2013 MLB Showdown Set Preview

Update on the 2013 MLB Showdown set

Last week of #ShotsFriday for the year. It has been a fantastic year and we appreciate all of your support thus far. We are hoping to have some updates over the summer but we will be mostly focusing on completing our 2013 set. We feel like we are ahead of pace for our January first goal. There will be updates on that front. As usual we plan to start unveiling charts at the beginning of Spring Training and hoping to end at the end of next year's regular season. @TheRealJohnR found his second shot of the year with Freddie Freeman's first of the year. Currently @Tomwyliehart is looking great to get his 3 custom cards with 10 shots on the year. @Chris_Roth is looking like a lock for second place with his 5 shots and 2 cards. @Roktikitiki is in third place with 4 shots for a single card. Myself, Jamesmruffin and BucNforthecard all have 3 shots and need to find one this week to earn a split of the single card and a @Roktikitiki shutout. We will see how that ends out. Remember to tweet your predictions to @mlbshowdownguru or using our hashtag #shotsfriday.

#ShotFriday: Custom Rules

Only one more week of #shotsfriday picks after this one. It has been a successful year thus far. The person who has enjoyed the most success is @Tomwyliehart getting his 10^th shot of the year with someone else who has had a lot of success, That extends @Tomwylieharts lead for the 3 custom cards. @Chris_Roth also had Chris Davis to give Davis 7 on the year. That is the 5th for @Chris_Roth putting him in second place on the year with 5. @Roktikitiki is in third with 4. Myself @mlbshowdownguru, @jamesruffin3 and @BucNforthecard all have 3. We will all be trying to sneak into that next position and earn our own custom cards. Remember to send in your predictions for who goes deep using our hashtag #shotsfriday or tweeting at me @mlbshowdownguru.

MLB Showdown: Relievers 80-100 Points

Ryan Webb	4	100	1	0	20	16-19	0	12-15	7-11	3-6	1-2
Tom Gorzelanny	4	100	1	0	20	16-19	0	12-15	7-11	3-7	1-2

Jason Frasor	3	100	1	0	20	18-19	17	13-16	10-12	3-9	1-2
Tyler Clippard	3	100	1	0	20	18-19	17	11-16	9-10	3-8	1-2

Marc Rzepcynski

2

90

1

0

20

19

18

14-17

7-13

3-6

1-2

Bryan Shaw	1	100	1	0	20	0	19	15-18	8-14	3-7	1-2
Matt Belise	1	90	1	0	20	19	0	14-18	8-13	3-7	1-2
Francisco Rodriguez	1	90	1	0	20	19	0	13-18	9-12	3-8	1-2
David Robertson	1	80	1	0	0	19-20	0	15-18	13-12	3-11	1-2

#ShotsFriday Potentional Top 10 Pitchers

We have an exciting stretch coming up here. Let us first focus on last week. Two twitter followers picked the same player for a homer last Friday. @Chris_Roth found his fourth shot with Alfonso Soriano for the second week in a row. That puts him in a tie for second place with @Roktikitiki with 4. Also Dr. Juice @markrom3 also picked Alfonso Soriano for the doctor's second shot. Soriano finished the week with 3 on the year. Remember top 3 players get to make custom cards. Remember tweet in your predictions for homers using #Shotsfriday or tweet at me @MLBShowdownguru

MLB Showdown 2012: Relievers 110-130 Points

Mike Adams

5

130

1

0

20

16-19

0

11-15

7-10

3-6

1-2

Burke Badenhop	4	130	1	0	20	17-19	0	13-16	7-12	3-6	1-2
Jason Isringhausen	4	120	1	0	20	18-19	16-17	10-15	6-9	3-5	1-2
Michael Schwimmer	4	120	1	0	20	18-19	16-17	10-15	8-9	3-7	1-2
John Axford	4	120	1	0	20	18-19	16-17	12-15	10-11	3-9	1-2
Addison Reed	4	110	1	0	20	17-19	16	10-15	8-9	3-7	1-2
Kameron Loe	4	110	1	0	20	17-19	16	13-15	7-12	3-6	1-2

David Hernandez	3	130	1	0	20	19	18	13-17	12	3-11	1-2
Brett Myers	3	120	1	0	20	18-19	0	13-17	7-12	3-6	1-2
Alex Burnett	3	120	1	0	0	18-20	17	12-16	6-11	3-5	1-2
JJ Putz	3	120	1	0	20	18-19	0	13-17	10-12	3-9	1-2
Rafael Betancourt	3	120	1	0	20	18-19	0	11-17	9-10	3-8	1-2
Tim Brydak	3	120	1	0	0	20	17-19	11-16	9-10	3-8	1-2
Luis Perez	3	110	1	0	20	19	18	13-17	8-12	3-7	1-2
Ramon Ramirez	3	110	1	0	0	19-20	17-18	12-16	8-11	3-7	1-2

Antonio Bastardo

2

110

1

0

0

19-20

18

13-17

12

3-11

1-2

#ShotsFriday 

The tie for third place has tighetned. @Chris_Roth scored his third homer with the red hot Alfonso Soriano. That is Soriano's first. @TomWyliehart still has the big lead for the 3 custom cards with 9. @Roktiktiki has second place by a slim margin with 4. Then myself, @Chris_Roth, @BucNforthecard and @JamesmRuffin. Hope to finish the year strong. Remember to send your thoughts in to us @mlbshowdownguru. 

MLB Showdown 2012: Relievers 140-160

Darren O'Day	6	160	1	0	20	17-19	16	11-15	8-10	3-7	1-2
Ronald Belisario	6	160	1	0	20	18-19	16-17	14-15	8-13	3-7	1-2
Jose Arredondo	6	160	1	0	20	18-19	16-17	12-15	8-11	3-7	1-2
Nate Jones	6	150	1	0	20	17-19	16	11-15	7-10	3-6	1-2
Jerry Blevins	6	150	1	0	20	17-19	16	11-15	7-10	3-6	1-2
James Russell	6	150	1	0	20	17-19	16	10-15	7-9	3-6	1-2

Wilton Lopez	5	160	1	0	20	17-19	0	14-16	8-13	3-7	1-2
Alexi Ogando	5	140	1	0	20	17-19	16	10-15	7-9	3-6	1-2
Kevin Jepsen	5	140	1	0	20	17-19	16	10-15	7-9	3-6	1-2

Vinnie Pestano	4	160	1	0	20	19	18	13-17	9-12	3-8	1-2
Scott Downs	4	160	1	0	20	19	18	13-17	6-12	3-5	1-2
Santiago Casilla	4	160	1	0	20	19	18	14-17	7-13	3-6	1-2
Jamey Wright	4	160	1	0	0	18-20	17	15-16	7-14	3-6	1-2
Jared Hughes	4	160	1	0	20	19	18	15-17	8-14	3-7	1-2
Joe Nathan	4	150	1	0	20	18-19	0	13-17	10-12	3-9	1-2
Tom Wilhelmsen	4	150	1	0	20	18-19	0	13-17	9-12	3-8	1-2
Derek Lowe	4	140	1	0	20	18-19	17	14-16	6-13	3-5	1-2
Jose Valverde	4	140	1	0	20	18-19	17	10-16	7-9	3-6	1-2
Chris Perez	4	140	1	0	20	18-19	17	12-16	9-11	3-8	1-2
Tim Collins	4	140	1	0	20	18-19	17	13-16	10-12	3-9	1-2

Darren Oliver	3	170	1	0	20	19	0	13-18	8-12	3-7	1-2
Edward Mujica	3	170	1	0	20	0	19	14-18	7-13	3-6	1-2
Casey Janssen	3	160	1	0	0	19-20	18	12-17	9-11	3-8	1-2
Jeremy Affeldt	3	160	1	0	0	19-20	18	15-17	8-14	3-7	1-2

Carlos Marmol

2

160

1

0

0

0

19-20

14-18

11-13

3-10

1-2

#ShotsFriday- 2013 Schedule

We had a few Shots from last week. First off @Chris_Roth who if I remember right was the first person to pick a homer for us this year found his second with Miguel Cabrera. It was Miguel Cabrera’s third. That keeps @Chris_Roth in striking distance to get that coveted third spot. Sadly Miggy seems to be banged up. We wish him the best around here. @TherealJohnR found some power with Brandon Phillips. That is his first and Phillips first. Hopefully Phillips can get that OBP up for his Showdown card and for the sake of reporters. I also found my power stroke. I picked old reliable Matt Holliday to go deep and work toward his normal 10 OB, 19-20 HR, 16-18 2B card. I got my third and Holliday got his first of the year. Remember to tweet in your picks for the week to #Shotsfriday and follow me on twitter @mlbshowdownguru

MLB Showdown 2012: Relievers 170-190

Ryan Cook	6	180	1	0	0	18-20	16-17	12-15	9-11	3-8	1-2
Jim Johnson	6	170	1	0	0	17-20	16	14-15	7-13	3-6	1-2
Robbie Ross	6	170	1	0	20	18-19	17	14-16	7-13	3-6	1-2
Brad Ziegler	6	170	1	0	0	18-20	16-17	14-15	6-13	3-5	1-2

Octavio Dotel	5	180	1	0	0	17-20	16	11-15	8-10	3-7	1-2
Grant Balfour	5	180	1	0	0	18-20	17	101-6	8-9	3-7	1-2
Steve Cishek	5	180	1	0	20	18-19	17	13-16	9-12	3-8	1-2
Bobby Parnell	5	180	1	0	20	18-19	17	15-16	8-14	3-7	1-2
Luke Gregerson	5	180	1	0	20	18-19	17	14-16	9-13	3-8	1-2
Jason Motte	5	180	1	0	0	18-20	17	12-16	10-11	3-9	1-2
Mitchell Boggs	5	180	1	0	0	18-20	17	13-16	7-12	3-6	1-2
Rafael Soriano	5	170	1	0	20	18-19	17	12-16	9-11	3-8	1-2
Greg Holland	5	170	1	0	20	19	17-18	13-16	10-12	3-9	1-2

Glen Perkins	4	180	1	0	0	18-20	0	13-17	10-12	3-9	1-2
Johnny Venters	4	180	2	0	19-20	17-18	0	12-16	8-11	3-7	1-2
Jonathan Papelbon	4	180	1	0	0	18-20	0	14-17	11-13	3-10	1-2
Sean Marshall	4	180	1	0	0	19-20	18	15-17	10-14	3-9	1-2
Scott Atchison	4	170	1	0	0	18-20	0	14-17	7-13	3-6	1-2
Kenley Jansen	4	170	1	0	20	0	18-19	14-17	12-13	3-11	1-2
Ernesto Frieri	4	170	1	0	20	0	18-19	13-17	12	3-11	1-2

Huston Street	3	180	1	0	0	20	19	14-18	10-13	3-9	1-2
Darren Oliver	3	170	1	0	20	19	0	13-18	8-12	3-7	1-2
Edward Mujica	3	170	1	0	20	0	19	14-18	7-13	3-6	1-2

#ShotsFriday: 2013 Preview

Showing off more of @roktikitiki’s hard work today, which is a perfect intro to say…Last week @roktikitiki predicted the demise of this Twins by picking Adam Dunn to go deep. That is @roktikitiki’s 4^th of the year to give him a hold of second place. That is also the second for Adam Dunn. Remember the top winner gets to make 3 cards for 2013, second place gets 2 and third gets 1. Remember to tweet in who you think will go deep in a game tonight. Use the hashtag #shotsfriday or tweet a @mlbshowdownguru.\

MLB Showdown 2012: Relievers 200-230 Points

Fernando Rodney	5	230	1	0	0	19-20	0	16-18	9-15	3-8	1-2
Jake McGee	5	210	1	0	0	18-20	0	14-17	11-13	3-10	1-2
Eric O'Flaherty	5	210	1	0	0	19-20	18	15-17	7-14	3-6	1-2
Adam Ottavino	5	210	2	0	20	17-19	15-16	11-14	8-10	3-7	1-2
Joel Hanrahan	5	210	1	0	20	0	18-19	12-17	9-11	3-8	1-2
Kelvin Herrera	5	200	1	0	0	17-20	0	13-16	8-12	3-7	1-2

Craig Kimbrell	4	230	1	0	0	19-20	0	18	16-17	3-15	1-2
Aroodis Chapman	4	220	1	0	20	19	0	15-18	14	3-13	1-2
Chad Gaudin	4	200	2	0	20	17-19	16	10-15	7-9	3-6	1-2

#ShotsFriday: 2013 Card Templates

               Sorry for the long absence. I took a wonderful vacation to Philly to enjoy a pair of Phillies games (and Mets wins). We are about to start getting things ready for our 2013 set production so the vacation was much needed. Also It is nice to write again following a week where I got a shot with Miguel Cabrera off Mariano Rivera. That is my second and also Miguel Cabrera’s second shot of the year. @Chris_Roth got his first shot with Brian McCann’s first shot. The week before @Roktikitiki got his 3^rd shot of the year with Chris Davis.  @Roktikitiki moves into a tie for second with @Jamesruffin.  @Tomwyliehart increases his impressive total to 9 with a shot from Chris Davis as well. @Tomwyliehart has 9 and Davis has 5, both good for first place. Also @BucNforthecard also found his 3rd homer with Paul Goldschmidt. Remember to tweet in your picks for who will homer this week by tweeting at me @mlbshowdownguru or using #shotsfriday.

               We finally get to show off some of @roktikitiki’s hard work thanks to this year’s PED scandal players. Though we remain indifferent around here about PED use, we do enjoy being able to produce cards early even if the commissioner’s office had to help us. Without further ado.

Ryan Braun 2013- A down year for Braun for a variety of reasons. The Hebrew Hammer has produced some great cards in the past. This one is just serviceable as a late round pick to fill in a line-up. More important look at the crisp new layout. Font is crisper. The border for the names looks sharp. The logo's in the back look much better than my work. The halo effect is a nice touch. Love the fine print at the bottom. There is some technical lingo that @roktikitiki could tell you all about it if you are interested. 

Jordany Valdespin 2013- Versatile utility player for cheap. Huge out and average speed and fielding. Also this card is a better example of the different colors of the background logos. Also it is neat to see the hand go behind the font of the name. High quality pictures and no borders. 

Antonio Bastardo 2013- Here is a good Antonio Bastardo card. Looks like a solid 8th inning guy who could close if you are on a budget. Also check out the cards with more of a red color instead of the two dark blues. I think the halo effect stands out more here. Great work all around. We hope to have all 600 cards ready by January 1st. E-mail Redsoxman2011@gmail.com for information on Acquiring sets.

Twitterboard

@Tomwyliehart:9

@Jamesmruffin:3

@Roktikitiki:3

@BucNforthecard: 3

@MLBShowdownguru:2

@Markrom3: 1

@Chris_Roth:1

Playerboard

Chris Davis: 5

Carlos Beltran:3

Mark Trumbo:2

Miguel Cabrera: 2

Justin Upton:1

Pedro Alvarez: 1

Adam Dunn: 1

Mark Reynolds:1

Yasiel Puig: 1

Andrew McCutchen:1

Dan Uggla: 1

Jose Bautista:1

Brian McCann:1
Paul Goldschmidt:1

MLB Showdown Custom Cards

Ted Willaims 1957- Another player has commissioned some custom cards and this lot has a bulk slugging outfielders. For our On-base junkies none more impressive than Teddy Ballgame from 1957. He could have three 12 on-base cards in his career and this would be his last. As an aging slugger he lost what little speed he had by this point. That would not have helped his already average defense. What he still had was a great eye ad an ability to put the ball in play with authority. He is tough to fit into a salary cap team because he won't drive people in and he won't score himself. He will post impressive personal numbers but at the expense of the team.

MLB Showdown: Starters 4 IP

Kris Medlen	2012	4	500	4	0	20	19	0	14-18	8-13	3-7	1-2
Jeff Francis	2012	3	10	4	0	20	16-19	15	11-14	6-10	3-5	1-2
Jhoulys Chacin	2012	2	30	4	0	20	18-19	17	10-16	6-9	3-5	1-2
Drew Pomeranz	2012	1	30	4	0	20	19	0	13-18	8-12	3-7	1-2
Alex White	2012	0	10	4	0	20	0	19	14-18	7-13	3-6	1-2

MLB Showdown Starters: 10-40 PTS

Jason Marquis

2012

3

10

5

20

19

16-18

15

12-14

7-11

3-6

1-2

Bruce Chen

2012

2

20

6

20

19

18

16-17

14-15

8-13

3-7

1-2

Nick Blackburn

2012

1

10

5

20

18-19

16-17

0

10-15

6-9

3-5

1-2

Aaron Cook	2012	0	10	5	0	20	18-19	0	14-17	4-13	3	1-2
Jake Arrietta	2012	0	10	6	20	0	19	18	12-17	8-11	3-7	1-2
Ubaldo Jimenez	2012	0	10	5	0	20	0	18-19	12-17	8-11	3-7	1-2

Chris Volstad	2012	0	10	5	0	20	19	18	13-17	7-12	3-6	1-2
Jordan Lyles	2012	0	10	5	0	20	18-19	0	14-17	7-13	3-6	1-2

Custom Cards: Pirates Greats 2

Honus Wagner 1908- I couldn’t resist on the picture. As an amateur trading card collector there is one “Holy Grail”. Not the Alpha Black Lotus. Not the first edition, mint Charizard. The Honus Wagner t206 is the most famous trading card ever. My mother has no idea who Honus Wagner was or how amazing of an offensive player he was before Babe Ruth ever played. Even she recognizes pictures of his card as important works of art. He lead the league in OBP 4 times. He stole 723 bases paired with 252 triples. His 11 OB, speed A card for 580 points only is marred by his +0 fielding… He did have 50 errors. It makes him more fun not less in my opinion. Have guts and play with this legend.

MLB Showdown 2012: Starters 60-90 Points

Rick Porcello	2012	2	80	5	0	20	17-19	0	12-16	6-11	3-5	1-2
Zach McAllister	2012	2	80	5	0	20	17-19	0	12-16	8-11	3-7	1-2
Will Smith	2012	2	60	5	0	20	17-19	16	10-15	6-9	3-5	1-2
Johan Santana	2012	2	60	5	0	20	17-19	0	12-16	8-11	3-7	1-2

Dallas Keuchel	2012	1	80	5	0	20	18-19	17	12-16	5-11	3-4	1-2
Ervin Santana	2012	1	60	5	20	0	19	18	12-17	7-11	3-6	1-2

Luke Hochevar

2012

0

70

6

0

20

19

18

13-17

8-12

3-7

1-2

#ShotsFriday: Team Building Forum

Sadly we had no Shots last week which makes me sad. I hope that gives everyone some motivation to think about baseball all day long today at work and tweet in a great pick tonight. Just a reminder you may tweet in selections for #shotsfriday anytime during the week. The top 3 winners will get to make 3,2 and 1 custom card of their very own at the end of the year. Even new players can make a dent quickly. Remember if your player homers one week you get and extra pick the next week for each homer they hit. So you can make up ground quickly with good picks. Plus it makes it more fun rooting on your favorite players to get better MLB Showdown cards for 2013. Send in your picks using twitter #shotsfriday.

Custom Cards: Pirates Greats

Barry Bonds 1992- Want to know what I thought the other day? I feel like Showdown needs 1 more great Barry Bonds card. 2000 was great but 9, 16-20 homer was a dime a dozen then. The 2001 was a nice addition to pair with McGwire but only a 10 OB... A little light don't you think. Then we had the 2004 highest OB ever created for Showdown with the 13 OB card. This guy is a tank, just as good as any of the others just in different ways. I can't imagine this is the last Bonds card we will be commissioned to make. There is still a 2001 card with 73 homers no one has asked for (remember the WotC 2001 card was for 2000 stats). There is a 1996 40/40 year which has still yet to be made. Give it a few weeks another Bonds should show up.

MLB Showdown 2012: Pitchers 100-140 Points

Cole De Vries	2012	3	130	5	20	0	17-19	0	9-16	6-8	3-5	1-2
Felix Doubront	2012	3	100	5	0	19-20	18	16-17	11-15	8-10	3-7	1-2

Carlos Zambrano	2012	2	140	6	0	20	19	17-18	13-16	7-12	3-6	1-2
Luis Mendoza	2012	2	110	6	0	20	18-19	17	13-16	7-12	3-6	1-2
Patrick Corbin	2012	2	110	6	0	20	18-19	17	11-16	7-10	3-6	1-2
Marco Estrada	2012	2	110	6	0	19-20	18	0	12-17	9-11	3-8	1-2

Ricky Romero

2012

1

140

6

0

20

0

17-19

13-16

7-12

3-6

1-2

Travis Wood

2012

0

130

6

0

20

19

0

12-18

9-11

3-8

1-2