The future of MLB is in great hands.
Baseball is flooded with young talent in the year 2021, and it seems like every time a new season rolls around, another young superstar is emerging.
It’s an exciting time to be a fan of the sport.
Today, we are going to take a stab at predicting three future achievements for three of the game’s young stars.
There are certainly some notable omissions (like Ronald Acuna Jr.), but don’t read too much into that—we are not ranking any of the players in this article.
3. Fernando Tatis Jr. – 600 Home Runs
Fernando Tatis Jr. is somehow just 22 years old.
At his age, he is making baseball look easy, and he is doing it in arguably the toughest division in baseball.
Tatis currently leads the National League with 27 home runs.
Absolute LASER from @tatis_jr! pic.twitter.com/uJ58Mgy2ou
— MLB (@MLB) July 6, 2021
For his career, he has gone yard 66 times already.
To give that number some context, he averages 51 home runs per 162 games.
That’s a pace that will shatter some records, and the sky is the limit as it pertains to the young star’s potential.
While hitting 500 home runs is a massive achievement, reaching the 600 benchmark puts you in some ridiculous company.
The only players in MLB history to hit 600 homers are Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., Jim Thome, and Sammy Sosa.
Every player on that list is a baseball legend.
It’s not far-fetched to think that Tatis could get there.
Even if he regresses from his ridiculous current pace, he could still get near the 600 mark as long as he stays healthy, plays a long career and doesn’t fall off a cliff in terms of production.
2. Shohei Ohtani – 3 MVP Awards
Shohei Ohtani is the definition of value.
As a two-way guy, Ohtani is essentially able to contribute two players’ worth of production all by himself.
On the mound, he is electric.
The 27-year-old has managed a 3.49 ERA, 3.57 FIP, and 1.20 WHIP this season while striking out 87 batters in 67 innings.
And at the plate, he is a menace.
He leads the league in home runs (32), slugging percentage (.700), and barrel rate (15.3 percent).
He has a ridiculous 1.064 OPS and is one of the most feared hitters in the game.
Ohtani currently has a WAR of 5.4, putting him on pace for a WAR of roughy 10.9 by the end of the season.
This is the type of production that we could see from him year in and year out.
There is no limit on the number of MVP awards he could take home before all is said and done.
Now the Angels just need to build a contending team.
1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 10 All-Star Selections
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been the best offensive player in the American League this season.
If it weren’t for Ohtani, the AL MVP award would be Guerrero’s to lose.
The 22-year-old leads the league in runs batted in (71), on-base percentage (.439), OPS (1.118), OPS+ (200), and total bases (204).
He is also batting .341 on the year and has left the yard 28 times.
Not too shabby.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. tells the first baseman he’s going to score from first on a double and then he does pic.twitter.com/quSmoqNcli
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 7, 2021
Guerrero was just named to his first All-Star team, and there will be plenty more where that came from.
Considering his age and ridiculous ability, it’s very reasonable to think that the Toronto Blue Jays star could crack 10 All-Star teams before the end of his career.
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