MLB Showdown Cards

Gary Disarcina 00: This guy became a Showdown cult icon. Put on the Mount Rushmore of Showdown remembered players right next to Juan Guzman, Jeffery Hammonds and Terry Shumpert. In 1999 he hit an impressive .229 with a slugging and OBP of .273 (oddly enough they are the same). His 1 homer and 1 triple in nearly 300 AB’s in a time when people were hitting bombs at will left little room for him in the league. He would retire after the 2000 season. He actually finished 19^th in the MVP voting in 1995 and was named an All-star. Fan Elorater ranks him as the 1454^th best hitter ever between Casey Kotchman and Ty Wigginton. His Showdown card is a legendary 5, speed B, 4-20 1B, 3 BB, 2 FB, 1 GB for 40 points. Maybe it was because he was the cheapest SS in Showdown at the time (by 70 points, and in the 00 set) besides the Christian Guzman card who had almost no use. It could have been his pretty good fielding or maybe it was his amazingly unorthodox chart. No matter why people loved him he is a legend of the game.

Alex Gonzalez 01: There were only two 4 hitters in the original Showdown sets. As you might guess one was a catcher and the other was a shortstop. The shortstop was Alex Gonzalez 01. He was a decent substitutional player as a 4, speed A, 19-20 HR, 17-18 3B, 14-16 2B, 10-13 1B+ (not that his chart matters much but it is still fun). Another big shortstop bopper in 2000 with a .200 BA and .229 OBP. He earned every bit of his 4 card. He would go on to earn a 6 (09) and a pair of 5s (10,11) in later years. He actually has become a serviceable big leaguer offensively despite his Showdown fame for ineptitude. 165 career homers and 30 triples on his career.

Barry Larkin 00: This is one of the best deals in the original Showdown set. For a mere 360 points you get a 9, speed A, 20 HR, 18-19 2B, 16-17 1B+, 1-4 out with +5 fielding. He can lead off and bolster any defense. He fits every kind of lineup. The worst thing that can be said about him is if you draft him there is no room for some of the impressive A-rods. The 1995 MVP hit 12 homers, 4 triples and 30 doubles in 1999. My love for him is not because he is amazingly dominant. It is because he is amazingly useful. From what I gather he is a top notch person as well.

Mike Bordick 00: in 1997 A moderately productive shortstop with a sure glove moved from the Oakland Athletics to the Baltimore Orioles. Mike Bordick will forever be remembered as the player who moved Cal Ripkin to thirdbase. Ripkin who has been given credit for the “big” shortstop, which has since become a baseball fad, would stay at third base where he would look the part and be productive. Bordick who would only have double digit home run years 3 times in his career was a move back toward the status quo for the Orioles. In 1999 he would have 10 homers, 7 triple and 35 doubles which is very productive. His card a 7, 20 HR, 19 3B, 17-18 2B with +5 fielding for 190 points. Bordick is almost an extra in one of the great baseball stories but I think he deserves his day in the sun.

Troy Tulowitzki 09: MLB Showdown loved the big 3 shorts stops of the late 90s early 2000s. It is tough to imagine 3 players coming along with that kind of power, average, fielding and general productivity. With the desire for teams to prefer defense over offense at shortstop it seems tough to imagine a revival of the depth at shortstop. Troy seem like he is cut from the same cloth as those 3 guys. 2009 Tulo sported 32 homers, 9 triples, 25 doubles and 20 stolen bases. He earned himself a 9, speed B(17), 18-20 HR, 16-17, 14-15 2B, 13 1B+ with +4 fielding for 520 points. Kid can play with the old school players.

Last Years Time Machine Garciaparra 00, Jeter 00, Alex Rodriguez 00,01,01P

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