candidates in second baseman Nick Madrigal and first baseman Andrew Vaughn, who could also get playing time in left field after Eloy Jimenez suffered a significant pectoral injury.

The 22-year-old Vaugh has never played above Class-A, but he has impressed this spring and at every stop since Chicago drafted him with the third overall pick in 2019.

The White Sox appear to have no plans to play the service time manipulation game with Vaughn, who has great power and should put himself on the map in 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)