Hey guys MLB: The Show is finally here! I am so excited to dive into the game and I will be sure to have a review out in the near future as I get my hands on all the different game modes and additions to the game. What I thought I would also do is sort of chronicle my Diamond Dynasty experience. This is a way for me to think through roster decisions and in-game decisions as well, so my hope is that you all benefit from seeing how my thought process works. To start we are going to work through our first five picks and overview the rest of the team as it gets auto-picked for us.
So with that it’s time to pick our first five players. My options for middle infield or catcher are Alex Avila (75), Tony Kemp (71), Jordy Mercer (71) and Nick Ahmed (72). The 2015 me would have instantly locked Avila because he has the best overall of the bunch, but I know better than to just judge off of overall now. Out of these four I actually end up going with Tony Kemp because he has the best contact rate against right-handers and is the only speed threat.
Next up is the corner infielders, my options are: Marwin Gonzalez (71), Adam Rosales (73), Joe Mauer (73), and Sean Rodriguez (73). So again I would be making the old me crazy, but I go with Marwin Gonzalez who has the worst overall again, however, he also has the best contact rate, solid homerun rate, and best speed of the bunch. Plus sacrificing a little bit of defense is worth the superior hitting.
Next up we have outfielders: Hyun Soo Kim (75), Danny Santana (70), Jorge Soler (75), and Byron Buxton (75). Who did I pick? You guessed it, Danny Santana. It was tough between him and Soler but Santana has better contact rate, vision, and speed. Soler only has better better power and a better arm defensively. Santana can also play five different positions so that kind of versatility is great for a guy that can get good contact and steal. The other two are specialists and that is not the sort of thing I care for in my fielders/hitters.
Now for the starting pitchers: Chris Capuano (72), Adam Conley (75), Christian Friedrich (72), and Aaron Blair (70). So this time I do go with the highest overall in Adam Conley. He is a lefty pitcher with the best combination of velocity, control, and break. He also had the best H/9 and K/9 so despite losing out on a few points in BB/9, I feel it will definitely be worth it. I was also considering Aaron Blair because he had the best velocity and break, but I would have been sacrificing too much control.
Then we have the relievers: Keone Kela (79), Cam Bedrosian (79), Joe Smith (79), and Jake Diekman (78). All pretty solid choices for a start up reliever. For my relievers, I love fireballers that can just get people out by blowing a fastball by them, so I decide to go with Jake Diekman here. Maxed out velocity, 93 break, and 92 K/9 pretty much tell the story with this pick.
The rest of the team was then auto-picked for me and I have to say I like the team. My rotation is Trevor Bauer (high stamina, velocity and break), Robbie Ray (lefty with high K/9), Conley, Kyle Gibson (high stamina, velocity, break, and 62 BB/9 is best in the rotation), and Colin Rea (one of the best H/9 rates in rotation and a 5 pitch mix).
My bullpen is definitely where I will need the most help going into my pack openings as the next best reliever I have after Diekman is Bobby Parnell (73) and my last reliever is a 58.
My starting lineup looks pretty solid so far:
1. Danny Santana (SS) (good contact rate, baserunning, and little cold zones)
2. Marwin Gonzalez (1B) (good contact rate, decent power, and good speed for 1B)
3. Lorenzo Cain (CF) (great contact, clutch, fielding, and speed) (got him from a loyalty pack once I got the servers to work for me)
4. Joc Pederson (RF) (great power, maxed discipline, solid fielding and good speed, but bad contact and stealing)
5. Mike Napoli (LF) (good power and contact vs lefties, near maxed discipline)
6. Asdrubal Cabrera (2B) (Good contact and power vs righties, good bunting)
7. Geovany Soto (C) (good power and discipline)
8. Kike Hernandez (3B) (does everything except bunt solid and steal (everything else is 50+) and is very versatile (6 positions))
My team right as it stands right now is a 74 overall with my best squad attribute being pitching then defense.
Let me know what you guys think of all this. Am I just wasting everyones time with this or is this something that interests you? Comment below or tweet us @TheNerdChambers. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram as well!
The Nerd Chambers 