For about as long as any fan can remember, MLB The Show has been the unquestioned king of baseball video games. The franchise dates back to the '90s but they adopted "The Show" as part of the title in the mid-2000s. It is heralded for being a realistic take on the sport.
Regardless of how true to life the games are, they certainly don't always get everything right. That includes the ratings for certain players. Some of them are rated far too high considering their production on the field, while others are scored way too low for how good they are.
10 Too High: Giancarlo Stanton (92)
A few years ago, a 92 rating for Giancarlo Stanton would seem too low. He won the National League MVP in 2017 after smashing 59 home runs for the Miami Marlins. He was traded to the New York Yankees and has since been a shell of his former self.
Stanton's three seasons in pinstripes before the current one saw him hit a total of 45 home runs, which is a far cry from his best form. Although injuries have clearly played a major part in that, not being available on the field and not producing as well should drop his rating by a fair amount.
9 Too Low: Stephen Strasburg (91)
In the eyes of some, it might be a bit odd to consider that a 91 rating is too low. However, that is just telling of how great Stephen Strasburg is. The former #1 overall draft pick recently led the Washington Nationals to the franchise's first World Series victory.
In fact, Strasburg became the only #1 pick in history to win World Series MVP for the team that drafted him, capping an all-time great postseason run. Though he missed most of 2020 with an injury, he's still a top pitcher who has two top-five Cy Young finishes.
8 Too High: Chris Sale (93)
Chris Sale is one of the pitchers ranked above Stephen Strasburg who shouldn't be in that position. If this were MLB The Show 19, then he'd deserve this rating. Then, Sale was coming off of a fourth-place Cy Young finish while helping the Boston Red Sox win the World Series.
2019 proved to be troublesome for the lefty, putting up a 4.40 ERA, winning just six games, and allowing 13 more home runs than the previous year despite pitching fewer innings. Sale then missed 2020 and is still not available, meaning he shouldn't be in the upper echelon of pitchers.
7 Too Low: Josh Hader (85)
Ever since he came into the league, Josh Hader has been one of the most dominant relievers. His career ERA of 2.46 is impressive enough but it's his filthy strikeout stuff that makes him special. He averages 15.3 strikeouts per nine innings for his career, which is almost unheard of.
Hader was arguably the top relief pitcher throughout 2019 before giving up the deciding runs in Milwaukee's Wild Card Playoff loss. Despite his dominance, Hader ranks outside of the top-five when it comes to relief pitchers, which doesn't make much sense.
6 Too High: Manny Machado (95)
In terms of natural, raw talent, there aren't many players who can top Manny Machado. The San Diego Padres third baseman is as gifted as they come and he has immense power. However, there are question marks surrounding the career of the slugger.
There were questionable plays on his part and some called him lazy in the past. He's also kind of inconsistent. One year, Machado will hit .315 and then he'll follow it up with a .256 average. While his rating should be around 90, it's surprising to see him above the likes of Anthony Rendon and Jose Ramirez at his position.
5 Too Low: Jose Abreu (88)
With an 88 rating, Jose Abreu actually ranks as the third-best first baseman in MLB The Show 21. That's kind of the problem, though. Abreu being behind Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves is fine on its own, though maybe not 7 total points under him.
The Chicago White Sox star, like Freeman, is the reigning MVP of his given league. He shouldn't be that far behind him and also rank lower than Paul Goldschmidt, who has had some down years recently. Meanwhile, Abreu has been remarkably consistent, driving in at least 100 runs in each season where he played more than 130 games.
4 Too High: Jake Cronenworth (85)
By all means, Jake Cronenworth seems like a guy who is going to have a solid major league career. He's just not quite there yet, especially as someone who has this high of a rating. Cronenworth was a rookie in 2020, where he hit .285, with four homers, and 20 RBI.
That just doesn't exactly scream 85 overall, especially when you consider how it puts him tied with talented players like Kolten Wong and Gleybar Torres. He's also too close to the likes of Whit Merrifield and Jeff McNeil for someone who hasn't even played 100 total games in his career.
3 Too Low: Blake Snell (82)
The case of Blake Snell is a curious one. At 25-years-old in 2018, he won 21 games and was named the American League Cy Young. 2019 was a bit of a struggle but he was somewhat back to form throughout his 11 starts in 2020, especially in the playoffs.
Of course, Tampa Bay took him out of the deciding World Series game too soon, and now he's a San Diego Padre. Though he's not at his peak anymore, he still certainly deserves to have a better rating than 82. Snell even recently complained about it in a video online.
2 Too High: Aaron Judge (97)
Along the same lines as his Yankees teammate Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge continues to get rated high in these games even years after his best work. Judge was 2017's Rookie of the Year and MVP runner-up with 52 homers and 114 RBI but has never come close to that again.
He capped out at 27 dingers in 2018 and 2019, partially plagued by injuries. The Judge from 2017 would be worthy of a rating of 97 but the guy from the past three years shouldn't even come close. 97 puts him only behind Mike Trout and Mookie Betts as position players, which doesn't make any sense.
1 Too Low: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (74)
Not many players have come into the league with more hype recently than Vladimir Guerrero Jr. His Hall of Fame father is one reason for the excitement, as were his impressive minor league stats and power displays. Throw in the Home Run Derby effort and he was a budding star.
He had a solid rookie season (.272, 15 home runs, 69 RBI) in 2019 and was pretty good in 2020 as well, though he hasn't quite been the top player fans hoped for. Regardless, a rating of 74 is a terrible call by the makers of the game. That number is often reserved for bench players or guys who barely produce on the field, which Guerrero Jr. certainly is above.
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