This team is rough. The Pirates were only the third worst team in the NL Central in 2011, but that is partly because at the time, the disastrous Houston Astros were the 6th team in the Central.
Andrew McCutchen is one of the best cards in the set, in terms of the look of the card, as well as in being an affordable card that does a lot of things well. Excellent value. Jose Tabata is great value as well: for 190, you get
The 2011 Reds are what I call sneaky-decent. No real stars outside of Joey Votto, one of the most valuable 10 OB cards in the set, and maybe Brandon Phillips, but they have several middle-of-the-road cards that add up to an above average team.
Bill Bray, Francisco Cordero, and rookie Aroldis Chapman make up a solid bullpen. Johnny Cueto is the best of three above-average starters. Power bats Jay Bruce, Chris Heasey, and Pennant Run-addition Todd Frazier shore up the rest of the lineup. The 1-2 punch at catcher features the bat-first Ramon Hernandez and the glove-first Ryan Hanigan.
Your 2011 World Series winners, the St. Louis Cardinals, made the postseason as a Wild Card team by just one game over the Braves. Their lineup features lots of fun cards. Lance Berkman is one of the few 10 OB cards in the set. Albert Pujols had an off year, but he still features a strong card at 1B/3B. Matt Holliday is a great, well-rounded bat with a unique alt-foil you won’t want to miss.
Anyone looking to draft cheap cards with decent On Base and versatility, the Cardinals are your team.
Been a while since we put out some cards, but we've been inspired by Cal's awesome 2011 set to put out some 2024 cards - especially when a battle between two of the highest payrolls in baseball is set to begin in the NLCS. I apologize if there's a change here-or-there that the teams made between NLDS and NLCS, but I'm just rocking with the playoff guys that I see (it's already going to be *a lot* of cards for y'all). All cards were made using the epic MLB Showdown bot, which you can use to make your own cards too! Without further ado, let's take a look at the teams in the NLCS: Dodgers and Mets!
Little comparison of the overall cards between the two MVP candidates on these teams... as a big Showdown believer, you better believe I'm taking Ohtani over Lindor
With the NL West posted, it's time to move on to the NL Central, with a very fun team to start off.
The Brewers were the second-best NL team during the regular season, winning the NL Central as well. NL MVP Ryan Braun has a monster chart to go with 9 OB and A speed. Prince Fielder is one the few 10 OB batters in the set. But perhaps what makes the Brewers so dangerous is
The Padres’ rotation falls just 30 points short of matching the Phillies’ insane 3-headed monster of a rotation. That’s partly due to them having 6 starters in the set, but Pennant Run rookie Cory Luebke – a tier-2 ace – leads a slew of above average starters. The real pitching star is tier-0 Mike Adams, the costliest 1 IP reliever in the set at a whopping 360 points.
The lineup is a couple of high OB speedsters and several 7 OB outfielders with decent charts. Cameron Maybin at least seems likely to be picked, as one of the four outfielders in the set with CF+3 defense. Jesus Guzman is a fun, versatile, 9 OB bat with Speed A and 5 doubles on his chart.
The Rockies finished fourth in the NL West. 4 years after their World Series appearance and 2 years after an NLDS appearance, Colorado has a predictably strong lineup and a predictably weak pitching staff.
Troy Tulowitzki is the best shortstop in the set, with a powerful 8 OB chart and plus defense. Hall of Famer Todd Helton is an affordable bat that will hit for average and power. As a bonus, Helton
