MLB the Show 21: Examining the Seattle Mariners Rankings

It’s a bit different this year, as the release date of MLB the Show got pushed back a month. That doesn’t matter anymore though, because the day is here! MLB The Show is out and live, at least for those of us that purchased one of the deluxe editions, and it’s time to check out the Seattle Mariners actual rankings.

A bit of a disclaimer… this is my favorite video game series. Well, Elder Scrolls is up there too, but that is like making someone pick a favorite child. I wanted to get these out to everyone, especially those who were unable to get the deluxe edition, so instead of diving into the game too deep, I’m starting off by getting these rankings out for everyone to see. Will they come close to either my Diamond Dynasty or Franchise predictions? We start with the Franchise Rankings

Here are the Seattle Mariners rankings for MLB the Show 21.

• Rank – 28th
• Contact – 30th
• Power – 21st
• Pitching – 26th
• Defense  -14th
• Speed – 6th

The defense should definitely be higher. Speed is probably about right, and honestly, I thought before the year that they might have the lowest batting average. Power is probably a tad low, but accurate. Pitching is definitely lower than it should be, if you were expecting Paxton to be healthy, as at the beginning of the season we all thought he would be.

Starting Rotation

• Marco Gonzalez – 84
• Yusei Kikuchi – 69
• Chris Flexen – 66
• Justus Sheffield – 77
• Nick Margevicius – 63
• Justin Dunn – 63
• James Paxton – 83

Yes, I did include James Paxton. Use him and love it. He is a beast. I can’t fault you for wanting to use Paxton… I’ll probably do the same thing. Sheffield is the standout here at 77.

Lineup

• Tom Murphy – 79
• Evan White – 69
• Dylan Moore – 81
• Kyle Seager – 80
• JP Crawford – 73
• Taylor Trammell – 62
• Kyle Lewis – 78
• Mitch Haniger – 75
• Ty France – 70

Why is Dylan Moore the top hitter? This is one of the cases where tools supercede track record on the field. With youth and the ability to be a strong 20/20 guy, he takes the top ranking.  Then, I have to think they have never seen Ty France play. A 70!?! really?

Bench

• Jake Fraley – 70
• Braden Bishop – 65
• Sam Haggerty – 66
• Jose Marmalejos – 65
• Luis Torrens – 62

Bullpen

• Keynan Middleton – 67
• Kendall Graveman – 64
• Rafael Montero – 63
• Ljay Newsome – 60
• Casey Sadler – 68
• Drew Streckenrider – 72
• Erik Swanson – 61
• Will Vest – 58
• Ken Giles – 84

Not much of a surprise that we don’t see anything special here. Other than Ken Giles. Best player on the team… wow. By nothing that’s a surprise, I mean I don’t think they care about Franchise at all anymore.

We are gonna run a bit over the 26-man here, because of the early injuries that the Mariners have seen so far. Luckily, MLB the Show has everyone in the farm system too, so you can go down as far as you want to check out the player’s rankings. Speaking of minor leaguers…

Prospects

• Jarred Kelenic – 65 (A)
• Julio Rodriguez – 63 (A)
• Emerson Hancock – NOT LISTED!!!!
• Logan Gilbert – 63 (B)
• George Kirby – 63 (A)
• Noelvi Marte – 72 (A)
• Cal Raleigh – 60 (B)
• Juan Then – 61 (C)
• Brandon Williamson – N/A
• Connor Phillips -N/A
• Jared Trout – 75 (whos that?)
• Brian O’Keefe – 74 (again, who?)
• Joe Dietrich – 2B – 71

Franchise mode is almost a joke. Made up people with great rankings, and top propsects in all of baseball with laughable rankings. Kirby and Gilbert that low?

Some of us prefer Franchise Mode, while others prefer Diamond Dynasty (this guy), which is why you can click on this pretty little button to check out where the Mariners ended up rankings-wise in Diamond Dynasty.

Starting Rotation

• Marco Gonzalez – 77
• Yusei Kikuchi – 67
• Chris Flexen – 63
• Justus Sheffield – 70
• Nick Margevicius – 59
• Justin Dunn – 62
• James Paxton – 78

Lineup

• Tom Murphy – 73
• Evan White – 69
• Dylan Moore – 74
• Kyle Seager – 79
• JP Crawford – 72
• Taylor Trammell – 64
• Kyle Lewis – 78
• Mitch Haniger – 75
• Ty France – 70

Bench

• Jake Fraley – 70
• Braden Bishop – 65
• Sam Haggerty – 61
• Jose Marmalejos – 67
• Luis Torrens – 64
• Shed Long Jr. – 68

Bullpen

• Keynan Middleton – 71
• Kendall Graveman – 63
• Rafael Montero – 61
• Ljay Newsome – 62
• Erik Swanson – 69
• Casey Sadler – 65
• Drew Streckenrider – 69
• Will Vest – 58
• Ken Giles – 82
• Sam Delaplane – 68

I can’t believe that I forgot they give you a pass on injuries for MLB The Show Diamond Dynasty. This is why I spaced on Ken Giles, and that he would still be included. What’s more, is he is the top-ranked Mariner, and the only gold player as well. MONTERO IS A 61. Wow.

Prospects

Yeah, not really any of the prospects on here. Kinds makes sense, since the big names will come out as super cards, or they’re waiting for them to be called up.

Are there a ton of Mariners players that you should use on your Diamond Dynasty team in MLB The Show? No, there aren’t. As you build your team, there are definitely some that you can snag to use for a while though, especially if you think they are going to play well in the real world. Remember, Diamond Dynasty cards get weekly temporary adjustments, and occasionally get permanent adjustments too if a player is doing well enough. *Cough* Ty France *Cough*.

What stands out about these rankings? What did the game get wrong? There are a couple of them that stood out to me…