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In addition to the fanfare and excitement that comes with Opening Day of the Major League Baseball season, there’s been anticipation for the arrival of a premiere date in the gaming community as well. On Tuesday, MLB The Show 17 became available exclusively via the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.
MLB The Show 17 can be purchased in four different versions: $59.99 for Standard, $69.99 for MVP, and $99.99 for both Digital Deluxe and Hall of Fame. The newest edition in the longstanding franchise goes with a throwback cover, as Ken Griffey Jr. and his trademark swing are featured.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were previously represented on the cover in 2015 by Yasiel Puig. Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson received cover athlete honors last year.
Puig became the first Dodgers player to grace on the cover since the game originated in 2012. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez was on the inaugural cover, but as a member of the Boston Red Sox.
Although the Dodgers aren’t featured on the cover this year, they do boast some of the game’s best players. For the second year in a row, three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw and two-time American League MVP Mike Trout were the highest-rated players, with a 99 overall rating.
CONTINUE READING: Top-10 ratings by position
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Clayton Kershaw was on pace to put together a historic 2016 season, but his attempt for a fourth Cy Young Award was cut short when he suffered a herniated disc in his lower back that placed him on the disabled list for 10 weeks.
During his 21 starts last season, the 29-year-old went 12-4 with a 1.69 ERA, 1.80 FIP, 0.73 WHIP and 230 ERA+. His 10.4 strikeouts and 0.7 walks per nine innings put together a historic 15.64 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The Texas native also had three complete-game shutouts, trailing National League leader Johnny Cueto’s five (though Cueto had 11 more starts).
MLB The Show 17’s top five starting pitchers included Kershaw (99), Max Scherzer (93), Chris Sale (93), Noah Syndergaard (92) and Corey Kluber (92). Jake Arrieta and Madison Bumgarner hauled in a 92 rating, while Stephen Strasburg, Jon Lester and Johnny Cueto each received a 90 rating to round out the top 10.
Zack Greinke, Felix Hernandez, Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom all fell out of the top 10, with Syndergaard, Strasburg, Lester and Cueto making the cut in this year’s edition of the game.
CONTINUE READING: Top 10 relief pitchers
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The Dodgers bullpen made a strong resurgence during the 2016 season, posting a Major-League best 3.35 ERA. The bullpen faced the daunting task of many long-relief appearances throughout the season, and largely answered the bell each time.
Although Joe Blanton departed for the Washington Nationals and J.P. Howell signed with the Blue Jays, the Dodgers have much of the same bullpen returning this season. And as such, are without a top-10 reliever in the eyes of MLB The Show.
It should be noted that the video game did not included closers in their rankings of the top relief pitchers. Both Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller remain the top-rated relievers in MLB The Show 17, but they flip-flopped positions on the rankings.
Miller took a leap from 90 overall to 96 overall, earning the top spot on the list. Betances retained his 90 ranking, but that slipped him down to No. 2.
Chicago White Sox right-hander Nate Jones earned his first top ranking, placing No. 3 on the list with an 85 rating. Sean Doolittle, Addison Reed, Hector Rendon, Pedro Strop, Will Harris, Carson Smith and Kyle Barraclough all received an 84 rating, rounding out the top 10.
CONTINUE READING: Top 10 closers
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While the Dodgers endured some inconsistency in the starting rotation and bullpen, there was confidence come the ninth inning. Kenley Jansen became a nationally-recognized name last season, earning All-Star Game honors for the first time in his career.
The power right-hander converted 47 saves, pitched to a 1.83 ERA, averaged 13.6 strikeouts per nine innings and sported a career-low 0.67 WHIP.
The offseason turned into quite the whirlwind for Jansen, as he made the decision to re-sign with the Dodgers during his wedding in Curacao. Jansen received a 95 rating in MLB The Show 17, which is tops amongst all closers.
Zach Britton and Aroldis Chapman tied for second place with a 92 rating, while Wade Davis was the only remaining closer to have a rating in excess of 90 (91). Mark Melancon (89), Seung Hwan Oh (87), Cody Allen (87), Roberto Osuna (86), Craig Kimbrel (86) and Jeurys Familia (85) rounded out the remaining spots on the list.
CONTINUE READING: Top 10 catchers
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The Dodgers made the captivating move to acquire Yasmani Grandal from the San Diego Padres, giving the organization one of their more intriguing backstops. He hit .228/.339/.477 with 27 home runs, 14 doubles and 72 RBIs last season.
Grandal did set a career high with 116 strikeouts, but also drew 64 walks, which was one off tying a career-best mark. He used the offseason to address his right-handed swing, which was affected by a previous shoulder injury.
Grandal was ranked a top-10 catcher by ESPN and MLB Network’s the Shredder heading into the 2017 season. He also is ranked a top-10 player at his position in the virtual world, earning an 82 rating that’s good for eighth-best.
Buster Posey was once again ranked the top catcher in baseball, although his rating fell from 94 to 92. Jonathan Lucroy’s (87) impactful 2016 season moved him seventh on the list all the way up to second, while Wilson Ramos, Yadier Molina, Salvador Perez and Gary Sanchez all followed on the list with an 84 rating.
Russell Martin (83), Devin Mesoraco (82) and Matt Weiters (81) finish out the top 10 catchers on the list, with many of the catchers retaining their standing from the 2016 game.
CONTINUE READING: Top 10 first basemen
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Adrian Gonzalez has been a model of consistency at first base since the Dodgers acquired him in 2012, and enjoyed a bit of a resurgent 2016 season after a dip in production over the two previous years.
He finished the year batting .285/.349/.435 with 18 home runs, 31 doubles and 90 RBIs. However, Gonzalez did drop out of the top 10 overall rankings for MLB The Show 17, after placing on the list in the past two editions of the game.
Miguel Cabrera leapfrogged Paul Goldschmidt to earn the top rating, even though both players saw a drop in their overall rating. Cabrera (92), Goldschmidt (91) and Joey Votto (91) round out the only first baseman to have more than a 90 rating.
Anthony Rizzo (89) and Freddie Freeman (88) rounded out the top five, and Edwin Encarnacion (85), Matt Carpenter (85), Will Myers (84), Brandon Belt (84) and Albert Pujols (83) closed out the first basemen list.
In addition to Gonzalez, Jose Abreu, and Chris Davis dropped out of the top 10.
CONTINUE READING: Top 10 second basemen
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One of the Dodgers’ primary concerns heading into last offseason was addressing their need at second base. It coincided with finding a right-handed hitter.
Although Chase Utley did his best as a 37-year-old (now 38) to be the everyday starter in 2016, he did suffer from fatigue and the rigors of a full season. The Dodgers ultimately filled the vacancy by trading for Logan Forsythe, though Utley was re-signed to play a bench role.
Forsythe is not among the top rated second basemen in MLB The Show 17, though Dozier and Ian Kinsler are. Jose Altuve checks in at No. 1 with an overall rating that increased from last year’s 96 to 97.
Robinson Cano (91), Ian Kinsler (89), Daniel Murphy (88) and Dustin Pedroia (88) round out the top five. They’re followed by Brian Dozier (87) and Ben Zobrist (85), Jason Kipnis (87), D.J. LeMahieu (85) and Rougned Odor (84).
CONTINUE READING: Top 10 third basemen
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The Dodgers made one of the under-the-radar acquisitions of the decade when they signed Justin Turner to a Minor League deal in 2014. After competing alongside Juan Uribe, Turner emerged as the team’s everyday third baseman.
He signed a much deserved four-year, $64 million contract over the offseason, to remain with the Dodgers. Not only has Turner increased his offensive output in recent years, but he’s also made a concernted effort to turn into a top-tier defensive third baseman.
His seven defensive runs saved last season tied for sixth in the Majors. With that, Turner has cracked the list of MLB The Show 17’s top third basemen, with an 87 rating that placed him tied for eighth.
Josh Donaldson and NL MVP Kris Bryant tied for top mark with a 94 rating. Both Nolan Arenado and Manny Machado were rated 93, while Adrian Beltre’s 89 rating finished out the top five.
Kyle Seager’s 88 rating earned him the sixth spot on the list, and he was followed by Turner, Evan Longoria (87), Anthony Rendon (83) and Todd Frazier (83).
CONTINUE READING: Top 10 shortstops
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Corey Seager validated all the expectations that were placed on his shoulders, winning the 2016 NL Rookie of the Year Award by unanimous selection. He hit .308/.365/.512 with 40 doubles, 26 home runs and 72 RBIs.
Despite the prolific output, Seager said this spring he lacked his best swing during the 2016 season. Seager and Francisco Lindor are the top-rated shortstops with a 90 overall rating.
Trea Turner and Brandon Crawford both drew an 88 rating; Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Jonathan Villar were rated 85; while Troy Tulowitzki, Jean Segura and Jose Iglesias were given an 83 rating.
CONTINUE READING: Top 10 left fielders
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Whereas the Dodgers’ strength lies within their infield, the outfield, particularly left field, was very much a platoon last season. And the same is expected to hold true in 2017.
To no surprise, the Dodgers did not place a left fielder in the top-10 of MLB The Show 17’s rankings. Yoenis Cespedes (90), Ryan Braun (87), Michael Brantley (86), Alex Gordon (83) and Gregory Polanco (83) comprised the top five.
Cespedes was ranked eighth in last year’s edition of the game, while Brantley and Braun held onto their top five positioning.
Justin Upton, who was ranked the top overall left fielder in 2016, slid down to sixth on the list with an 82 overall rating. Khris Davis (81), Brett Gardner (81), Marcell Ozuna (81) and Jayson Werth (80) conclude the list.
CONTINUE READING: Top 10 center fielders
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The center field job was locked down by Joc Pederson in 2015, and the former prospect has since transitioned to a three-year Major Leaguer. As Pederson works to lower his strikeout rate and improve as an all-around hitter, he remains out of the top 10 rankings.
Trout, the highest rated player in the game alongside Kershaw, is the only center field to hold a rating higher than 87. His 99 overall holds the top spot once again, with Starling Marte (87), A.J. Pollack (86), Lorenzo Cain (85) and Christian Yelich (85) in the top half of the list.
Charlie Blackmon (84), George Springer (84), Kevin Kiermaier (84), Odubel Herrera (82), and Carlos Gomez (82) round out the final rankings in center field.
Andrew McCutchen completely fell off the list after a subpar 2016 season, while Cespedes was placed removed from the center field rankings in favor of left field.
CONTINUE READING: Top 10 right fielders
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Yasiel Puig has seen his role and playing time with the Dodgers change dramatically due to injuries and prolonged struggles at the plate over the past two seasons. He seemingly hit a low point last August when the Dodgers demoted Puig to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Washington Nationals All-Star Bryce Harper was jumped by up and coming Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts. Betts (93), Harper (90), Nelson Cruz (88), Giancarlo Stanton (88) and Andrew McCutchen (85) round out the top five.
Carlos Gonzalez (84), Jose Bautista (83) and Hunter Pence (81) all kept their place within the top 10, while J.D Martinez (84) and Mark Trumbo (81) cracked the list for the first time.