PicoBlog

One of my favorite things about MLB the Show is how random professional players can randomly turn into fan favorites. Case in point: Adalberto Mondesi, the former switch-hitting shortstop of the Kansas City Royals who, despite a pedestrian career, is – pun intended – MLB the Show royalty.

Mondesi first jumped on player radars with a Player of the Month card in 2018 after having a silver card that was a Battle Royale favorite. That card played way above its ratings as Mondesi showed abnormal power to go along with his already excellent defense and elite speed. Mondesi reappeared in 2020 with another Player of the Month card that defied expectations.

Knowing his cult status, MLB the Show has regularly given us Mondesi cards as throwbacks. This year, he is the Royals team-hitting captain. You can use him with a low-vision team and take advantage of the Byron Buxton boost, making him one of the best players in the game currently available.

I am patiently waiting until I can get Jimmy Rollins. The two-year-old Rollins card was one of my favorites in the game's history, and after using Rollins in battle royale this year, I have no doubt he will again be awesome. Mondesi is like a discount Rollins, providing power, speed, and excellent defense at shortstop. He also has a super-short swing, making it easy to hit. He rules.

For all the love of Mondesi in the MLB the Show community, I find it funny that Mondesi sucked as a real player. He was a tad over replacement level (4.3 WAR over parts of seven seasons) and only had one year where he was an above-league-average hitter. He’s probably best known in baseball circles as the son of Raul Mondesi, a former Rookie of the Year with the Dodgers who was known for his mix of speed and power along with an electric throwing arm.

(Fun fact: The elder Mondesi was elected mayor of San Cristobal in the Dominican Republic but was later convicted of corruption and mishandling of public funds while in office. He got an 8-year prison sentence. Wikipedia is fun!)

Have you used Mondesi with the Buxton boost? What other random players do you love to have in your MLB the Show lineup?

The Athletic today (subscription required) asked professional baseball players about MLB the Show. Some guys like playing as themselves (naturally) while some even use it to scout opponents. There’s also a lot of fun quotes like this one: “My dad wants to play,” said Royals pitcher Brady Singer. “I don’t know if he’s got it downloaded, he got a PS5 from Christmas from my mom and he wants to play, he wants to play as me, let’s see if he can figure it out.”

I’ll likely touch on this more in an upcoming newsletter but the knuckleball is back this year with the Padres Matt Waldron. People are not happy.

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