MLB Showdown Obsession

 So yeah, lockout. No baseball so far and as of this post the first 2 series across baseball for the 2022 season have been cancelled. More cancellations are likely to follow and at this point who knows what fate may befall the entire season. So while the lockout is ongoing, MLBs own website isn't allowed to use any active players image, so the site is pretty odd to be around. Lots of talk about minor leaguers or retired players, but nothing current. Anyway, one of the articles were talking about movies, and "The Rookie" came up. The rookie in question is Jim Morris. Never saw the movie, but I noticed his career spanned the 1999-2000 seasons, right at the beginning of the Showdown game...yet no cards for the man exist. Sure, he barely pitched, but lets rectify this situation anyway. Morris was a September callup in 1999 and only pitched 4.2 innings, but still made for a pretty decent card. Average Control with a chart I don't hate. I don't love it either, unless I ...

 It's that time of year again. When we look to see which greats of yesteryear will make the cut to the pantheon of greatness. 2021 featured zero new inductions from the ballot so people are excited to see if this year can bring us new blood. It's also the last chance for a few notable bridesmaids... Bobby Abreu. Year 3. Previous year: 8.7% Barry Bonds. Year 10. Previous year: 61.8% Mark Buehrle. Year 2. Previous year: 11% Roger Clemens. Year 10. Previous year: 61.6% Carl Crawford. First year on ballot. Prince Fielder. First year on ballot. Todd Helton. Year 4. Previous year: 44.9% Ryan Howard. First year on ballot. Tim Hudson. Year 2. Previous year: 5.2% Torii Hunter. Year 2. Previous year: 9.5% Andruw Jones. Year 5. Previous year: 33.9% Jeff Kent. Year 9. Previous year: 32.4% Tim Lincecum. First year on ballot. Justin Morneau. First year on ballot. Joe Nathan. First year on ballot. David Ortiz. First year on ballot. Jonathan Papelbon. First year on ballot. Jake Peavy. First ye...

 Babe Ruth is hands down the greatest hitter who ever played. Baseball was forever changed when the New York Yankees acquired the slugger and made him a full time outfielder to stop wasting his potential trying to juggle between pitching and playing the field (take note Ohtani). From there the records were shattered and the world was on notice. But before that transition, there were other so called sluggers that the baseball world knew of who would fade into obscurity in short time. In 1918, Ruth stopped being an exclusive pitcher in Boston and began playing to field sometimes to get some more at bats in. That season he led the league in homers for the first time with 11 and lead the league in the stat for 12 of the next 14 years. In 1917, while the Red Sox continued to squander the Babe's ability, Wally Pipp (yes, that Wally Pipp) would lead baseball with a whopping 9 dingers. Impressive when you consider that his chart doesn't allow for any natural homers. Meet Roger Connor a...

  It's the best time of year in baseball. Playoffs! A time where the men stand tall and the true champions take their prize. Sometimes the hero of the post season is the person you relied on all season, other times a complete unknown steps up and carries the team. Most guys do it with their bats, some pitch a gem when it matters most, and others save the day with their their leather or their baserunning. Joe Carter lived the dream we all have as kids in our backyards. One swing of the bat and the World Series is won. Considering how the 1994 post season was cancelled, this was the lasting image of a champion for 2 years, giving baseball a final triumph to enjoy before the strike ruined everything. I'll go ahead and repost the 1946 Enos Slaughter card with a more proper logo. His "mad-dash" is what allow the Cardinals to walk off in game 7 and beat the Red Sox. I've gone over that play before. Sparky Lyle was a rare relief pitcher to win the Cy Young in 1977, and i...

 There's an old saying that "defense wins championships" and in Showdown it's a massive plus to your lineup. Perfection in the field keeps runners from extra bases being taken from the outfield and makes double plays easier in the infield, while catchers arms stops stolen bases cold. Your ideal defense would be: C: 10+ 1B: 1 2B: 5 3B: 3 SS: 5 CF: 3 LF/RF: 2 The Showdown Bot has the potential for even greater defensive stats than that, so let's have some fun with some better than perfect players... Andrelton Simmons brings a +8 to the position, but c'mon, the Wizard stands alone when it comes to great defensive shortstops. You can argue that Mattingly was the superior man at 1st in NY, but Hernandez brought sustained excellence to town. Offensively, Keith couldn't compete with prime Donnie Baseball, but a +2 skill at defense is a nice trump... A perfect +5 at 2nd base is an incredibly rare stat in Showdown. What makes Martin stand out is that above picture...