The 2021 Major League Baseball regular season has entered its final month, and the current crop of young star players is more exciting to watch than it has been in a long time. Amongst all of these athletic and talented phenoms, a few have stood out above their peers this season as the very most electric players in baseball. Here they are, in no particular order.
Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Japanese superstar is doing something that the sport hasn’t seen in roughly a century: dominating the game as both a pitcher and a hitter. Not only is he leading all of baseball in home runs, but he has also stolen over 20 bases, and takes the ball for his team as the starting pitcher every five or six days. Every time Shohei Ohtani steps onto the field, it instantly becomes a must-watch event.
Fernando Tatis Jr. – San Diego Padres
At only 22 years of age, Fernando Tatis Jr. plays with the kind of youthful energy and confidence that the game of baseball needs to embrace. He has had some trouble with injuries, but despite that, he has still had a great chance to reach 40 home runs and 30 stolen bases—an extremely rare feat. The young shortstop turned centerfielder has a level of swagger on the field that makes him extremely fun to watch play.
Tim Anderson – Chicago White Sox
Anderson is, in many ways, the American League’s version of Tatis. He is a young, talented, exuberant player who attacks the game with energy and confidence. His memorable walk-off home run in this Summer’s “Field of Dreams Game” established him as truly being one of the new faces of the game. His hitting ability, speed, and boisterous personality all contribute to making him one of the most exciting players in baseball.
While those three have really stood out in 2021, several more players deserve mention: Gerrit Cole, Mookie Betts, Carlos Correa, Giancarlo Stanton, Lance Lynn, Trea Turner, and Liam Hendriks. With this crop of electric talent, the future of America’s pastime looks bright indeed.