2021 MLB Season Preview: World Series Predictions, Burning Questions & More

Baseball America’s annual MLB Season Preview has returned!

Below, The Baseball America editorial team predicted the order of finish, postseason participants and award winners for the 2021 season, plus answered 10 burning questions facing baseball this year. As always, you can also find all of our 2021 prospects coverage here. 

You can find our team-by-team capsules here. 

2021 MLB Standings Predictions
NL East	NL Central	NL West
1. Atlanta Braves	1. St. Louis Cardinals	1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. New York Mets	2. Milwaukee Brewers	2. San Diego Padres
3. Washington Nationals	3. Chicago Cubs	3. San Francisco Giants
4. Philadelphia Phillies	4. Cincinnati Reds	4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. Miami Marlins	5. Pittsburgh Pirates	5. Colorado Rockies
AL East	AL Central	AL West
1. New York Yankees	1. Chicago White Sox	1. Houston Astros
2. Tampa Bay Rays	2. Minnesota Twins	2. Oakland Athletics
3. Toronto Blue Jays	3. Cleveland Indians	3. Los Angeles Angels
4. Boston Red Sox	4. Kansas City Royals	4. Seattle Mariners
5. Baltimore Orioles	5. Detroit Tigers	5. Texas Rangers

 

National League Postseason And Awards

Wild Cards: San Diego Padres, New York Mets
Pennant: Los Angeles Dodgers

MVP

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
2. Ronald Acuña Jr.., Braves
3. Juan Soto, Nationals

Cy Young

1. Walker Buehler, Dodgers
2. Jacob deGrom, Mets
3. Luis Castillo, Reds

Rookie of the Year

1. Ke’Bryan Hayes, Pirates
2. Dylan Carlson, Cardinals
3. Sixto Sanchez, Marlins

American League Postseason And Awards

Wild Cards: Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays
Pennant: Chicago White Sox

MVP

1. Mike Trout, Angels
2. Tim Anderson, White Sox
3. Anthony Rendon, Angels

Cy Young

1. Gerrit Cole, Yankees
2. Shane Bieber, Indians
3. Lucas Giolito, White Sox

Rookie of the Year

1. Randy Arozarena, Rays
2. Alex Kirilloff, Twins
3. Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles

 

WORLD SERIES PREDICTIONS 

Ben Badler: DODGERS defeat Astros in 6 games.

Alexis Brudnicki: DODGERS sweep White Sox in 4 games.

Mark Chiarelli: YANKEES defeat Dodgers in 6 games. 

Carlos Collazo: DODGERS defeat Yankees in 5 games.

JJ Cooper: DODGERS defeat Rays in 5 games.

Matt Eddy: DODGERS defeat White Sox in 5 games

Kyle Glaser: DODGERS defeat White Sox in 6 games.

Josh Norris: PADRES defeat White Sox in 7 games

Chris Trenkle: PADRES defeat Yankees in 6 games.

 

10 Burning Questions

1. Which Team Will Be The Biggest Surprise Of 2021? 
2. Which Team Had The Best Offseason? 
3. Which Team Had The Most Disappointing Offseason? 
4. Who Is The Breakout MLB Hitter Of 2021?
5. Who Is The Breakout MLB Pitcher Of 2021?
6. Which Player Will Bounce Back In 2021?
7. The Biggest Storyline Of 2021 Will Be?
8. The Top Three Picks In The 2022 Draft Will Belong To?
9. Which Losing, Non-Playoff Team From Last Year Has The Most Upside In 2021?
10. Who Will Be The Top Rookies In Baseball In 2021?