The 2021 MLB All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday at Coors Field, in Denver.
The players are ready, and the fans are certainly ready too.
We can’t help but wonder who will be elected as the night’s MVP when all is said and done.
Here are the three strongest candidates.
3. Aaron Judge
He may get lost amid the hoopla surrounding the league’s youngest and most exciting players, but Aaron Judge is actually one of the best and most talented players in MLB.
As one of the league’s premier performers, Judge has a very good chance of finishing the All-Star game as the Most Valuable Player (MVP).
All-Star players usually don’t play the whole game, so they have to make an impression in one or two at-bats, or in three to four innings.
That’s more than enough time for Judge.
The thing with Judge is that he can impact a game in several ways.
He has obvious home run power, but he can also split the outfielders with a ball hit at the gap, take a walk, steal a base, and make a highlight-reel catch.
Additionally, he has the arm to throw out any runner at any base.
Simply put, Judge is a strong All-Star Game MVP candidate.
He has a .282/.375/.526 line with 21 homers and will play in his third Midsummer Classic.
2. Fernando Tatis Jr.
Fernando Tatis Jr. will be playing his first All-Star Game, and he will be the starter at shortstop.
It means he should play a bit more than the reserves, giving him a couple extra chances to make an impact.
This season, he has been one of the very best performers, hitting .286/.364/.656 with an incredible 28 home runs and 20 stolen bases.
He has game-changing power.
In the 4th inning, Fernando Tatis just hit his 3rd homer of the game.
No, this isn’t made up. pic.twitter.com/TRE7kf84kW
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 26, 2021
The most amazing thing about his stellar performance is that he is just 22 years old, and this will likely be the first of many All-Star Games in his career.
The San Diego Padres franchise shortstop will likely see two or three at-bats, and he will be looking to do damage as always.
He has as good a chance to be the MVP as anyone, except for certain two-way player of the Los Angeles Angels.
1. Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani is, without a doubt, the main attraction of the All-Star week.
He put on a show in Monday’s Home Run Derby, and he will start the All-Star Game on the mound while also being the American League’s designated hitter.
Simply put, it is the Ohtani show on Monday and Tuesday.
If he throws one or two scoreless innings and hits a home run, there is no way he loses the game MVP award.
He currently leads MLB with 33 home runs and is slashing .279/.364/.698 with a 1.062 OPS.
In 84 games and 301 at-bats, Ohtani has scored 65 runs and 70 RBI.
His full-season projections are monstrous, and he is, at the moment, the strongest MVP candidate in the AL, and it’s not particularly close.
If my math is right, at his current pace, Shohei Ohtani projects out to 34 home runs by the All Star break, which would put him 5 off Barry Bonds pace in 2001 when he broke the #MLB single season home run record. Only Otani is also pitching to a 3.60 ERA as a starter. Unreal.
— Micah Fries (@micahfries) July 5, 2021
He has been a monster on the mound, too, with a 4-1 record and a 3.49 ERA in 13 starts and 67 frames.
He has 87 strikeouts and a 1.21 WHIP over those 67 innings.
It will be his time to shine on Tuesday, and he has the best chance to be the All-Star Game MVP.
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