Here’s how the game’s elite stack up as Opening Day approaches.
Who will be the best player of the 2021 MLB season? With Opening Day nearly upon us, it’s time to break down how baseball’s elite stack up. To create our annual MLB Rank list of the top 100 players in the sport, we presented our panel of ESPN baseball experts with multiple pairings of the biggest names in the game and asked simply, « Which player will be better in 2021? » This final portion of our list — the top 25 — features Cy Young Award winners, MVPs, veterans already building Hall of Fame résumés and breakout megastars primed to dominate the sport for years to come. But which one is No.1? Alongside each player below, you’ll find a relevant stat or storyline to put his position on the list in context. On Monday, we revealed Nos.100-51, featuring rising stars like the reigning National League Rookie of the Year and a trio of young hitters in Chicago who help make the White Sox one of the American League’s most exciting teams. On Tuesday, it was Nos.50-26, featuring seven shortstops in what is truly a golden age for the position. Today, we determine the No.1 player overall in the game, pitting names like Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Juan Soto and Ronald Acuna Jr. against each other and helping to settle — or add more fuel to — positional debates like who is MLB’s best starting pitcher. More: 100-51| 50-26| Who’s next?| Snubs, debates| 2020 list 2020 rank: 25 Why he’s here: Harper enters his third season with the Phillies after a strong 2020 campaign in which he hit.268/.420/.542 with 13 homers. The right fielder is still just 28 years old, which seems nearly impossible given how long he’s been on the minds of baseball fans, but he has yet to win his first playoff series as a major leaguer, something Philadelphia undoubtedly envisioned when it signed him to a 13-year, $330 million deal. — Joon Lee 2020 rank: 15 Why he’s here: This will be a critical season for Judge, who turns 29 in April. Fans have been waiting three years for a glimpse of a season like Judge’s monumental 52-home-run Rookie of the Year campaign in 2017. But since the start of the 2018 season, Judge has played in just 242 games out of the scheduled 384. — Marly Rivera 2020 rank: 30 Why he’s here: With the offseason trade of Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals, Story has become a one-man act for the Rockies. And with the two-way standout shortstop heading into a walk year, Story’s act might be a limited-run performance. If Colorado falters as the projections suggest, Story will be a hot commodity on the in-season trade market. Only Francisco Lindor and Xander Bogaerts have compiled more fWAR among shortstops over the last three years, and Story may be a better all-around performer than them both. — Bradford Doolittle 2020 rank: 78 Why he’s here: Given a full season to recover from hip surgery — and build a strong enough base so that his mechanics didn’t waver through the rigors of a season — Seager returned to the superstar form he displayed in his early years, batting.307/.358/.585 with 28 extra-base hits in 52 games during the regular season. He then won NLCS MVP and World Series MVP. Now he’ll head into his free-agent year looking to cement his place among the game’s most valuable players. — Alden Gonzalez 2020 rank: 7 Why he’s here: Seven years have gone fast as Scherzer is entering the final season of his contract in Washington in 2021. After years of ERAs in the 2.00s, his ballooned to 3.74 in 2020, hardly a huge cause for concern but a drop-off nonetheless. Is Scherzer entering the « just good » stage of his career, or is he still elite? — Jesse Rogers 2020 rank: 50 Why he’s here: After an uneven first season in San Diego, Machado was terrific in 2020. He hit.304/.370/.580 with 16 home runs, provided his usual good defense (although it’s impossible to win a Gold Glove in a league with Nolan Arenado) and finished third in the NL MVP voting. His value has fluctuated with his batting averages, which have gone.294,.259,.297,.256 and.304 since 2016. If he hits around.300, he’s clearly a top-20 player. If he hits around.250, he slides into the back half of the top 100. — David Schoenfield 2020 rank: 57 Why he’s here: Re-signing LeMahieu was arguably the best move made in the AL this offseason. In two years with the Yankees, LeMahieu has twice finished in the top five in MVP voting and led the majors in batting average in 2020.
