The 2021 MLB Playoffs are Excluding the Most Exciting Players in the Game

There are lots of elite players in the MLB, however there are many this year that are currently not in a position to play in the postseason. Shohei Ohtani, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Juan Soto have done their part to push their team to the playoffs, but it wasn’t meant to be for their teams this season. For MLB to promote their stars as much as possible, it would be ideal for their best players to play in October, yet the most exciting stars in the game won’t be in the spotlight this Fall which won’t help MLB’s potential to grow.

These #MLBPlayoffs are set to not include:
- Shohei Ohtani
- Fernando Tatis Jr.
- Juan Soto
- Ronald Acuna
- Mike Trout
- Trevor Bauer
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (0.5 games up currently)

Pretty much the most exciting baseball players to watch besides Tim Anderson not in October pic.twitter.com/5gZFfr8AuO
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) September 22, 2021

INTERESTING FACTS

Among the 12 players with 35+ HR in 2021, only 3 of them (Gallo, Duvall, Judge) are in a position to play in the postseason
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads the MLB in AVG (.323) and is tied for the most HR (46) with Salvador Perez; Neither on playoff teams
Fernando Tatis Jr. leads MLB in offensive WAR (7.1) and SLG (.622) but San Diego is 6.0 GB of a playoff spot
Juan Soto is the MLB leader in OBP (.466) & NL Leader in AVG (.321); Nationals are 5th place in the NL East

MAIN TAKEAWAY

THE 2021 MLB PLAYOFFS ARE EXCLUDING THE MOST EXCITING PLAYERS IN THE GAME

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Usually, the best players in the MLB make the playoffs with a few exceptions as always (i.e Mike Trout the last 10 years). This year, however, there are a glaringly large number of elite players that could fail to see the field in October, including Fernando Tatis Jr. (the Padres are 6 games from a Wild Card berth), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (the Blue Jays are .5 games from a Wild Card berth), Shohei Ohtani (the Angels have been eliminated from playoff contention), and Juan Soto (Nats are in last place in the NL East).

These three stars represent the best and brightest talent the MLB has to offer and the fact that they are all at risk of missing the playoffs speaks to the league’s lack of star power that will be showcased in October. The most exciting players in the game should be playing on the biggest stage, especially at a time when MLB fails to promote it’s stars adequately.

Other elite players that will miss the playoffs due to team performance, injury, or administrative leave include Mike Trout, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Trevor Bauer. While elite players miss the playoffs each year due to different factors, the long list of this year’s omissions from the playoffs speaks to bad luck for the league. There will still be plenty of action to be excited about when 10 teams compete for the coveted Commissioner’s Trophy but the clear lack of star talent does not help MLB’s challenge to grow the game.