MLB Showdown Cards

Time Machine Starters 400-490 points

Scott Erickson 2000- Quick trivia: who has the most GB outs on their chart? Erickson is impressive but he is beat by Mike Morgan (9) and Jimmy Anderson (10). Scott Erickson does have an impressive 8 GB outs on his chart. Morgan is a 0 and Anderson is 1 control to give some perspective. Erickson is a 4, 1-15 out for 400 points and he can pitch 7 innings. In that regard no player has the double-play as such a weapon as Erickson. Erickson had a good career but nothing to write home about. In Showdown he is a bit of a double-play legend.

Blake Stein 2000P- No doubt the worst career numbers of anyone on this list. Stein had a career 5.41 ERA. 1999 was easily his best year as a pro (while with the Royals). He went  a humble 1-2 in 11 starts with an ERA of 4.09. His 1998 season was what seems to really influence his 2001P card. He went 5-9 with a 6.37 ERA. The most telling number 71 walks in 117.1 innings. So why is this pretty mediocre player on our list? Because in Showdown walks are far superior to hits. Stein for 420 points gets a 4 control, 6 IP, 1-15 out, 1-3 K, 3-5 PU, 6-9 GB, 10-15 FB. Nothing worth highlighting there. Why on earth am I spotlighting such mediocrity? Because the bottom of his chart is ridiculous. 16-19 BB, 20 1B… That is right 1 hit and 4 walks. He is a pain in the rear to create runs off of. He is one heck of a bargain.

Bret Saberhagen 2000P- Maybe one of the more streaky pitchers in modern memory. Bret Saberhagen had 2 world class, Cy Young years with the Royals. He was then constantly injured and trying to stay on the field. In 1999 he put one heck of a swan song on for the Red Sox. In 22 games he would earn 10 wins with a 2.95 ERA. Pairing him with Pedro Martinez to make a serviceable rotation. Saberhagen was always a control pitcher, never walking more than 60 batters in a year. What his great career and year earned him was a great bargain card. 5 control, 6 IP, 1-16 out, 1-4 K, 5-7 PU, 8-11 GB, 12-16 FB, 16-19 1B, 20 2B. There were not a lot of 5, 1-16 outs at that time. I will list them Kevin Brown 00, Pedro Martinez 00/01 (1-17 outs). Both of those players are 600+ points. Unless I am missing someone that is a huge jump in points for the control/out combo. He is annoying having no walk but it is the cheap price you pay. Great bargain player for people with good bullpens looking for quality starts.

Livan Hernandez 2001- We have used the term “horse” often when referring to pitchers. These are guys who go deep into games and the guys in the bullpen know they have the night off. Livan Hernandez was that player. Some players earn that title because they pitch so well that they earn a little more rope to go deep in games. Not Livan, he is just a big strong dude who throws strikes and hopes you miss. In 2000 he allowed 254 hits against. The most hit given up by any big league pitcher that year, 13 times he would give up 200 or more hits, 5 times he would allow the most in the bigs. Here is the big “but”, no pun intended, he goes deep into games. In 2000 he had 5 CG, threw 240 innings and had an ERA of 3.75. He earned a 6, 7 IP, 1-14 out, 1-2 PU, 3-5 K, 6-11 GB, 12-14 FB, 15 BB, 15-19 1B, 20 2B for 470 points. The truth is that unless you are facing a team of clunking speed C players who are waiting to homer Livan is 470 points of “good enough to lose”. If you have the points and don’t have the bullpen then he can go out there and pitch till his arm falls off.

Roger Clemens 2000- Roger Clemens has one of the all-time great statistical careers. The man had 5 careers. First he was one of the great college pitchers of the day as a Longhorn. He was “The Rocket” in Boston where he made a name for himself and became talked about as a young Nolan Ryan. He had a few down years by his standards and was infamously deemed to be “in the twilight of his career” by his then General Manager. He would go to Toronto for 2 years, win more 40 games, strike out more than 500 people and have an ERA lower than 2.50 combined. By the way he would then go to New York and be an anchor for far too many World Series. Then go back to Texas, to the Astros and never have a season ERA over 3. In 2005 he posted a 1.87 ERA. All that to say Clemens is one of the great performers in the game. Clemens in 1999 was not a great sample year though. 14-10 record with a 4.60 ERA. He earned a 3, 1-16 out, 1-5 K, 6-7 PU, 8-12 GB, 13-16 FB, 17-18 BB, 19-20 1B for 6 innings and 400 points. A very useful card that was unusual for the time. Mike Hampton 2000 Pennant Run is really the only comparable card. I like the card set up because it is hard to create runs off them. In 2000/2001 they were less desirable because 3’s had a tough time preventing homers. All in all useful card for an all time great player coming off a horrible year.