Like most of you reading this, I’m quarantined at home and it’s extremely difficult to find enough activities and hobbies to occupy ones’ time with throughout the day. As a huge sports fan, it’s a real bummer to be sitting around all day with no games on. So to bide my time I’ve been playing the new release of MLB the Show 20 for PlayStation 4.
MLB The Show is the most successful baseball video game franchise in history, but they’ve been notorious over the years for questionable and confusing player ratings and this year is no different. So today, we’re taking a look at some of the more head-scratching player ratings in MLB the Show 20.
I went through and analyzed the ratings of virtually every single MLB/AAA player in the entire game and found some interesting tendencies that the developers use to decide a player’s rating:
- Defense, Defense, Defense: There is a clear trend when it comes to player ratings in The Show. The developers really value defense in the field, more than maybe I would if I was in charge of the ratings. Players like Byron Buxton and Andrelton Simmons who are incredible in the field, but just mehhh at the plate have pretty high ratings.
- Recency Bias: This one is obvious. There’s a reason future Hall-of-Famer Albert Pujols is rated a 70 overall and not a 99, like in years past. However I think this tendency by the developers is kind of unfair. Players like Ketel Marte, Liam Hendricks, and Jorge Soler who had incredibly surprising breakout campaigns last year are rated extremely high even though their careers prior to 2019 were lackluster. I’m of the opinion that past years other than 2019 should account for something, but they really don’t when it comes to overall ratings…it’s strictly about 2019 performances.
- Speed Kills: One last trend I noticed is that the devs put a big emphasis on base-stealing ability. Personally, I think stolen bases are an overrated stat in the game of baseball. Guys like Delino DeShields Jr. and Billy Hamilton have much higher ratings than they probably should because they can swipe bags with the best of them.
Alright, without further ado, let’s check out the most head-scratching ratings in MLB the Show 20!
Zack Britton, RP, New York Yankees
MLB The Show 20 overall: 75
In my opinion, Britton’s rating is probably the most egregious in this year’s game. Britton has been one of the best relievers in all of baseball over the last five years. 2019 was no different for Britton, appearing in 66 games for the Yanks and finishing the year off with a 1.91 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and only giving up three home runs all year long. Britton is getting up there in age, but he was excellent last year and not to mention had one of the best seasons any relief pitcher has ever pitched in 2015 (0.54 ERA). I really don’t get the logic in Zack’s rating here.
My Rating: 82
Mike Zunino, C, Tampa Bay Rays
MLB The Show 20 overall: 81
Zunino was a stud at the University of Florida, winning SEC ‘Player of the Year’ in 2011 and was selected 3rd overall in the 2012 draft by the Seattle Mariners. Zunino is known for his power…and that’s about it. He’s had three seasons of 20+ home runs, but boasts an abysmal career batting average of .202 and an even worse .271 OBP. Zunino is above average defensively behind the dish, but he just does not offer much at the plate besides the occasional bomb. His career strikeout rate is an eye-popping 34.3% and he’s had three seasons hitting below the Mendoza line(under .200) including last year hitting an atrocious .165 at the plate. Add in the fact that Zunino is on a one year contract, means the Rays don’t think he’s that great either. It’s hard for me to understand why a player who had a -0.2 WAR in 2019 is rated above an 80.
My Rating: 74
Zack Godley, SP, Detroit Tigers
MLB The Show 20 overall: 76
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Ask any Arizona Diamondbacks fan what they think of Zack Godley. Plain and simple…he’s just bad. Throughout his career, he’s gone back and forth from the bullpen to starting and has never really found his niche in the Majors. Last year, he finished the year with a 5.97 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Godley’s’achilles heel’ is that he’s incredibly wild on the mound. In 2018 he led the MLB in wild pitches and hit by pitches. Godley just hasn’t been effective at the Major League level. I’m confused as to why any player with a career ERA of 4.69 is deserving of a 76 overall rating.
My Rating: 70
Chris Archer, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB The Show 20 overall: 77
When it’s all said and done, Chris Archer’s career may just be remembered as one of the worst trade deadline moves of the 21st century. Archer was sent over to the Pirates for 2019 All-Star Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow. Meadows crushed 33 home runs and batted .291, while Glasnow was mowing down batters before he got hurt. Archer on the other hand, is coming off his worst season in the big leagues, posting a 3-9 record and a 5.19 ERA in 23 starts. It has become abundantly clear that the 31-year-old Archer’s best days are behind him. Not only that, but Archer hasn’t had a season with an ERA below 4.00 since 2015. The Chris Archer trade cost Pittsburgh GM Neal Huntington his job and the only reason Archer comes into the game with a 77 overall rating is simply: name recognition.
My Rating: 72
Christian Yelich, RF, Milwaukee Brewers
MLB The Show 20 overall: 94
What more does Christian Yelich need to do to get to a 99 overall??? He’s won two consecutive batting titles, an MVP, and add in 30 stolen bases last year too. He does it all. Other than Mike Trout he is the best player in the game. The craziest tidbit about his 2019 season, he had 44 bombs…while missing 32 games of the season. If he had stayed healthy he would have added another MVP trophy to his mantle. I believe the only reason he’s listed as a 94 is because his position is RF…traditionally the worst defender on the field. If you go through all the listed right fielders in The Show all of their ratings are skewed down because they are in the lineup to do one thing: hit. However, Yelich’s numbers are so…dare I say “video game like” that he just has to be a 99 overall along with Trout and Arenado. Reigning NL MVP, Cody Bellinger, is also listed at RF with a 96 overall rating and he is just not better than Yelich.
My rating: 99Â
John Ryan Murphy, C, Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB The Show overall: 76
Add another Pirate to the overrated list. Many of you reading this probably don’t even know who John Ryan Murphy is. Murphy is probably best known for being in the disastrous(for the Twins) Aaron Hicks trade in 2016. Since then, he has had very limited playing time and has bounced around the league a bunch. Murphy has a career batting average of .219, 18 career HRs, and 59 RBIs over 6 seasons! He isn’t even on the Pirates, he signed a minor league deal this winter and will most likely not make the 40-man roster. Catcher is, of course, a defensive-centric position, but a 76 overall rating is ludicrous for a player with a career OBP of .265.
My Rating: 69
Let me know who you think should be rated higher or lower in the comments below, thanks for reading guys!
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