MLB The Show's center field rankings are pure rage bait for Mariners fans

Julio Rodríguez as the best center fielder in baseball is as lukewarm as takes come, so pardon us as we sip our coffee and expect to see his name atop the center field "Diamond Dynasty Ratings" for MLB The Show 26, and… [comical spit take] …Byron Buxton?!

This is indeed a real thing for this year's game, which is due to release on March 17. It's already the second time the game has let Mariners fans down, and this time feels even more egregious than spurning Cal Raleigh in favor of Aaron Judge for the cover.

Here are the top 10 center fielder ratings in full:

1. Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins: 89
2. Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners: 86
3. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs: 85
4. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels: 85
5. Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres: 83
6. Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers: 82
7. Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox: 80
8. Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves: 79
9. Brenton Doyle, Colorado Rockies: 79
10. Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays: 78

This is a veritable Take Fest, but Julio not being No. 1 is certainly the hardest thing to get over. They're loving the Buxton love over at Puckett's Pond, but Julio leads all center fielders in WAR since 2022 — and by a lot, with a 6.7-WAR gap between him and the next guy.

And that next guy? It's not Buxton. As talented as he very obviously is, he's been so banged up that he's played in 185 fewer games than Julio over the last four seasons.

MLB The Show 26 goes bold in rating Byron Buxton over Julio Rodríguez

Yet it is only fair to be, well, fair to Buxton and to how MLB The Show has him rated. Because if you strip away the durability difference between him and Julio, the talent vs. talent discussion is actually a good one.

For the last two years, specifically, Buxton has outdone Julio in all three triple-slash categories and in OPS+ at 137 to 122. Buxton is also the faster runner between the two, and his defense has won something that Julio's has yet to win him: a Gold Glove.

Take all this and pair it with video game logic, and the Buxton-over-Julio choice feels a lot more rational. Though Julio is the more reliable, more productive player in real life, anyone who would rather have Buxton as a virtual avatar isn't necessarily off their rocker.

Still, just because you understand something doesn't mean you have to like it. And Julio may well have the last laugh in the real world.

Whereas Buxton will be lucky if he plays in 100-plus games for what could be a last-place Twins team, Julio may well be the favorite to win American League MVP for a Mariners squad that has its eyes firmly on the World Series. Either would be far better than favoritism from a video game.