MLB the Show July Monthly Awards Program – A new program has dropped and it is the monthly program reward for the month of July. In this program you will obtain nine new diamond cards, all 90+. The best part about this program is again, all you have to do is play the game to obtain these cards.
There is a set of moments that you can complete using all of the players in the program. After that, you can do the missions that are available. These missions are all able to be played against the computer which is great for the offline grinders. If you have kept up on all your topps now cards throughout the month, you can skip a few of the missions by doing the collection in the program.
While not all of these cards will go straight to your lineup, let’s discuss them and how what their real potential could be.
Program Cards
The first card you will obtain is the 92 overall closing pitcher Kendall Graveman. A closer with a five pitch mix will always be lethal, but a five pitch mix like his is almost elite. He throws sinker, cutter, changeup, slider, and four seam fastball. He has 125 H/9 and 101 K/9. The only real negative to this card is his sinker and fastball top out around 96. He has serious potential to make any bullpen, whether you are playing for fun, or in the competitive scene.
After Gausman we get our first starting pitcher of the program, 93 overall Frankie Montas. While Montas does have really good stuff IRL, it will be interesting to see how it translates in game. With only a four pitch mix, sinker, splitter, four seam, and slider there is some potential there. The real issue comes in his stats with only 93 H/9 and 85 K/9. This is one of those cards that you may give a spot start to in a ranked game, but do not expect greatness.
Our first batter of the program comes next, 94 overall third baseman Austin Riley. This card has what players would call reverse splits. Being a right handed batter, most guys would have higher hitting stats against lefty pitchers. In his scenario, he is a right handed hitter with better splits against righties. He has 104 contact and 120 power against righties with only 75 contact and 75 power against lefties. He does get 75 fielding and 75 reaction, so if played at third base he could get the job done. This card will be used when theme team tournaments come out, otherwise a potential bench bat in the competitive side.
After Riley we get 94 overall shortstop Kyle Farmer. This card has some serious potential with solid hitting and fielding stats. He has 111 contact and 71 power against righties with 125 contact and 105 power against lefties. His fielding stats read 88 fielding with 92 reaction. If the top of your lineup is stacked and you need a solid bottom of the order good defensive shortstop, Farmer is your guy.
The next card we get is the 95 overall second baseman Brandon Lowe. If you have used Lowe in battle royale you know his swing is great. This card also has semi reverse splits. He has 79 contact and 116 power against righties with 108 contact and 87 power against lefties. He also has 85 fielding with 88 reaction rating. If you are a fan of Lowe’s swing like myself, he has some serious potential to make your lineup.
After Lowe, we get our second starting pitcher with 96 overall Walker Buehler. With a five pitch mix of four seam, knuckle-curve, cutter, two seam, and slider, Buehler is as solid as they come. His fastballs will both go 95+ and he throws a very hard cutter at 93 mph. He has solid stamina, 102, and a good H/9 rating at 110. His K/9 are a little low at 85, but speed is everything in this game this season. The biggest negative to this card has nothing to do with the stats, but Buehler’s windup takes a long time, and people get impatient when using him.
We finally get our first outfielder next, 96 overall A.J. Pollock. This is another one of those players that has a really nice swing in game with better hitting statistics than his live series card. He has 122 contact and 82 power against righties, with 112 contact and 115 power against lefties. His fielding isn’t the best with only 80 fielding and 85 reaction, but a corner outfield spot will allow him to be successful.
Our last card before the lightning card of the month is 97 overall outfielder Harrison Bader. In all honesty this card seems like it should not be rated as high as he is. He is very fast with 95 speed, but only has 49 stealing. Defensively he is elite, with 95 fielding and 96 reaction. The hitting however is sub par, 125 contact and 91 power against righties, with only 72 contact and 65 power against lefties. Doubtful this card will be used by anyone except theme teams for tournaments.
The Lightning Card is the 99 overall first baseman Joey Votto. This card could be really good. He has 118 contact and 125 power against righties, with 103 contact and 92 power against lefties. He was even given 82 fielding for first base, which is more than enough. This card will compete very well with the likes of the signature series Ortiz and the all star game Guerrero Jr. for best first baseman in the game.
While this program is not the most exciting, if you are a grinder or just starting the game, there are a lot of potentially really nice cards for your lineup. There is not a lot to be excited about for the competitive guys, but a couple games with these guys in your lineup will not hurt anything.
Make sure to check in to esportsallstar.com for all your esports information, and check back soon for more MLB the Show information. Happy Grinding!
