Prediciting the 2021 MLB Season: Why the NL will produce the World Series champion this year

While the 2021 MLB season may not be completely normal, it looks to feature some of the best competition with some of the most loaded teams seen in this generation. With the potential for some of the tightest division races in years, this 2021 season will be filled with contention and excitement. The NL East and NL West especially have very tight division races between the Braves and Mets and the Dodgers and Padres, respectively, and there will be fierce competition for the division title and Wild Card spots. The National League is filled with so many star-studded rosters that it seems nearly inevitable that the NL Champion will take home the World Series title as well.

Looking at the NL East division, this year looks to be an extremely competitive fight for the division title. The Braves took home the division last year, but the Mets’ offseason acquisitions put them in an excellent spot to steal the title back this year. A dominant force in the NL, the Braves fell just one game short of a World Series berth last year and still possess the best offense in the MLB. The Braves led the league in hits, RBI, and On-Base Plus Slugging percentage in 2020, all highly regarded metrics. This offseason, they have not lost any players and have re-signed star outfielder Marcell Ozuna, setting them up to have the same powerful offense that did so much damage last season. The 2021 Braves pose a serious threat to the rest of the NL with their offense but will be locked up in a tight race with the Mets for the division due to their mediocre pitching depth.

In opposition to the Braves, the Mets had a very productive offseason, in which they bolstered both their lineup and rotation by acquiring star shortstop Francisco Lindor and starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco in a trade with the Cleveland Indians. They have successfully added to their huge offense that already possesses 2019 Rookie of the Year Pete Alonso, who is looking to have a bounceback year. The Mets also have the most consistently dominant pitcher in baseball, Jacob Degrom, and will have an elite starting rotation. The Mets have 3 top pitchers in Degrom, Carrasco, and Marcus Stroman and will have a major boost to the staff once ace Noah Syndergaard returns from Tommy John surgery, potentially in the late spring. This NL East division race looks to be one of the most competitive races the division has seen in the past few years and will be exciting for fans to follow as the season progresses. While both teams are well poised for a postseason run, they will each need a few additions to contend with the Dodgers’ loaded roster in a possible playoff matchup.

The Dodgers have been atop the NL West for nearly the past decade, and the reigning World Series champs have only gotten stronger. The Dodgers have not lost many key players, and other than the departure of utility infielder Kiké Hernandez, they have a roster nearly identical to the one that won the World Series last October. In the biggest signing of the offseason, the Dodgers signed reigning Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer to a massive contract, essentially turning their roster into a superteam. Along with an offense that ranked first in the NL in runs scored and won the Dodgers a championship last year, the Dodgers rotation will be filled with talent following the addition of Bauer. With Bauer fresh off of a Cy Young-winning performance during the 2020 season, it is extremely difficult to imagine that this rotation will be anything other than downright dominant, perhaps to a historical level. The Dodgers possess one of the greatest starting rotations in the past decade, if not longer, and with veterans like Clayton Kershaw and David Price, young stars like Walker Buehler and Dustin May, and a bullpen with plenty of postseason experience, this Dodgers team is poised to go back-to-back. Especially if star players such as Cody Bellinger have bounceback years after a sub-par 2020, this Dodgers team will be downright unbearable.

Behind the Dodgers, the Padres have one of the most loaded pitching staffs in baseball and seem to be going all-in to give the Dodgers some competition within the NL West Division. After giving up many prospects to acquire Blake Snell and Yu Darvish this offseason, they could be a serious playoff contender. Despite their strong rotation and offensive stars in Fernando Tatis Jr and Manny Machado, they still have holes in their bullpen and less offensive firepower than competitors like the Braves and Dodgers. Perhaps with the addition of an offensive star and a bullpen arm, the Padres can make a deep playoff run and compete with a juggernaut like the Dodgers, but as of now, it seems as if they won’t have much more than a very successful regular season.

This year, the World Series champion will come from the NL. Even the most highly ranked teams in the AL, like the Yankees, Twins, and Astros will not be able to compete with the NL’s best. These AL teams certainly possess the ability to dominate their divisions and league but they will be unable to compete with the NL’s best team in a World Series matchup. Even a team like the Yankees that seem poised for a deep postseason run have far less pitching depth than NL teams like the Dodgers, Padres, and Mets. The Dodgers seem to be almost bulletproof going into this season with a well-rounded team that has so much talent and depth that they will be nearly unbeatable. It seems that the Dodgers cannot be beaten, but if any other National League team manages to do so on the path to the World Series, they will easily be the World Series Champion.