With the MLB season on indefinite hiatus due to the coronavirus outbreak, there’s a lot of time for baseball fans to play video games.
MLB The Show 20 was released last week, and fans all over have been simulating games in place of being able to watch them live.
The Giants weren’t expected to be much of a contender in 2020, and the player ratings on the roster seem to reflect that.
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Former 2012 NL MVP Buster Posey checks in as the highest-rated Giants player, at just an 83 overall, placing him as the seventh-best catcher in the game. For comparison, the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers have eight players rated higher than the Giants’ longtime backstop.
Just behind Posey are starters Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija, each checking in at a 79.
After a strong rookie season, outfielder Mike Yastrzemski starts the year as a 78 overall, while Evan Longoria is a 76 entering another season at the hot corner.
These ratings shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to Giants fans, as the team has been struggling for several years now, last making the postseason in 2016.
San Francisco Giants
Despite a somewhat steep statistical regression a year ago, it's surprising to see shortstop Brandon Crawford bumped all the way down to a 71 overall in the game's latest installment. The two-time All-Star has spent most of his career in the mid-80s.
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It's hard to find a lot of overrated players on this team, but Johnny Cueto gets a decent vote of confidence from the MLB The Show staff with his 79 score, after a rough return (albeit it in a limited sample size) last season from Tommy John surgery.
See the entire 40-man roster's ratings in the video here (skip to around 29:30 for the Giants).
But it’s all a simulation after all, so have some fun with it. Make some bold trades, bring back some all-time legends, go crazy.
Hopefully, we’ll be bringing you live baseball again soon.