It’s good to be No. 1. And entering the 2021 MLB Season, Mookie Betts and the defending World Series champs are the kings of selling jerseys, too.
After an offseason that always feels too long, baseball is finally back. And to mark the occasion on Opening Day 2021, the MLB released its preseason jersey sales figures dating back to the conclusion of October’s World Series, when the Los Angeles Dodgers prevailed in six games against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Now, the defending champions are dominating a different set of standings: three of their superstar players are among the top five bestselling jerseys in baseball.
Former AL MVP Mookie Betts is No. 1, with teammate Cody Bellinger right behind him in the second spot. Future Hall of Fame ace Clayton Kershaw rounds out the top five.
On top of it all, Dodger shortstop Corey Seager ranks 13th.
Winning the World Series for the first time in three decades has its advantages.
The biggest threat to overtaking the Dodgers duo at the top? Easily San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., who currently slots in at third on the list but continues to see his popularity grow rapidly. According to the MLB, the 22-year-old phenom is the youngest player in history to rank in the top three of the league’s most popular jerseys, and is the highest-ranked Padres player since the league first began tracking these numbers.
Another newcomer to the top 10 is Francisco Lindor, who will only benefit further from being traded to the New York Mets from Cleveland. On Wednesday, Lindor signed the largest deal for a shortstop in baseball history at 10 years and $341 million — $1 million more than the deal Tatis signed earlier in the offseason.
As for the other team in New York, Aaron Judge is the only Yankee representative in the top 10 with the sixth-most popular jersey. Angels icon Mike Trout maintained his streak inside the top 10 in every season of his career dating back to his rookie season, holding off new Cardinal Nolan Arenado for the No. 10 spot.
Top 20 Bestselling Jerseys of the 2020-21 MLB Offseason
- Mookie Betts, LA Dodgers
- Cody Bellinger, LA Dodgers
- Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres
- Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
- Clayton Kershaw, LA Dodgers
- Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
- Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves
- Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
- Kiké Hernandez, Boston Red Sox
- Mike Trout, LA Angels
- Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals
- Javier Baez, Chicago Cubs
- Corey Seager, LA Dodgers
- Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
- Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
- Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers
- Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
- Jacob deGrom, New York Mets
- Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
- Pete Alonso, New York Mets
