Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone out there. A little bit different time with the pandemic. I hope that everyone is able to have a great time with their special someone. To the toughest Region of them all, the West Region. The western teams are stacked I must say with Los Angeles alone having a significant amount of our athletes on this list. Please vote on the sports stew with Drew facebook page. @stewdrew on twitter in the comments section of my youtube video released with this bracket or lastly on the comments section below, you can do it vote!!!
1 Lebron James Vs 16 Joey Bosa
Lebron James (Lakers Basketball) 2021 Season 25.6 ppg, 8 rebounds, 8 assists. Overview: Lebron James is the unicorn of all unicorn in sports (Sans Thomas Edward Brady). Lebron in his age 36 season is still showing that he is the best all around player in all of basketball. Lebron could be the MVP in every season with exception of his first season with the Lakers over the past decade plus. LeBron is the gold standard of consistency in greatness in any sport.
Joey Bosa (Chargers Football) 2020 Season 7.5 Sacks 1 Fumble Forced. Overview: Arguably the most unblockable pass rusher in all of football Joey Bosa is the gold standard of pass rusher in all of football. The only thing holding Bosa back is his injury history. Bosa in 2020 also missed four games due to various injuries. If Bosa can stay healthy in his age 26 season in 2021 he will be in consideration for the Defensive Player of the Year.
8 Clayton Kershaw Vs 9 Russell Wilson
Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers Baseball) 2020 Season 6-2 2.16 ERA, 2019 Season 16-5 3.03 ERA. Overview: Clayton Kershaw is no doubt the best pitcher (Justin Verlander may say hold my beer) of this generation. The talks of Kershaw’s decline has been very much overrated if you look at Kershaw’s metrics over the past two seasons. Kershaw was able to exorcise many demons with his excellent 2 starts in the 2020 World Series leading the Dodgers to a World Series Championship.
Russell Wilson (Seahawks Football) 2020 Season 4,212 Yards, 40 Touchdowns, 13 Interceptions. Overview: Russell Wilson has been one of the best quarterbacks in the game over the past decade and 2020 was no different. Wilson threw 40 touchdowns and lead the Seahawks to a 12-4 record. Wilson may still be the most underrated QB in all of football never receiving even a single MVP vote in his career.
5 Mookie Betts Vs 12 Damian Lillard
Mookie Betts (Dodgers Baseball) 2020 Season .292 average, 16 Homeruns, 39 RBI, 2019 Season .295 average, 29 Homeruns, 80 RBI. Overview: Mookie Betts is arguably the best all around player in all of baseball and was the missing piece the Dodgers needed to finally get them over the top en route to the 2020 World Series Championship. To add to Betts two championships is the 2018 AL MVP award and five consecutive gold gloves.
Damien Lillard (Trail Blazers Basketball) 2021 Season 29.4 ppg, 7.1 assists, 38.9 3pt%. Overview: The fact that Damian Lillard (or know as Dame) is ranked number 12 in this region shows the strength of the West Region. Lillard was the MVP of the Orlando bubble leading his Trail Blazers all the way to the playoffs with a performance for the ages. Lillard is on pace for another monster season in 2021 average almost 30 points a game.
4 Aaron Donald Vs 13 Cody Bellinger
Aaron Donald (Rams Football) 2020 Season 13.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles. Overview: Nobody in the NFL can unequivocally state they are the best at their position except for one man. Aaron Donald is the best defensive lineman in all of football. Donald won the Defensive Player of the year for the third time in his career this past season and helped the Rams be the number one defense in all of football.
Cody Bellinger (Dodgers Baseball) 2020 Season .239 Season, 12 homeruns, 51 RBI. 2019 Season .305 average, 47 homeruns, 115 RBI. Overview: First let’s just state that the Dodgers are stacked. 2nd is Bellinger is not being kept off this list because of a so so 60 game campaign in 2020. Bellinger’s 2020 postseason performance and his 2019 Season speaks for itself and if you noticed his career metrics Bellinger is due for a monster year in 2021.
6 Kawhi Leonard Vs 11 DeAndre Hopkins
Kawhi Leonard (Clippers Basketball) 2021 Season 26.0 ppg, 5.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists. Overview: All you have to do is watch the 2019 NBA playoffs and Kawhi Leonard can drop the mic. But to put Leonard’s career into perspective he has been the best player on two championship teams who took down two different empires in basketball. In defeating the 2014 Heat and the 2019 Warriors in the NBA Finals.
DeAndre Hopkins (Cardinals Football) 2021 Season 115 receptions, 1,407 yards, 6 touchdowns. Overview: Widely regarded as the best hands in all of football DeAndre Hopkins is the only receiver in football that is literally open no matter what on every play. Hopkins made the play of the 2020 Season catching a game winning hailmary against the Bills with three defenders covering him.
3 Stephen Curry Vs 14 Jalen Ramsey
Stephen Curry (Warriors Basketball) 2021 Season 29.6 ppg, 5.9 assists, 42.9 3pt%. Overview. Is there anyone in basketball who is more dangerous from anywhere on the court than Steph Curry. Not just to mention he has come back in a big way in 2021 from a hand injury that sidelined him for most of 2020. But Curry literally changed the way basketball is played. The analytic side of 3 is better than 2 has become the game and Curry is pioneer who started this movement in the early 2010s.
Jalen Ramsey (Rams Football) 2020 Season 1 Interception. Overview: Jalen Ramsey only had 1 interception in 2020 because teams never throw his way. He is the definition of a shutdown corner. Between Aaron Donald up front and Jalen Ramsey in the back end the Rams have the two best in football at their positions. Which makes the Rams are a dangerous contender in 2021 with most of their defense returning for the upcoming season.
7 Anthony Davis Vs 10 Fernando Tatis
Anthony Davis (Lakers Basketball) 2021 Season 22.3 ppg, 8.6 rebounds, 53 fg%. Overview: Known as the unibrow, Anthony Davis is one of the most skilled big men in all of basketball. Davis made an immediate impact in his first season with the Lakers leading the Lakers to their first championship since 2010. With Lebron James being not human when it comes to declining with age. Lebron and Davis Lakers could form a dynasty in the early 2020s.
Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres Baseball) 2020 Season .277 average, 17 homeruns, 45 RBI. 2019 Season .317, 22 homeruns, 53 RBI. Overview: Fernando Tatis Jr may be the best player in all of baseball this season. Tatis burst into the scent in his age 20 season with a year that would have been good enough for rookie of the year if Tatis didn’t miss time due to injury. If I had to predict the NL MVP today, Tatis will be at the top of the list of players I would vote for.
2 Mike Trout Vs 15 Chris Paul
Mike Trout (Angels Baseball) 2020 Season .281 average, 17 homeruns, 46 RBI. 2019 Season .291 average, 45 homeruns, 104 RBI. Overview: Mike Trout in MVP voting since his first full season in 2012, 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 4th, 2nd, 1st, 5th (only 60 games season). Only Mookie Betts even has a seat at the table in the discussion of who’s the best player in baseball right now. If the Angels could only get some pitching eh.
Chris Paul (Clippers Basketball) 2021 Season 16.2 ppg, 8.2 assists, 47.2 fg%. Overview: Chris Paul never puts up the most flashy stats in the NBA. But what Paul has always brought to the table is winning and work ethic. After an amazing run with a Thunder team that was tanking in 2020 to get them all the way to 5th in the brutal Western Conference Paul has came in and turned around another team. The Suns are currently 4th in the West and are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010.