Card of the Week - 4/9/14

There are times in Showdown where the player you want doesn't have a card you want.  One example of that is the 2000 Frank Thomas.  I am a lifelong 'Big Hurt' fan, but was disappointed by his first showdown card and the lack of power it showed.

The opposite is also common: a player that you don't like has a card that you like.  I don't like Barry Bonds, but both his 2000 and 2001 cards are awesome cards.  The speed and power combination that you get with the 2000 card is awesome, and the overall majesty of his 2001 card makes it stand on it's own.

MLB Showdown 2013: Corner OF +300 Points

Player	On	Points	Speed	Field	Homer	Triple	Double	Single+	Single	Walk	FB	GB	SO
Yasiel Puig	10	510	A(18)	2	19-20	0	17-18	16	7-15	5-6	0	0	1-4
Jayson Werth	10	500	A(19)	1	19-20	0	17-18	0	9-16	4-8	3	0	1-2
Matt Holliday	10	430	B(15)	1	19-20	0	16-18	0	10-15	5-9	3-4	2	1
Carlos Gonzalez	9	500	A(20)	2	18-20	16-17	14-15	13	8-12	4-7	0	0	1-3
Jose Bautista	9	460	B(15)	2	17-20	0	15-16	0	12-14	5-11	3-4	2	1
Bryce Harper	9	420	A(18)	1	19-20	18	16-17	0	11-15	3-10	2	0	1
Justin Upton	9	340	A(19)	1	19-20	0	17-18	0	12-16	7-11	0	0	1-6
Will Myers	9	330	B(15)	0	19-20	0	16-18	0	9-15	7-8	0	5-6	1-4
Giancarlo Stanton	9	310	B(14)	1	19-20	0	17-18	0	13-16	4-12	0	0	1-3

Hunter Pence	8	390	A(20)	1	18-20	17	13-16	12	9-11	5-8	0	3-4	1-2
Carlos Beltran	8	330	B(15)	0	18-20	17	14-16	0	8-13	6-7	3-5	2	1
Marlon Byrd	8	300	C(12)	1	18-20	17	14-16	0	8-13	6-7	5	4	1-3

Nelson Cruz

7

340

A(18)

1

16-20

0

14-15

0

6-13

3-5

0

0

1-2

MLB Showdown 2013: Corner OF +300 Points

               Corner outfield is always interesting for a few reasons. The first reason is there are both power and speed options at this position. The second is you have to choose two players for the position. The third is there is a limited defensive impact and most players are average. The fourth is all centerfielders qualify as a corner outfielder. Yasiel Puig is a very exciting new prospect. We can only hope his 19 homer, 2 triple, 21 double, 11 stolen base year in 432 PA is hopefully a sign of things to come. I am hoping for a young Jose Canseco. Carlos Gonzalez hit 26 homers, 6 triples, 23 doubles with 21 SB as a solid year (though down by his standards). Matt Holiday is Matt Holiday. Justin Upton was on pace for 80 homers for the first month of the season and finished with 27 homers. BJ Upton was on pace to be playing in the Japanese league after the first month of the season and he finished in the league.

#ShotsFriday 

               We have a bit of a tradition around here we like to call Shots Friday. Mainly it involves some fist pumping, loud music and your favorite work appropriate beverage. I favor iced coffee but please don’t let me influence your decisions. The most important thing we do is our own version of fantasy baseball… because we don’t do enough pseudo-fantasy baseball. The game is simple: Pick a player who you think will homer today and tweet or comment the player in to us. You then tweet that players name using the hashtag #ShotsFriday or to me @MLBShowdownGuru. Feel free to add trash talk. The scoring system is pretty simple you get 1 point for every home run your player hits that day. Also for a bonus you get an extra pick the next week for each homer your player hit. If you forget than we will give you the same player from the week before for your extra. The winner this next year gets a free set of 2014 cards in color and gets to design their own 3 custom cards.  Second place gets a free set of 2014 cards in black and white and gets to make 2 custom cards. Third place gets to 5 of each David Cone and Greg Maddux 2000 foils a lowly 1 custom card.

Situational Hitting 

Every year managers have to make an important decision. What arm strength for catchers is good enough to keep me from being run over? That changes by format and year to year. This happens to be a slightly slower class with only a handful of elite players having a speed A (Goldschmidt, Trout, McCutchen). How would you play this year?

What is the lowest arm you would play in a 2013 only draft?
	2 It is a slow class I am going to take my chances
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	9 Always shut down the running game even if it is a weak class.
pollcode.com free polls

Last Weeks Results 

               This week we had an interesting question that was for the king of the Showdown hitter hill (kind of Barry Bonds would like his shot at the title). Alex Rodriguez was the original middle of the order beast. For one he had 3 great Showdown cards for 2000/2001 sets. He got a 2001 Pennant Run card because of his quarter-billion dollar deal with Texas. In 2009 when we started re-making sets we had 3 first basemen who were going to carry Showdown for the next 5 years. None of those 3 players were Miguel Cabrera. At that point he was a young talented kid with a drinking problem. The locks were Prince Fielder (46 homers, high OB, pedigree), Ryan Howard (48 homers, had a 58, ROY, MVP and WS champ) and Albert Pujols (had never hit less than 30 homers, 100 RBI or .300 in a season in his 9^th year). So we were wrong there.

Cards of the Week - 4/2/14

This week, we are going to take a trip down memory lane.  I want you to think back to the very first time you were introduced to MLB Showdown.  Where did you buy your first starter set?  First booster pack?  Who was your first foil card (other than Greg Maddux/David Cone/Darin Erstad/Vlad Guererro)?

For me, the first starter set I got was a 2000 set on clearance at Wal-Mart.  It was the winter of my freshman year of college (December, 2000).  I saw this game I knew nothing about, but it was a baseball game, it was on clearance, and I had Christmas money...so I bought it.  My brother bought a starter set as well, and we were immediately hooked.  The rest of that winter, I spent all of the money I had on booster packs, venturing into hobby stores (for the first time) all around central Minnesota looking for a great deal.  Sometimes, they were full price.  A few times, I found packs for $1.00.  But everywhere I went, that is all I looked for.  I think my first foil was either Derek Jeter or Bernie Williams.

The reason I bring this up is I want to talk about two catchers from that 2000 base set.  I know I got one of the two in that first starter set, and got the second shortly after.  These two catchers went on to, at present, be manager for the team that they played for on their 2000 base set card.  Can you name them?