Season 2 of Diamond Dynasty in MLB The Show 23 is officially off and running, and this most recent content drop offers players a bevy of options with the new Incognito and Kaiju series being introduced in their own Other Program, and also within the Season 2 track, which also has its own Boss choice pack.
Team Affinity has made a return to Diamond Dynasty after a short absence in ‘22. With all these options now available to beef up your Ranked Seasons squad, let’s take a dive into the new Incognito choice packs (yes, those nicknames are how the cards are listed on the marketplace too) that MLB The Show 23 Season 2’s Team Affinity program has to offer, with some recommendations about which to select.
NL Central
Today we will be tackling the Central divisions of Team Affinity. Here is who we got:
“The Ignitor” (Paul Molitor) -3B/1B,2B,SS, DH – Milwaukee Brewers
“Mr. Cub” (Ernie Banks) -SS/1B, 3B, DH – Chicago Cubs
“Big Donkey” (Adam Dunn)- LF/1B, RF, DH – Cincinnati Reds
“The Great One” (Roberto Clemente)- RF/LF, CF, DH – Pittsburgh Pirates
“Hellz Bellz” (Ryan Helsley)- CP – St Louis. Cardinals
“Mr. Cub” (Ernie Banks) -SS/1B, 3B, DH – Chicago Cubs
This is another very balanced card that unfortunately does not jump out at you in any way. The active quirks are nice, (including Dead Red) but ultimately this is probably the weakest card of the bunch.
Should you take him?
There have been much better Ernie Banks cards in the past, even as recently as last year, but you can find much better balanced cards with higher speed.
“The Great One” (Roberto Clemente)- RF/LF, CF, DH – Pittsburgh Pirates
This Clemente card is also a bit of a letdown, considering how strong and highly coveted his recent cards have been. The fielding stats are there, but the running stats are certainly lacking compared to what we are used to.
Should you take him?
Clemente has similar quirks to the Ernie Banks card, but his higher end contact does not make up for his lack of power and mediocre speed.
“The Ignitor” (Paul Molitor) -3B/1B,2B,SS, DH – Milwaukee Brewers
Paul Molitor returns to MLB The Show, sporting some pretty nice running and contact stats, which would make him a very good candidate for a late in the order option, or closer to the top if you are a big fan of his swing.
Should you take him?
The lack of power and fielding are certainly a concern, but the ability to play all over the diamond makes Paul Molitor the third-best option in this choice pack for me.
“Big Donkey” (Adam Dunn)- LF/1B, RF, DH – Cincinnati Reds
For a big power hitting lefty, Big Donkey has some surprisingly decent numbers vs lefties. The rest of his stats are quite mediocre, but the maxed power vs righties and home run potential makes this card just as fearsome as the Three True Outcomes king was in real life. The added ability to play the corner outfield spots makes this card even better, but you are probably best off putting him at DH.
Should you take him?
If you’re still searching for some power lefty bats to round out your lineup, look no further than this Dunn card. With max discipline and max power vs righties, you’ll be hitting bombs and taking walks like nobody’s business.
“Hellz Bellz” (Ryan Helsley)- CP – St Louis. Cardinals
As another very popular player in Diamond Dynasty last year, Ryan Helsley comes in as my number one pick for the NL Central choice pack. With max velocity and break, Outlier on the fastball and a good selection of put away pitches, this Helsley card comes in as a very strong option for bullpens everywhere, as he always has since his inclusion in Diamond Dynasty.
Should you take him?
A max H/9 and nearly max K/9, along with a strong pitch mix for a reliever makes this card a formidable back end bullpen option, and would have to be my first pick from the NL Central.
So, in which order should you take these cards?
1. “Hellz Bellz” (Ryan Helsley)- CP – St Louis. Cardinals
2. “Big Donkey” (Adam Dunn)- LF/1B, RF, DH – Cincinnati Reds
3. “The Ignitor” (Paul Molitor) -3B/1B,2B,SS, DH – Milwaukee Brewers
4. “The Great One” (Roberto Clemente)- RF/LF, CF, DH – Pittsburgh Pirates
5. “Mr. Cub” (Ernie Banks) -SS/1B, 3B, DH – Chicago Cubs
AL Central
“Two-Hit Whit” (Whit Merrifield) 2B – Royals
“The Chosen Kwan” (Steven Kwan) LF – Guardians
“Mr. Tiger” (Al Kaline) RF – Tigers
“Big Foot” (Lucas Giolito) SP – White Sox
“Pickles” (Sonny Gray) SP – Twins
“Big Foot” (Lucas Giolito) SP – White Sox
One of the more up and down Starting Pitchers in baseball gets one of his highest overall cards here in Diamond Dynasty, but unfortunately it looks to be the weakest of this bunch. The very low velocity, coupled with a lack of reliable secondary pitches to offset that, results in a very limited pitch mix that makes White Sox fans clamor for the Giolito of 2019 vintage.
Should you take him?
There are far too many stronger options to fill out your rotation in Team Affinity alone that makes this card a bit of a hard pass for me.
“Mr. Tiger” (Al Kaline) RF/LF,CF – Tigers
This Tigers legend comes in with very solid contact numbers, but really nothing else that stands out in terms of stats.
Should you take him?
The higher end contact is nice, but a lack of speed holds this card back from being really usable. It is definitely in the middle of the pack for the AL Central.
“Pickles” (Sonny Gray) SP – Twins
Tennessee’s very own “Pickles” comes in for with the Twins with actually a fairly solid pitch mix. I’m a fan of the slider/cutter combo, and it can be absolutely deadly if used correctly in this game. This card’s drawbacks lie in its lack of active quirks and lower end velocity, which makes that sinker slightly less effective.
Should you take him?
Lower end velocity and a lack of active quirks ultimately hampers this card from being really good, but it is solid enough to come in at the third choice for me in this pack.
“Two-Hit Whit” (Whit Merrifield) 2B/1B, 3B, LF, CF, RF – Royals
The pesky former Royals hitter, this Whit Merrifield card comes in as an intriguing option. His real utility comes with fantastic speed and fielding, and essentially being able to play him anywhere you need, though the lack of a shortstop secondary is curious.
Should you take him?
With a ton of defensive value and great speed, not to mention max Contact vs L, this Merrifield card figures to be getting on base a ton and turning singles into doubles in no time with that speed. He’s my second pick from the AL Central.
“The Chosen Kwan” (Steven Kwan) LF/CF,RF – Guardians
This is probably one of my favorite nicknames from the Incognito series, and is an added bonus to an already very solid card that has very strong contact vs both sides, and near perfect fielding. His speed is nothing to sneeze at either, but Kwan’s most appealing attribute for me is his swing. Short, compact swings on players can be very helpful, especially if you are new to Diamond Dynasty and playing online in general.
Should you take him?
This Kwan card gets bonus points from me for his great swing and hitting from the left side, and many of his other strengths can also apply to the Merrifield card as well, making this number one choice extra difficult. The two are very close, but I think Kwan just barely gets the edge for having slightly more balanced contact.
So, in which order should you take these cards?
1. “The Chosen Kwan” (Steven Kwan) LF/CF,RF – Guardians
2. “Two-Hit Whit” (Whit Merrifield) 2B/1B, 3B, LF, CF, RF – Royals
3. “Pickles” (Sonny Gray) SP – Twins
4. “Mr. Tiger” (Al Kaline) RF/LF,CF – Tigers
5. “Big Foot” (Lucas Giolito) SP – White Sox
That wraps up our coverage of who to choose for the Central divisions for this Season’s Team Affinity. Be sure to check back at https://strangelyawesomegames.com/ for more MLB The Show content, including who to choose from the other MLB divisions.
MLB The Show 23 is available now on PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox Game Pass.
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