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For many baseball fans, the unofficial start of the season begins with the annual installment of the MLB The Show video game series. The latest edition released to general public on Tuesday, two days before the Los Angeles Dodgers and other teams take the field for Opening Day.
MLB The Show 18 is sold exclusively on PlayStation, with four available versions to purchase ($59.99 Standard, $69.99 MVP, $99.99 Digital Deluxe and $99.99 All-Rise). New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge graces this year’s cover after a breakout rookie campaign in 2017.
Judge was rewarded with an American League Rookie of the Year Award, among other honors, for his impressive season.
But for the third year in a row, its Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw who has stolen the show a bit. Despite coming off another season marred by a back injury, Kershaw is the highest-rated starting pitcher in the game, with a 92 overall.
His teammate, Kenley Jansen, was tabbed with the highest overall among relief pitchers (92). To no surprise, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder Mike Trout is the highest-rated player with a 93 overall. It’s the third consecutive year he received such honors.
CONTINUE READING: Top-10 ratings by position
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In 2017, Clayton Kershaw was once again at the top of his game despite battling another herniated disc in his back. He posted a 2.31 ERA and 3.07 FIP over 175 innings, and accumulated 4.6 WAR, per FanGraphs’ calculations.
MLB The Show 18’s top five starting pitchers included Kershaw (92), Max Scherzer (90), Corey Kluber (89), Chris Sale (89) and Stephen Strasburg (87).
A pair of New York Mets right-handers in Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom were rated 86 and 85, respectively, while Madison Bumgarner (85), Carlos Carrasco (85) and Justin Verlander (84) rounded out the top 10.
CONTINUE READING: Top-10 relief pitchers
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The Dodgers once again boasted one of the better bullpens in the Majors last season, collectively ranking second in ERA (3.38), FIP (3.67) and third in FanGraphs’ WAR (24.3).
Leading the way was Kenley Jansen, who enjoyed a career year behind a National League-best 41 saves, 1.32 ERA, 1.31 FIP and 14.4 strikeouts per nine over 68.1 frames.
He supplanted Andrew Miller as MLB The Show 18’s highest-rated reliever, with the latter now ranked No. 2 among relief pitchers at 91 overall. The Boston Red Sox’s Craig Kimbrel follows him at third on the list (87), while Aroldis Chapman (85) and Roberto Osuna (84) finish out the top-five.
The Houston Astros’ Ken Giles finds himself at No. 6 with an 82 mark, while Dellin Betances (82) falls to the seventh spot after ranking second in 2017. His teammate, Chad Green, also with an 82 overall, Brad Hand (81) and Felipe Rivero (81) round out the top-10.
CONTINUE READING: Top-10 catchers
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The Dodgers arguably boast the best catching tandem in all of baseball with Austin Barnes and Yasmani Grandal, though both of them were snubbed from MLB The Show 18’s top-10 rankings at their respective position.
Instead, the San Francisco Giants’ Buster Posey earns honors as the top-rated catcher with an 87 overall. A pair of American League backstops in Gary Sanchez (84) and Salvador Perez (83) complete the top three, while NL Central foes in Willson Contreras (83) and Yadier Molina (81) place No. 4 and 5, respectively.
Miami Marlins centerpiece J.T. Realmuto ranks sixth with an 80 overall rating, while a quartet of veterans in Kurt Suzuki (79), Jonathan Lucroy (79), Brian McCann (78) and Wilson Ramos (78) finish out the top-10.
CONTINUE READING: Top-10 first basemen
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Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger enjoyed a historic rookie season in 2017, hitting .267/.352/.581 with an NL and franchise rookie-record 39 home runs. He added 97 RBI and 10 stolen bases.
Bellinger earned unanimous NL Rookie of the Year honors, among many other accolades earned for his efforts on both sides of the ball. Entering his first full season as a Major Leaguer, he ranks fifth in MLB The Show 18’s first basemen ratings at 83 overall.
The Cincinnati Reds’ Joey Votto placed first on the list with an 87 mark, while Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Paul Goldschmidt (86), Anthony Rizzo (85) and Freddie Freeman (85) shape out the top-four.
Detroit Tigers star Miguel Cabrera checks in at No. 6 with an 82 overall, while new San Diego Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer and the Chicago White Sox’s Jose Abreu earned the same rating. Rounding out the bottom-two are Ryan Zimmerman (81) and Justin Smoak (78).
CONTINUE READING: Top-10 second basemen
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While there’s no clear starter at second base for the Dodgers, the club has a plethora of viable options that includes the likes of veterans Logan Forsythe and Chase Utley, and utility man Kiké Hernandez.
The aforementioned trio didn’t crack MLB The Show 18’s top-10 rankings, as Houston Astros star Jose Altuve unsurprisingly claimed the top spot with a 91 overall.
There’s a significant drop-off from there, as Daniel Murphy (83), Brian Dozier (83), Dustin Pedroia (81) and Robinson Cano (81) round out the top-five.
New Angels second baseman Ian Kinsler ranks sixth with an 80 rating, while the Baltimore Orioles’ Jonathan Schoop earned the same overall. Finally, rounding out the bottom-three with an identical 78 rating are Cesar Hernandez, Whitt Merrifield and DJ LeMahieu.
CONTINUE READING: Top-10 third basemen
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Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner continued to cement himself as one of the league’s best third basemen in 2017. He hit .322/.415/.530 over 543 plate appearances (151 wRC+) with 21 homers and 71 RBI — all while providing elite defense at his respective position.
Turner will be sidelined for the foreseeable future after fracturing his left wrist last Monday, but nevertheless places sixth in MLB The Show 18’s rankings with an 85 overall.
Earning top honors is Colorado Rockies star Nolan Arenado, who owns one of the few 90 overall ratings in the game. Completing the top-five is Josh Donaldson (86), Kris Bryant (86), Jose Ramirez (85) and Adrian Beltre (85).
The bottom-four features a blend of youth and veteran, as Anthony Rendon is tabbed with an 84 overall. Following him are Alex Bregman (83), Mike Moustakas (82) and Zack Cozart (81).
CONTINUE READING: Top-10 shortstops
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Since his MLB debut in 2015, Corey Seager has firmly established himself as one of the best shortstops in all of baseball.
Last season, he led the Dodgers in FanGraphs’ WAR (5.7) behind a .295/.375/479 in 613 trips to the plate. What’s more, Seager slugged 22 home runs and proved key at the top of the lineup while grading out as an above-average defender.
Seager was one of three players to earn an 85 rating, along with Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa. Placing first is Baltimore Orioles star Manny Machado (86), who returned to his natural position after spending the first six seasons of his career at third base.
The bottom of the list includes Trea Turner and Andrelton Simmons, who rank No. 5 and 6 with an 82 overall rating. Didi Gregorius and Xander Bogaerts check in with an 81 mark, while Elvis Andrus (89) and Jose Reyes (79) complete the backend of the rankings.
CONTINUE READING: Top-10 left fielders
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Left field is one of the few positions at question for the Dodgers, as no clear starter has emerged to this point. A platoon will likely be utilized, with talented players such as Kiké Hernandez, Matt Kemp and Joc Pederson all slated to see playing time.
Though, none of them made the cut for MLB The Show 18’s top-10 rankings. Panorama City, Calif., native and now-Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton earned top honors at the position with an 85 rating.
Crosstown rival and New York Mets star Yoenis Cespedes checks in at No. 2 with an 84 mark. The rest of the top-five consists of a trio of players with an 82 overall in J.D. Martinez, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich.
Cleveland Indians veteran Michael Brantley ranks No. 6 with an 81 rating, while Justin Upton (80) follows him on the list. Completing the top-10 are Michael Conforto (79), Andrew Benintendi (79) and Brett Gardner (78).
CONTINUE READING: Top-10 center fielders
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One of the biggest surprises of the 2017 season was the emergence of Chris Taylor, who learned a new position on the fly and eventually became the Dodgers’ starting center fielder.
He hit .288/.354/.496 in 568 plate appearances (140 games) and accumulated 21 home runs, 85 runs, 72 RBI and 17 stolen bases for his efforts. Defensively, Taylor exceeded all expectations and was one of the more efficient players at his position.
Taylor ranked ninth on MLB The Show 18’s center field ratings with an 80 overall — his first time cracking the list. Placing first is Trout (92), followed by Charlie Blackmon (84), George Springer (83), Lorenzo Cain (82) and Tommy Pham (82) to round out the top-five.
The Tampa Bay Rays’ Kevin Kiermaier also earned an 82 rating, while Starling Marte (81), Ender Inciarte (81) and A.J. Pollock (79) complete the list.
CONTINUE READING: Top-10 right fielders
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The 2017 season marked a rejuvenation for Yasiel Puig, who not only matured in the clubhouse but set personal-bests in many categories, including home runs (28) and RBI (74).
He also emerged as one of the best defensive right fielders in all of baseball, and took home a Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award for his efforts. As a result, Puig placed seventh in MLB The Show 18’s rankings with a 79 overall rating.
To no surprise, Washington Nationals superstar Bryce Harper earned top honors with an 88 mark. Rounding out the top-five are Mookie Betts (87), Judge (86), Nelson Cruz (81) and Andrew McCutchen (81).
Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun checks in at No. 6 with an 80 overall, while Josh Reddick (79), Avisail Garcia (79) and Jay Bruce (76) precede Puig at Nos. 8-10 to complete the list.