The Unsung Heroes of the 2021 MLB Season

Author: Spener Reyes

Players like Shohei Ohtani, Vlad Jr., and Gerrit Cole have taken the reigns of fan popularity this season. All three superstar athletes have had a stellar year, but if fans can look past these studs, they might find a couple of diamonds in the rough. These two baseball powerhouses go by the names of Marcus Semien and Salvador Perez, the unofficial, official, unsung heroes of the 2021 MLB season.

Marcus Semien is having one of the best seasons of his career at the age of 31 years old! Prior to 2021, he signed a 1 year/$18M deal with Toronto, making it his 3rd professional team in the MLB. This was also coming off one of his worst years during the 2020 Covid season. No one expected him to play well, especially when the Blue Jays were set to come back with a young group of infielders. Most fans wondered how Semien would fit with Vlad, Bo Bichette, Biggio, and Rowdy Tellez. Well, Tellez spent most of the beginning of the season in AAA-Buffalo when Vlad was moved to first base. Cavan Biggio was injured for majority of the season, and Bo was slotted for shortstop, so that left a clear opening at second base for the 9-year veteran. As of right now, Semien is tied with Whit Merrifield for the most games played in the MLB this season, with 158, has the 2nd most at bats, is 5th place in runs, 6th in doubles, and 4th in home runs. The starting 2nd baseman is as underrated as it gets. The only fans that have given him the accurate rating have been Blue Jays fans. Semien has proven to the Blue Jays that he is worth resigning to a multi-year deal this offseason.

Salvador Perez has had a hell of a comeback story. Dating all the way back to 2019, Perez has had nowhere to climb but up. He was out for majority of 2019 with an elbow injury, which required Tommy John surgery. In 2020, he contracted covid, had another arm injury, couldn’t see out of his eyes, and still batted .333 with 11 HRs and 32 RBIs in 37 games. He received the AL Comeback Player of the Year award last season and hasn’t looked back since. He made the all-star game this year, participated in the home run derby, and as of right now, he is tied for the second most played games this season, and leads the league in HRs and RBIs. He currently has 48 home runs which is almost two times the amount he has had in any season in his career.

Perez and Semien are the definition of two 31-year-old underdogs. They provide so much talent to their respective teams and show that age is just a number, especially for two athletes playing the most games in the league in a season at grueling defensive positions. Fans won’t be able to see Perez in the playoffs this year, but it should be exciting to see what Semien can do if the Blue Jays clinch a spot in the Wild Card race against New York, Boston, or Seattle. Cheers to a great season, and great health to two studs!

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

The NBA’s Top 5 Title Contenders

Editor: Brian Symons

Author: Danny Gardner

1. Brooklyn Nets

Make no mistake, if every team in the NBA stays healthy the Brooklyn Nets will be the last team standing. No one in the league can match the firepower brought when KD, Kyrie, and James Harden are all on the court together. The, however, challenge for the Nets will be doing just that. Harden was hampered by hamstring injuries for a decent portion of last year, and with so many miles under his belt already it is fair to question whether his body will hold up for a full season. Kevin Durant comes into this season following a remarkable postseason and an Olympic gold medal, but he is also coming off a regular season where he hardly played after coming back from a ruptured achilles. Kyrie Irving is perhaps the hardest of the three stars to predict in every sense. He took 2 prolonged breaks from the team last year for personal reasons, reportedly claimed he would retire if the Nets traded him and is not even eligible to play in Nets home games this year due to his vaccination status. The Nets don’t necessarily need Irving to be a contender this year but having one of the league’s best and efficient high-volume scorers adds an element to their team that no one can match.

2. Milwaukee Bucks

The Nets might have the best team in the NBA, but the Bucks are the reigning NBA champs and deserve the respect that comes with that title. Giannis Antetokounmpo found himself last postseason, which should terrify the rest of the league given that he’s 26 years old and already won two MVP awards. They are also returning most of their core that won last year. They have chemistry, they are battle tested, and they have the belief that they can win close games now which they clearly lacked before. I would not pick them to beat the Nets, but they would make it a fun series.

3. Los Angeles Lakers

Any team with Lebron James and Antony Davis on it will be competing for a championship if Lebron is still in the league. They totally overhauled the rest of their roster, however, losing key contributors at every position in exchange for a third “star”. Don’t get me wrong, I love Russ as an individual talent, but that is all he is. His ball-dominant, low efficiency, high energy game produces mind-numbing stats and some regular season success, but will always crash and burn in the playoffs. Now he is co-starring with Lebron, who might be the worst possible fit for Russ’s game. Both need the ball and neither of them are floor spacers, particularly not Westbrook who is one of the worst three-point shooters in the NBA. He will help them in the regular season where he can give James and Davis rest while carrying the Lakers to wins, but if Russ continues to play his way there will be a ceiling to his teams’ success. All I picture is Russ chucking up a stupid shot or committing a dumb foul at the end of a tight playoff game, and Lebron looking at him like its 2018.

I hesitate to count out any Lebron-led team, but Russ makes me wary.

4. Phoenix Suns

Any team below the top three is not really a true “contender” in my eyes but it does say five teams in the title of this article. The Suns’ hopes for redemption rest on the projected growth of Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges and the belief that the seemingly ageless Chris Paul can stave off Father Time for another year. Is that likely? Probably not, but the Suns are smart, versatile , and skilled and now have a quality backup for Ayton in JaVale McGee (seriously how did they not do this last year?). If Chris Paul can continue to play like has and their young players grow, I’d give the Suns a puncher's chance at a ring. But that’s a big if.

5. Denver Nuggets

Look I’m not any happier about this than you are but who else am I supposed to put here? The Heat’s two best players are on the wrong side of 30 with a lot of intense playoff mileage on them and Bam hasn’t quite mastered scoring yet. If you think I’m putting the words “Rudy Gobert” and “NBA Championship” in the same sentence you are either dumb or French, or both (no offense to the French). The Celtics haven’t figured out who they are outside of Tatum and Brown. And while Luka Doncic is ready, no one else on the Mavericks is. Who else is left, the Knicks? In my dreams. I’ll go with the reigning MVP and his duo of injury riddled, max contract having sidekicks.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

MVP Races Down the Stretch

Author: Zachary Patlin

Editor: Brian Symons

The MVP races in both the AL and the NL are coming down to the wire. The AL race is a two man battle between Shohei Ohtani, two way extraordinaire, and the young slugger Vlad Guerrero Jr. The NL, on the other hand is far less clear cut than simply a two man race. That’s what we will discuss first.

Bryce Harper has had a second half of the 2021 season for the ages. Harper has drove his batting average up to .313 with 33 home runs and a WAR of 5.5. His 1.050 OPS leads all of baseball, as only he and Guerrero Jr. have an OPS above 1.000. If he is able to propel the Phillies into the playoffs over the Braves atop the NL East, he will probably become the MVP frontrunner, winning his second career MVP.

Another name to watch out for in the NL MVP race is none other than Fernando Tatis Jr. Fernando is hitting .286 with 39 home runs, 93 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. His OPS is just shy of 1.000 and his defense has vastly improved this year. Fernando has been at the top of this race since the very beginning, but a couple IL stints have pushed him back into contention with a few other names. If he wants to win MVP this year I think it will take getting his team into the wild card game.

The next two sluggers who are in the thick of t he MVP race are Dodgers 1B Max Muncy, and Nationals OF, Juan Soto. Let’s start with Muncy. Muncy has the lowest batting average amongst those in this list, however his OBP is an elite .372 and his OPS is north of .900. Muncy controls the plate better than just about everyone, except for the guy who will be discussed next. Muncy has simply been the best player on the Dodgers this season and will deserve some MVP votes. Juan Soto has quietly had one of the best second halves in recent history. His batting average is up to .316 with a WAR of 6.7. His OBP is .462, which is the best in baseball by a lot. He is also the only player in the MLB with more walks than strikeouts. Soto will be brought up in the MVP conversation for many years to come.

Now let’s talk about the more clear cut AL race. It’s simply a two man race between Ohtani and Guerrero Jr. Ohtani has compiled a remarkable 45 home runs and 95 RBI, to go along with 23 stolen bases. Oh, and did I mention he is a top tier starting pitcher as well? Ohtani is 9-2 with a 3.28 ERA, compiling 146 strikeouts in 123 innings. There is only one person that can stop Ohtani from being the unanimous MVP, and that is Guerrero Jr. and his pursuit of the triple crown.

Vlad currently leads the AL in two of the three major categories for the triple crown. He has 46 home runs to go along with his .321 batting average. He is having one of the best hitting seasons maybe ever, but is being overlooked because of what Ohtani is doing. Vlad has a 6.8 war, playing everyday 1B for the Jays who are looking to creep into a playoff spot. If Vlad wins the triple crown, being just a few RBI behind that feat, he deserves to be seriously looked at against Ohtani. However, I simply believe Ohtani has done too much to give up the MVP award. The final two weeks will determine who the MVPs of each league are.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE