MLB The Show 24: Which legends should be introduced for each AL team?
The second half of new faces for each MLB team in The Show 24 brings us to the American League.
The AL holds some past favorites fans have been asking for since 2016 and others who have yet to make an appearance in The Show. I am in the camp of bringing in as many big names as possible, making that player pool bigger and Diamond Dynasty teams becoming more unpredictable. San Diego Studios: The ball is with you.
Let’s dive into it!
Baltimore Orioles – Chris Davis, 1B
Many fans may hear the name Chris Davis and remember his final few seasons in MLB on his expensive extension being very mediocre. I like to remember Chris Davis for his 2013 season, where he finished 3rd in MVP voting not to mention he led the league with 53 home runs and 138 RBIs. Davis has not been in the game since MLB The Show 21, and I miss him dearly. I want him back.
Boston Red Sox – Koji Uehara, CP
MLB has had a surge in great Japanese players like Shohei Ohtani, Seiya Suzuki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. I can imagine San Diego Studios looks to add great Japanese-born players from the past into this year’s game.
Uehara had one of the most dominant runs in the 2013 postseason I have ever seen. He went 1-1 with an ERA of 0.66, 16 strikeouts and seven saves in 13 appearances, culminating in a World Series championship. The man had a 1.61 FIP and 1.08 ERA!!! While a brief peak, Koji Uehara is forever remembered in Red Sox history. Having not appeared in an MLB The Show game since MLB 17, I need Koji back.
Chicago White Sox – Jermaine Dye, RF
Jermaine Dye is a player I remember fondly growing up playing baseball games. Dye was very good throughout his entire career. A couple of All-Star appearances with a Gold Glove award. When he got to Chicago he took it to another level for his final few years in MLB.
Not only helping the White Sox win the World Series in 2005 as its MVP. But especially in 2006, Jermaine Dye had the best season of his career: A .315 batting average, 44 home runs and 120 RBIs. Finishing just 5th in MVP voting. Dye has never made an appearance in Diamond Dynasty. Time to change that.
Cleveland Guardians – Manny Ramirez, LF
Not only a 12-time All-Star but a 9-time silver slugger, World Series MVP and a two-time champion. He also had career numbers of a .312 batting average, 555 home runs and finished top 10 in MVP voting nine times. The iconic homerun poses should have Ramirez in the game alone. The greatest right-handed hitter of All-Time. Fight Me!
I don’t care what team he gets a card for Red Sox, Cleveland or Dodgers. Just give me what I want SDS and that’s Manny Ramirez in MLB The Show finally.
Detroit Tigers – Magglio Ordóñez, LF
This man just flat-out raked throughout his entire career. With some more good fortune, Magglio Ordonez is remembered as a World Series Champion and an MVP. Regardless, he was one of the very best right-handed bats in the game. In 2007, this man hit 54 doubles and batted .363! The Show 24? Yes, please.
Houston Astros – Lance Berkman, OF/1B
A beloved Houston Astro as well as Cardinal, Lance Berkman was a problem. In 10 seasons in Houston, Berkman clubbed 309 of his 366 career home runs, batting .300 and finished top-5 in MVP voting four times. In The Show 24 hopefully, SDS will add some more recent greats to the Astros’ collection.
Kansas City Royals – Wade Davis, RP
For the Royals, Cubs, and Rockies between 2014 to 2018, Wade Davis was a premier reliever in the game. In that span, he was a three-time All-Star, finished top-8 in Cy Young Award voting twice as a reliever, and secured a 2015 World Series for the Royals. His Royals tenure was where he was at his peak. When they converted Davis into a closer, he was dominant: He sported a 1.18 ERA capped by 47 saves in three years.
His mix of his fastball, cutter and sinker with great breaking stuff plus a knuckle-curve and slider. His repertoire made Wade Davis one of the best relievers in MLB The Show at times. He’d be awesome to bring back.
Los Angeles Angels – Chuck Finley, SP
Chuck Finley spent 14 years with the Angels, the personification of a workhorse at that time, averaging 191 innings pitched a year, while not the flashiest name. Finley is a player who is synonymous with a franchise, let’s introduce him to MLB 24.
Minnesota Twins – Johan Santana, SP
A two-time Cy Young Award winner, four-time All-Star, pitching triple crown and two no-hitters–the list goes on for Santana. His career was cut short due to injuries retiring at only 33-years-old. His prime was box office stuff. A player like him would be a top pitcher in MLB 24, something Twins and Mets fans would certainly appreciate.
Oakland Athletics – Eric Chavez, 3B
Eric “Moneyball” Chavez, wasn’t his nickname but does sound cool as one for him. A man who was synonymous with Oakland A’s baseball with Moneyball, completing a lowkey scary left side of the infield with 2002 AL MVP Miguel Tejada. Chavez was underrated at his peak from 2001 to 2006, winning the Gold Glove every season in that time while averaging 29 homers and 96 RBIs. He was never an All-Star and only one silver slugger, which can certainly be looked at as criminal.
Chavez would be a terrific choice in MLB The Show 24: He’s a tremendous glove with power, especially for an important position at 3rd base. Bring in Miguel Tejada too, while we’re at it.
Seattle Mariners – Ichiro, RF
Remember I spoke about the surge in Japanese stars in MLB? Ichiro Suzuki is the cream of the crop–one of the best baseball players ever plain and simple. An All-Time Mariners team with Ichiro and Ken Griffey Jr. patrolling the outfield would be cinema. I can list his accomplishments but you already knew what this man means to the game. You and I both know San Diego Studios cannot fumble bringing Ichiro back to MLB The Show. Four games are too many without him.
Tampa Bay Rays – Fernando Rodney, CP
One of my favorite players growing up, Fernando Rodney was a late bloomer for a pitcher. However, his prime is up there with the best of them; 11 teams in his career, but it was his time with the Rays where he was the best closer in the game. In 2012, he had 48 saves, a 0.60 ERA and a 0.777 WHIP. He also placed 5th in the NL CY Young voting. In addition to a great career, he capped it off with a 2019 World Series with the Nationals. Rodney was last in the game in MLB The Show 20, so I’ll welcome him back with open arms this year.
Texas Rangers – Rafael Palmero, LF/1B
In MLB The Show 23, we saw the inclusion of steroid-era players Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Rafael Palmero is also linked to that era. He’s a member of the 500 homerun club and a three-time Gold Glove winner. I hope McGwire and Sosa were just the beginning of the potential players we can see in MLB 24 and beyond.
Toronto Blue Jays – Jose Bautista, RF
I miss Jose Bautista in MLB The Show every year, being everything you needed versatility, power, and a great arm in the outfield. Not to mention being one of the only players with multiple bat flip celebrations. The Show 19 was the last we saw of Joey Bats, time to change that. He’s one of the greatest players to don the Blue Jays uniform. From 2010 to 2015, he clubbe 37 home runs a season with 97 RBIs and was a five-time All-Star. In 2010 and 2011, he was arguably the scariest hitter on the planet not named Albert Pujols. Bring Bautista back.
New York Yankees – Alex Rodriguez, SS/3B
Finally, going out with a bang. He might be a controversial figure in baseball, but Alex Rodriguez is one of the top 10 greatest players I’ve ever seen in my life. I don’t care about his off-field drama and his suspension. Alex Rodriguez is undeniably one of the greatest players in the history of baseball and was the definition of a five-tool player. He hit 696 career home runs, was a three-time MVP, Gold Glove winner, batting champion, World Series Champion and a 10-time All-Star. He led MLB in homers, RBIs, runs, OBP, slugging percentage, OPS, and OPS+ on multiple occasions.
Alex Rodriguez is one of the only players in MLB The Show history to have good reason for multiple 99 overall cards. Having three separate hall-of-fame-worthy careers between the Mariners, Rangers and Yankees. By the time he was 39-years-old, he was receiving MVP votes. He has not been in MLB The Show since MLB 16.
Alex Rodriguez in The Show 24 not only has dollar signs written all over but he is probably the biggest name to get.
I do wish that one year MLB The Show can adopt the idea of a new legend for every MLB team. Until that happens, bringing in the likes of Ichiro, Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez will no doubt keep fans invested. Altogether, there are many legends of the game to choose from. The absolute worst thing SDS can do is not bring in some of those big names to their game. I’m curious how many I may get right, with McGwire and Sosa coming to MLB 23. The sky’s the limit to what I expect with MLB 24.
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