Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger were among the nine Los Angeles Dodgers ranked in MLB Network’s Top 100 players right wow for the 2021 season. The Chicago White Sox also had nine players featured, while the New York Yankees and New York Mets each saw seven make the list.
The formula for this list differed from The Shredder, which was used to determine MLB Network’s rankings for the top 10 players at each position.
Betts, who previously was ranked the No. 1 right fielder by the The Shredder, now checks in as the No. 2 overall player behind only Mike Trout.
In 55 games last season, Betts batted .292/.366/.562 with nine doubles, 16 home runs and 39 RBI en route to a second-place finish in National League MVP honors. He again played stellar defense and took home a fifth consecutive Gold Glove Award.
Bellinger enters the upcoming season as the No. 10 ranked player in all of baseball. He is coming off a disappointing 2020 campaign by his standards, hitting just .239/.333/.455 with 12 home runs and 30 RBI in 56 games.
Corey Seager is the next Dodgers’ representative on the top-100 players list, as he was ranked No. 24. In 52 games last year, he hit .307/.358/.585 with 15 home runs and 41 RBI.
Seager arguably was the Dodgers’ best player in the postseason as he batted .328/.425/.746 with eight home runs and 20 RBI in 18 postseason games. He was named MVP of the NL Championship Series and World Series, and also earned a selection to the All-MLB First Team.
Offseason free-agent signing Trevor Bauer was ranked the No. 29 player entering the 2021 season after winning his first career NL Cy Young Award with the Cincinnati Reds.
In 11 starts last year, the right-hander posted a modest 5-4 record but sported a minuscule 1.73 ERA and 0.79 WHIP with 100 strikeouts across 73 innings pitched.
Bauer led the NL in ERA, WHIP, opponents’ batting average (.159), opponents’ BABIP (.215), adjusted ERA+ (276), hits per nine innings (5.1), shutouts (two) and complete games (two).
Longtime Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was ranked the No. 38 player for the 2021 season as he is coming off a resurgent 2020 campaign. The left-hander went 6-2 with a 2.16 ERA, 3.31 FIP and 0.84 WHIP in 58.1 innings, placing ninth in NL Cy Young Award voting.
Walker Buehler is right behind Kershaw as the No. 40 ranked player entering the upcoming campaign. He posted a 3.44 ERA, 4.36 FIP and 0.96 WHIP over eight regular-season starts but was nearly unhittable come playoff time, going 2-0 with a superb 1.80 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 25 innings pitched.
Buehler was at his best during the NL Championship Series, where he posted a minuscule 0.82 ERA in 11 innings against the Atlanta Braves (two games).
Not too far behind Buehler is Max Muncy, who was ranked the No. 45 player heading into the 2021 season. He batted a lowly .192/.331/.389 with four doubles, 12 home runs and 27 RBI last year, but found more success in the playoffs, hitting .250/.438/.467 with four doubles, three home runs, 14 RBI and 20 walks.
They were followed by Justin Turner, who re-signed with the Dodgers on a two-year contract. Turner is coming off another season in which he was a steady presence in the middle of the lineup.
The final Dodgers representative on the list is Will Smith, who checked in as the No. 50 ranked player entering the 2021 season. The 25-year-old produced 1.3 WAR in 2020, which was 10th-best among all backstops.
What Dodgers made The Shredder rankings for 2021 season?
For a complete breakdown of which Dodgers were included in The Shredder’s top 10 positional rankings for the 2021 season, click here.
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