MLB Showdown Cards

                Welcome to #Shotsfriday. Our catch all for this blog where I talk about a wide variety of none sense that doesn’t fit into the other days of the week. We also have some friendly competition that occurs but we will need for the season to start. To start us off we will have a small book club on Moneyball and how it ties into showdown.

                After reading Michael Lewis’s great book Moneyball I was wondering how the story played out in MLB Showdown terms (if you have seen the movie or read the book none of this intro is original content). The book chronicles the Oakland Athletics moves from the late 90’s and early 2000’s toward a new philosophy of valuing players. The years highlighted here are the transition from 2001 to 2002. Since MLB Showdown had changed R&D people and the mechanics changed we have no sets from ether year (in the eyes of this blog, there are sets but we do not acknowledge them). 6 players are highlight specifically. 3 players who would leave the A’s: Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon and Jason Isringhausen. Then 3 players who would replace them: Jeremy Giambi, Scott Hatteburg and David Justice. This will be a 3 part piece so today I will just introduce who these players were in the Showdown world in the 2 sets prior to 2002.

                Jason Giambi is a Showdown legend for those of us who played the 2000 set and then purchased the 2001 set. Jason Giambi  00 was a solid 10, 18-20 HR, 16-17 2B, speed C for 450 points. That was nothing special in the Showdown world that first year. He could play but there was no coveting him with McGwire’s power and Bagwell’s speed/power. Then the 2001 card came with one  number that showed how great of a player he was in the 2000 season…11. Himself and Carlos Delgado (great year in his own right) as the only 2 in WotC produced sets to have that distinction. He was an 11, 18-20 HR, 17 2B for 570 points as a speed C. Many of use 570 points as the threshold for elite because of this card (with McGwire 00 and Bagwell 00). For 570 points you could get a power/power combo with McGwire 00, power/speed with Bagwell 00 or now a power/on-base combo with Giambi. The 11 to this day still changes the way opposing managers manage more than any other trait.

                Johnny Damon would always be viewed as “under rated” by Showdown compared to the opinion of him by baseball fans. One reason was in 00/01 sets the 3 speeds were 10,15 and 20. With the new individual speed I imagine he would be a 21 or 22 which would have helped him. He has 3, 9, 20 HR, 19 3B, 17-18 2B cards for 360 00, 350 01, 340 01p.

                Jason Isringhausen has a mediocre 01 card with a 6, 1-14 out for 230 points. Remember this is when relievers were far too over priced and made it difficult to assemble an average bullpen. At least he didn't give up a double. His 1-3 PU, 4-7 SS, 8-12 GB, 13-14 FB is nothing to drool over. He was a 6 though and in the early years that meant a lot for some people because he could pitch forever for you. This 01 Showdown Oakland team with 3 good starting pitchers and a reliever like Isringhausen would have been formidable in a massive tournament. What we learn from Moneyball is that relievers are a fickle thing. There is little carry over from one year to the next so ditch them and take the chances with the draft pick.