Pittsburgh Pirates: MLB The Show 17′ Player Ratings

Editorial: As many baseball fans know, Sony’s MLB The Show ’17 has hit the shelves.  The top baseball video game came out yesterday (3/28).  With the official release and no roster updates made, how do the Pittsburgh Pirates players rank?

This article will mainly look at the Pittsburgh Pirates who are in the game, what they are ranked, and if the rankings are fair.  Last year, the top-rated Pittsburgh Pirates were Andrew McCutchen at 94 overall, Gerrit Cole at 89 overall, and Starling Marte as an 86 overall.  After those three there was quite the drop off in ratings. At the time, it seemed a little harsh, but as it turned out these guys really do know what they are doing.  The Pittsburgh Pirates were not that good last year, as the game suggested.

Disclaimer: Yes it is only a game, but this is considered by far the best Baseball Game on the market, and there is a reason why.  The people who develop it study baseball and put thought and analysis into their rankings.  Plus, it is fun to look at!

Lineup:

Josh Bell: 65 overall

Andrew McCutchen: 85 overall

David Freese: 71 overall

Starling Marte: 87 overall

Gregory Polanco: 83 overall

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Francisco Cervelli: 78 overall

Josh Harrison: 81 overall

Jordy Mercer: 71 overall

Other:

Jung Ho Kang: 79 overall

Adam Frazier: 65 overall

Chris Stewart: 71 overall

John Jaso: 73 overall

Phil Gosselin: 72 overall

Alen Hanson: 70 overall

Pitchers:

Gerrit Cole: 89 overall

Ivan Nova: 77 overall

Jameson Taillon: 75 overall

Drew Hutchison: 74 overall

Tyler Glasnow: 72 overall

Chad Kuhl: 71 overall

Bullpen:

Felipe Rivero: 79 overall

Tony Watson: 83 overall

Antonio Bastardo: 77 overall

Juan Nicasio: 74 overall

Daniel Hudson: 73 overall

Wade LeBlanc: 73 overall

Jared Hughes: 69 overall

Other:

AJ Schugel: 79 overall

Pat Light: 57 overall

Jacob Stallings: 63 overall

Jason Rogers: 67 overall

Prospects:

Elias Diaz: 61 overall; C Potential

Steven Brault: 59 overall; B Potential

Trevor Williams: 58 overall; B Potential

Max Moroff: 66 overall; B Potential

Keep in mind that these are the raw rankings without any updates applied.  The first player of note is Andrew McCutchen.  Although he struggled last year, McCutchen still receives a solid overall ranking.  This is mainly because of his history, and that many expect him to have a better season.  Starling Marte ranks as the best positional player on the team, as he should.

On the pitching side of things, there are two specific rankings that seem odd.  First, AJ Schugel ranking 79 overall, and he is actually listed as a starter in the game.  This ranking actually makes him the second best starter for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The second note is Jameson Taillon’s poor rating. He was nothing but impressive last season, and comes in as the number two pitcher this season, but receives a rating making him the fourth best starter on the team.  Even behind a guy like Drew Hutchison, who was demoted today.

Next: Pirates Make Four Cuts

All in all, I thought the ratings were pretty fair.  Josh Bell’s ranking is a little low, but he also has a very small sample from the previous year.  In games like this, there tend to be inconsistent ratings for younger players.  Still, it is fun to look at and see how people outside of the fanbase judge the Pittsburgh Pirates players.

What do you think of the rankings? Is there a lack of respect in MLB the Show? Or did they do an okay job? Comment below!