Hello everyone -- it's been a while since we posted any Showdown baseball cards! Like many of you, we here at the Greatest MLB Showdown project have been captivated by the true greatest gift to showdown fans in the last twenty years: The MLB Showdown BOT. Like so many of you, we've had an absolute blast using it (see my previous post of best 32 teams in last 30 years)!!! Indeed, the ability to instantly compare cards for players/teams across seasons is intoxicating, and the upload a picture function makes it extremely easy to churn out GORGEOUS cards.
Recently, it got a bunch of us here thinking: why not try making a whole set out of BOT cards?
While we love our original 2018 and 2019 sets here, we're aware they were made during our early stages of formula construction and were not made with equalizing stats to other seasons in mind. Thus, it seemed the perfect place to start our test run of an entire set was the 2019 season.... and it didn't disappoint!
So without further ado, we start our 2019 Bot Set with the NL East, home of the World Series Champion Washington Nationals, despite losing this guy in free agency before the season (but he'll still pop up below, just in different colors ;)).
5. Miami Marlins (57-105)
Lineup: This lineup reminds me of the 00 Royals -- lots of pedestrian players in that OB 8 and OB 7 range that seem super draftable, but nevertheless combine for a truley awful lineup. I do really like Brian Anderson for 300 points though, especially with that great XBH ability at either 3B or corner outfield. Miguel Rojas is also a super solid 8 or 9 hitter on the cheap when building a team. Finally, for ONLY 120 points, the OB 8, on at 5, 2B at 17 Neil Walker card is a surefire number 7 hitter for somebody. It hurts imagining what this team would be if they'd kept Yelich, Realmuto, Stanton and Ozuna, but at least the 10 point Brinson's card looks amazing!
Rotation: The "strength" of this 105 loss squad, you gotta respect Alcantara and Lopez as stellar C4, Tier 3 pitchers. Caleb Smith also brings a Tier 3 card to the table, meaning the Marlins can go toe-to-toe for 5-6 innings with their top three starters against anyone in the division. Heck, even Urena has some play for short bursts, although his C2, IP 4, Tier 4 card is unlikely to get much play beyond managers like Jeff who punt their starters and load up on bullpen arms.
Bullpen: Well, Garcia is going to be very, very tired because he's carrying this entire bullpen on his 250 point back. Definitely a stud. After him... it's bad, really bad. So bad that Garcia costs more than the other four relievers, including an IP 2 pitcher, combined. That said, Conley is an absolute steal at 30 points. Sure, he's a tier 5, but he's got good control and as a 5th bullpen arm at a super cheap price point, you know he's going to be drafted. I would avoid the remaining pitchers, unless you value no xbh even at tier 5 enough to pay 110 points for Kinley.
4. Philadelphia Phillies (81-81)
Lineup: While this lineup is definitely short on real star power, there's a bunch of draftable players here. However, the guy who jumps off the screen is Harper. In popular media, Bryce's first year in Philly was definitely seen as a disappointment, but he still put up a heckuva card -- OB 9 with 18-20 HR pop with great defense for 370 pts, definitely a useful 5 hole hitter on classically constructed teams. However, I think I'd rather save 60 points and take McCLUTCH -- less pop on his card, but I like his speed and versatility. For only 220 pts, Hoskins (the 3rd OB 9) is 100% getting drafted, just like Grace always is in 01 only leagues. The Phillies excel in bargain guys to fill out a roster -- Kingery, Segura, Cesar and especially Realmuto have tons of value despite being under 300 points and I expect to see rostered in most leagues. Unfortunately, putting a bunch of "oooo I think these guys are worth more value than their points" guys in the 250ish points range together does not a great lineup make, and I have a sad sneaky suspicion the Phillies cannot score enough runs vs the powerhouse Braves and Nationals (or Mets nasty rotation).
Overall: The 20 players for the Phillies come in at 4750 points. This team lowkey reminds me of the Orioles in the 00 set -- so many players I look at and think "ooo not so bad, I could draft this guy", which gets me to start believing in the team as a whole..... and I forget how much weaker they are to teams like the Yankees and Red Sox. This is definitely a hover around .500 type of squad (but their bullpen is surprisingly deep and could give them an edge over the Mets).
3. New York Mets (86-76)
Lineup: Despite their proclivity for giving DeGrom absolutely no run support, this Mets squad has depth and star power on paper in the lineup. No one in the lineup is below an OB 7, which means no "take a load off, easy out" guys for the opposition. I like all three outfielders, and think all of them are likely draft picks in a 12 team league. I know that, for a mere 370 points, I love JD Davis' card. Anchoring the lineup in the cleanup slot is the Polar Bear, Pete Alonso, with an OB 8, 15-20 HR card that features surprising defense. Dude is going to MASH for someone. The rest of the hitters aren't the strongest, but Frazier has some pop at 3B, Rosario is a solid SS and may be an affordable option for someone, and I like Robbie Cano's 2B at 14 card for a paltry 180 pts. No one is going to draft a +2 catcher, and it's sad that Wilson Ramos fell off so much after a really strong 2018 season. While this lineup doesn't stack up to the teams below, I'd definitely take it over Philly and Miami.
Rotation: A rotation every bit as good as the Nationals, the Mets strength is their bevy of excellent arms. DeGrom is an absolute animal, bringing a Tier 1, Control 6 card to the set. He's almost certainly going to be snatched up in the first round. He's supported by three stellar Tier 3 arms. I think Syndergaard will be more popular than Wheeler despite the double because he's 60 less points and has a great gb range. Stroman will undoubtedly be the next starter off the board -- people love their C4, 1-16 out pitchers! Matz is not good, but may find play at the end of a rotation due to his low cost. Ironically, he'd be one of their better relievers in the bullpen.
Bullpen: Ouch. Ok, so Lugo is an unquestionable Tier 1 star and is going to be used A LOT. Like, challenge Garcia on Miami for most IP as a reliever in this division a lot. But the rest of this bullpen??? Four players, most points is 100 on a Tier 4, Control 3 pitcher. Diaz is trash, Familia will be eaten alive on his own chart, and Brach is going to be living on the edge as a Control 2. I pity their starters' hearts watching these guys protect any leads that are provided!
Overall: The Mets have 18 players and come in at 5280 points! Despite being just better in points than the typically allowed Showdown team, they do not look like a serious contender unless they add at least one bullpen arm. Yes, even with that deep rotation, this team looks to be a .500 type squad if they don't add some help to the backend. Until that happens, the excellence of Jacob, Zack, Noah, and Marcus is going to be wasted.
1. Atlanta Braves (97-65)
Yes, yes, yes -- I'm putting the division winners here (that's what happens when the 2nd place team wins the World Series): deal with it ;)
Lineup: Now this is a fun lineup!! Acuna is likely going to be a first rounder for the epic cut out alone, but he's also providing good OB, good HR pop, outfield versatility, and Speed A for a mere 410 points: great value for a foundational piece in a lineup. Just behind him on this team are 400 pt Ozzie Albies (OB 8 with lots of xbh and defensive skill) and 390 pt Josh Donaldson (elite 3B defense and 17-20 HR pop in an ob 9). Freddie Freeman provides another reliable 1B card as an OB 9 with good power and average. What's nice is the pair of additional OB 8 hitters, albeit ones that don't do much damage on their charts, in the outfield, allowing the lineup to have six ob 8 or better hitters. The remaining pair of starters are solid enough OB 7 hitters too, giving the average C3, 1-16 or 1-17 out pitcher no easy outs. The bench has low OB, but Riley has a TON of power to punish when he gets his chart (and lord have mercy on a mistake pitch).
Rotation: Mike Soroka is an absolute unit, and I think his card came out absolutely gorgeous looking. He'll be an early draft pick. He's supported by a pair of capable Tier 3 pitchers, and then some C2, Tier 4 arms round it out. This is not the mid-90s (or even 2010s) Braves rotation by any stretch of the imagination, but all of these guys are capable of giving four good innings at least and occasionally spinning a gem for 6-7 innings.... while Soroka is almost a guaranteed win every 5 days.
Bullpen: This bullpen is absolutely loaded and allows Atlanta to give their weaker starters a short leash, especially with uber draftable Josh Tomlin giving them a C6, 1-15 out IP 2 for a mere 320 points! They've also got a pair of capable closers via Shane Greene and Mark Melancon. Green is the higher tier, but Melancon may get drafted first for his higher control and lesser cost while still giving up no xbh on his own chart. Martin and Newcomb give the Braves two more C4, no xbh pitchers to rely on too, and it's insane that they're so good five deep into this bullpen (6 IP between those pitchers too).... a bullpen game is extremely do-able with this bevy of arms, as even Luke Jackson could be strategically used to get 2-3 outs at the bottom of a lineup with his C2, no xbh card. In fact, only one pitcher gives up a double in this bullpen, and it's their most sought after reliever in Tomlin!
Overall: The Braves bring in 22 cards and total a whopping 6,200 points! Clearly, they've got enough firepower to win it all if you replay the series, and I'm still stunned they blew it in the NLDS to a really pedestrian Cardinals team. I think the strength of this squad is its bullpen, and I *know* that Acuna is going to get drafted early based on how amazing it looks (shout out to Matt) alone! Despite their clear superiority over teams 3, 4, and 5 on this list..... the next team is ahead of Atlanta by a nose!
2. Washington Nationals (93-69)
Maybe number 2 in the division standings, but this squad was #1 in the big leagues!! Without further ado, your 2019 world series champions!
Lineup: The world champions have as good an argument for the best 2-3-4 in their lineup as anyone in the 2019 set -- 460 pt Juan Soto, 540 pt Anthony Rendon, and 460 pt Howie Kendrick. All of these guys can be drafted in the first 2 or 3 rounds without receiving any criticism from fellow GMs. I particularly like Howie for his versatility, good defense at a weak 2B position, and having singles start at 6! However, my favorite draftable card on the squad remains SS Trea Turner -- an OB 8 with speed A, extra bases starting at 12, and decent D for under 400 pts! I think Robles (with CF +3 and Speed A for under 250 pts) and Eaton (OB 9 on at 6 for 250 pts) are guaranteed draft picks too. Overall, this is a deep lineup that does not need to utilize any hitters under OB 7 -- definitely has the potential to cause harm and support the stout rotation!
Rotation: The backbone of this championship team, their three-headed monster in the rotation.... which became a four-headed monster in the BOT! Mad Max and Strasburg predictably lead the way with Tier 2 cards. I expect both guys to be drafted in 12 team leagues as foundational rotation arms.... but Corbin and Sanchez are extremely draftable too as Tier 3, solid bedrock guys. As someone on Discord recently said, C4, 1-16 starters win championships -- that's Corbin in a nutshell! Indeed, this is a rotation without weakness and any of these guys can shut down an opposing lineup.
Bullpen: If there's a weakness to this team, it's the bullpen (which explains why they didn't win the division when compared to the stacked Braves 'pen). However, in a playoff format, their heavy reliance on low-ish control, Tier 3 pitchers is mitigated by pushing their stacked rotation deep so these dudes can handle 1 IP and done without getting too burned out. Also, Daniel Hudson's card is STUDLY and is sure to be drafted by a lot of people. I'm also sensing Tanner gets drafted a lot because of no doubles OR singles, but that Control 2, only 1-17 out for 170 points scares me. If I'm taking a reliever under control 3, he's going to be a punt!
Overall: The Nationals bring in 21 players for a total of 6280 points!!! No wonder they seem better than a 93 win team, and no wonder they were able to survive the firepower of the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers (and overcome the spunky Brewers) on their way to the World Series title!! Definitely a great squad, and dare I say, a better Showdown team than the admittedly very talented Atlanta team previously shown on the list!
Ranked by points, so far:
- Nationals -- 6280 points (299 points per player)
- Braves -- 6200 points (282)
- Mets -- 5280 points (278)
- Phillies -- 4750 points (238)
- Marlins -- 3520 points (195)
Interestingly, when it's broken down like this, the Mets are not far behind the frontrunners in points per player... however, with that weak bullpen (and the length of benches with some weaker points players diluting their averages), I don't think the Mets stand a chance in comparison to Braves and Nats. We'll see if the Nationals can hold onto top spot in points as this continues with the AL East!
I hope y'all enjoyed the first division -- we made ALL 30 teams for the 2019 Set in the Bot and we'll be rolling them out, so keep checking back with us!
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