2018 MLB Showdown Season -- Preview!

While we should continue bringing you more custom made cards at The Greatest MLB Showdown Project (especially once some of us finish final exams in a couple weeks), we do have an exciting new form of content: a 30-team Showdown league created using 2017 stats, while assigning players to their 2018 teams. The 2017 set is crazy -- more home runs and more strikeouts than ever before should be in the game, which we're choosing to view as a positive. As for the season, we are going to play a 30 game regular season, then playoffs, and then hopefully roll into a second season that's got some extra sizzle because we came up with a fun, extra wrinkle: Prospects!



That's right, we gave each team their top 10 prospects (as currently listed on milb.com) and gave them peak projections based on their five tool grades, as well as a realistic, a disappointing, and a bust option. At seasons end, each GM will roll to see what becomes of their prospect, giving bad teams the opportunity to have their *stars of tomorrow* quickly reach the big leagues... or flame out tragically.

As such, we've also allowed trading before the season began. The league quickly splintered between contenders and tankers, with about 13 teams dealing away prospects to load up for a World Series run while most of the remaining teams sold off current assets for future value. The trading has been extremely high stakes too, we weren't just swapping low-level guys. Some of the names included in the deals this offseason: Buster Posey, Madison Bumgardner, Josh Donaldson, Shohei Ohtani, Carlos Santana, Jacob DeGrom, and more! We will be holding another brief trading window after game 21 for teams to buy more (if there's any prospects left that anyone wants) too.

Teams will also have the opportunity to add through free agency this offseason. After the season, teams will be forced to cut all but three players over 450 points and drop to below 5500 salary points (which will be a problem for several teams). For year one, even if they're worth more, prospects that hit their max potential will be worth a maximum of 450 points to avoid crossing the danger threshold. However, teams like the Astros and Yankees who each of great prospects will have to make deep cuts elsewhere to afford those players. Then let the bidding begin as teams add players to fill out their rosters and work to continue or begin contending in year two.

So now that you've read this primer, be prepared for the soon to be published division previews that will break down all the teams as they enter the season! We hope you enjoy following along with the 2018 campaign, it'll be interesting to see how well the cards reflect players actual stats... as well as how the imbalance between great and awful teams inflates the stats for the great team's hitters and pitchers.