On one hand, the best team is subject to the ever-true observation, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Gamers all bring different talents, strengths, and weaknesses to their gameplay experience in MLB The Show 21. In doing so, virtually every team is perfect for a player with particular tendencies.
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But on the other hand, the game doesn't decide to leave much to the realm of opinion when it ranks the best teams. Each team has a corresponding OVR and numerical ranking from first to thirtieth. This list will go over these top ten teams in the game, but know that individual experience may differ.
Updated on July 27th, 2021 by Hodey Johns: It only makes sense that midway through the midsummer classic, the season will be looking quite a bit different than when it started. There were some overly optimistic projections (the Twins were never going to live up to that sixth-best billing) and some pleasant surprises. It's been some time since the original creation of this list and things have surely changed in the world of MLB concerning rankings. So after some shuffling, here's where they stand in MLB The Show 21.
10 Oakland A's
They say that defense wins championships. That's arguably true in football, though sometimes it's considered an afterthought in baseball. It shouldn't be and the A's have proved that having a mediocre team with an incredible defense can win championships.
Also, this is an excellent team to pick when learning to play with friends because players tend to struggle with defensive mechanics, surrendering extra outs and bases. The Athletics are great at fixing many player's greatest weaknesses.
9 Atlanta Braves
Although Atlanta is considered one of the smaller-market teams, they've invested their cash wisely and bought some talent. In addition to all the categories that they rank highly in, the majority of the players excel in clutch situations and with runners on base.
Ronald Acuña Jr, Freddie Freeman, and Marcel Ozuna are RBI machines, which is a scary combination to go along with a pitching staff that is seventh best. And don't dare forget about ace Charlie Morton leading the charge.
8 Toronto Blue Jays
Most of the best teams can sometimes fall into the trap of being boring. They have a great pitching staff and bullpen, then hope the hitters hold up their end of the bargain. The Blue Jays are great for players tired of that formula.
Playing in a hitter-friendly park, the Blue Jays are first in contact, fourth in power (an appeal to players who love to hit more home runs), and ninth in speed, making them the best run-producers in the game. The decidedly average pitching staff isn't going to carry them to the playoffs, but gamers who love to put up runs can take them to a title.
7 Chicago White Sox
Newcomers to the MLB The Show series should seriously consider playing with the White Sox. This team has risen up on this list and was already considered a top-ten talent going into the season thanks to some unexpected power hitting. Players looking to farm up stubs really fast can milk this team for some easy wins.
The team is ridiculously well-balanced. José Abreu and Tim Anderson are legitimate all-stars, but most of the team falls into the better-than-average category. Closer Liam Hendricks is the best in the business, so players who get a lead by the ninth inning will not be losing it.
6 Milwaukee Brewers
With average power and speed and rather poor contact, it's shocking to see a team with so little offense ranked as high as sixth. But the Brewers have the win-loss record to prove it.
Having Christian Yelich makes up for a lot on the hitting side because it adds some zest to a listless lineup. And the pitching staff is ranked fourth overall, so it doesn't take much magic from the offense to pull off a string of wins.
5 Houston Astros
Many fans won't be able to get over the cheating scandal. When the scam was exposed, every player on the team had their reputations shattered. But that didn't take away from their natural talent. Indeed, they've had their stats increase since the season began.
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Do not forget that the Astros are still one of the best teams in baseball even on equal footing. They are well-rounded and rank thirteenth or higher in every category. Players that like to do a little bit of everything will love the Astros.
4 New York Mets
Here's a bit of an oddity; the Mets have mediocre ranks in every individual category, with pitching being their highest at sixth thanks in no small part to Jacob deGrom who is playing like a man possessed. But aside from him, not much stands out.
Still, this team went in ranked fourth and they are still fourth because, for some mystical reason, they seem to get the job done as a team, with somebody stepping up in clutch moments. This hasn't stopped them from seeking better talent during the season, so it's hard to tell if this is a product of luck or a team that has ice in its veins.
3 San Diego Padres
Is there are hometown bias for San Diego from the developers? That's hard to say as they went into the season ranked first, but the team has still done well, even if that's only given them the third rank in the game. They did make Fernando Tatis Jr the cover athlete for MLB The Show 21, and this electrifying player does make a convincing case for the Padres to take a step forward.
He joins Manny Machado on the infield and this whole team is the fastest in baseball. The real seller, though, is their pitching staff, loaded with Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, and Blake Snell. Nobody knows how 2021 will end, but if it's anything like this game predicts, the Padres just might have their first championship notched.
2 New York Yankees
Nothing is more classic Yankees than being terrible with speed, bad at contact, and yet first in power. This is a team built to play in the spotlight. Every hitter, from top to bottom, risks sending the next ball over the fence.
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And that adds up. Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Luke Voit all contend to lead the league in home runs. With pitchers like Gerrit Cole and Corey Kluber, it's a wonder that anybody pulls off a victory as a visitor in the Bronx.
1 Los Angeles Dodgers
It's odd that the defending champions started off as only ranked second-best. This has since been rectified and they now reside on top of the world on most expert rankings after ironing out a slightly rocky start to the season.
In the most important statistics, defense, power, and pitching, the Dodgers are in the top two. That tends to happen when Clayton Kershaw, Mookie Betts, and Cody Bellinger all somehow end up on the same stacked team.
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