The best player on each team in '21 will be …

It’s easy to look backwards. We already know what happened, so we can all say we saw it coming all along. The hard part is figuring out what goes down in the future. We can identify a star now. Can we identify next year’s?

As we head into a new year, let’s find out. This week, we attempt to predict who each team’s best player for 2021 will be. In a year, we’ll all be looking back at what just happened and saying, “That player was that team’s MVP in 2021.” Here’s some stabs at who those players might be.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B
It’s time, right? He hasn’t exploded the way we all thought he might right out of the gate, but the talent is obviously there. Here’s betting this is the year it all comes together.

Orioles: John Means, LHP
In 2019, Means was effective, but he didn’t throw hard. In ’20, Means threw hard, but he wasn’t effective. The two may merge in 2021.

Rays: Brandon Lowe, 2B
He had a terrific 2020 season before running out of gas at the end. But there’s much life left in that bat, and he may be the platonic ideal of a Rays player.

Red Sox: Rafael Devers, 3B
He’s still only 24, and a year of normalcy could be the glide path to superstardom so long predicted.

Yankees: Aaron Judge, OF
We’ve seen what he has done when he is fully healthy. He is absolutely due for a season for him to be fully healthy.

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Indians: José Ramírez, 3B
He’s almost won the AL MVP Award, finishing second in voting in 2020, and third in ’17 and ’18, and we know they’re not trading him.

Royals: Salvador Perez, C
He was an absolute monster down the stretch last year. A full season could bring him back to All-Star level … or even higher.

Tigers: Casey Mize, RHP
Why not, right? He won’t throw a full season, but his upside is higher than anyone on this team. This team needs a spark. Maybe Mize is the one who brings it.

Twins: Josh Donaldson, 3B
Donaldson tends to alternate healthy seasons with injury-plagued ones. It’s the healthy-season turn.

White Sox: José Abreu, 1B
When in doubt, go with the reigning AL MVP. But he sure will have plenty of competition in that lineup.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

Angels: Mike Trout, OF
When is he going to have his hands-down best season? Maybe this is the year.

Astros: Alex Bregman, 3B
He was considered a perpetual AL MVP candidate until last season. This is the exact right time to get back to where he was before.

A’s: Matt Chapman, 3B
A full season of health could make him a top-tier AL MVP contender.

Mariners: Kyle Lewis, OF
It will certainly be more fun if the reigning AL Rookie of the Year Award winner keeps up his skyward trajectory.

Rangers: Joey Gallo, OF
Remember, only two years ago, he appeared to be a superstar in waiting. The Rangers don’t have much else to hold on to if he isn’t.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Ronald Acuña Jr., OF
There’s a very real possibility that the Braves will have two consecutive NL MVP Award winners.

Marlins: Starling Marte, OF
He could have his big breakthrough with a new, up-and-coming team a year behind the original timeline.

Mets: Jacob deGrom, RHP
For all the hope and energy with this franchise, they still will go as far as deGrom can take them.

Nationals: Juan Soto, OF
He and Acuña are going to be battling it out for NL MVP for a whole decade to come.

Phillies: Bryce Harper, OF
He was the Phillies’ best player last year and has more than earned his contract so far. But it’d sure be nice to have another 2015, wouldn’t it?

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers: Christian Yelich, OF
He didn’t play like the top-tier star he is in 2020, and he was probably still the Brewers’ best position player, by a lot.

Cardinals: Jack Flaherty, RHP
Many of the Cardinals’ plans were made assuming Flaherty was going to be an NL Cy Young Award contender. He now needs to be one.

Cubs: Javier Báez, SS
More than any player in baseball, Báez seems to draw energy from a crowd. Here’s hoping he gets to do more of that in 2021.

Pirates: Bryan Reynolds, OF
The Pirates thought they had found a lineup piece for the next half-decade before taking a step back in 2020. But ’20 was hard for everyone. It was only a few months ago that people thought Reynolds was going to win a batting title, and soon.

Reds: Eugenio Suárez, 3B
He was supposed to be their centerpiece star in 2020. He may need to be even more with perhaps less help in ’21.

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs: Madison Bumgarner, LHP
I refuse to believe that Bumgarner is the guy he was in 2020, and you should refuse to as well.

Dodgers: Mookie Betts, OF
So many to choose from here, but when in doubt, always pick Mookie.

Giants: Mike Yastrzemski, OF
There’s little reason to think he can’t do it again, and he may have even more help surrounding him in this lineup in 2021.

Padres: Fernando Tatis Jr., SS
Manny Machado might have been better than him in 2020, but Tatis may be better than everyone this year.

Rockies: Nolan Arenado, 3B
No matter what decision he and the team make after this year, a superstar season from him is best for everyone involved.