This is the first year MLB The Show has used Legends in their game and is also one of the biggest attractions to playing Diamond Dynasty. This was also one of the main reasons that SDS decided to stick with real MLB players and legends rather than going back to the Diamond Dynasty fictional players. It is a win/win situation for SDS, but how do these legends fare on the Diamond and are they worth obtaining? In this 6 part guide I will discuss the Legend’s ratings, how they play on the field, and how much it is going to cost you to acquire them.
In Part 1 we are going to start with the NL West. Be aware that there are two methods to get legends. The first one is through collections and the second one is the random draw of your packs. Each team has a collection of cards and if collected then you will acquire their Legendary player! Keep in mind that you do not need to acquire every single player for that team! You only need to obtain the players to the right of the legend! This means any card that is rated higher than the legend will not be necessary to complete the collection!
Also, SDS is updating the players’ ratings weekly and this includes transactions. So players such as, Craig Kimbrel, will now be in their new teams’ collection. This may be something that can drastically affect collections later on, so make sure you take advantage of the budget collections!
Let’s get started with the reviews! Remember I am judging the Legend’s value, so this is a combination of what it costs to obtain them to how they actually perform on the field!
NL West
Arizona Diamondbacks: CF Steve Finley
Economics A: You don’t need Goldschmidt to complete this collection and it can be completed in under 5,000 stubs if you are patient. Compared to other similar center fielders, 5k is a bargain. Finley is also available on the market, albeit overpriced. I highly recommend just going for the D-back’s collection.
Performance C+: Finley has two key advantages over most budget center fielders. One he is left handed and two he has plus power. There are not many power hitting outfielders with plus defense and speed. You may want to have a good back up outfielder to platoon with Finley, but keep in mind that you will be facing mainly right handed pitching! I recommend Kemp, Ozuna, or Gentry to platoon with Finley. All three can be obtained for under 5k and Gentry is usually under 1k.
Overall B+: Finley is one of the lowest rated legends and some may argue if he really is a “legend”. However, this is one of the few “budget” legends I recommend getting if you are limited on stubs and need a solid center fielder. He has plus power and bats from the left side. His downfall is that he only has 70 speed with an average arm, but I highly recommend going for Finley if you are on a budget and you like to play in small ball parks like Yankee Stadium, Franco Park, or Great American Ballpark.
Colorado Rockies: RF Dante Bichette
Economics A: Similar to Finley, Bichette is also a “budget” legendary player. He can be obtained for even less than Finley for around 3-4k. You don’t have to worry about Tulo or Cargo to complete the collection and the Rockies do not even have that many silver players. The reason I don’t give this grade an A+, however, is the fact Bichette is not really a starting right fielder for most DD teams. His defense is average and his attributes vs right handed pitching is only above average. Bichette will be overpriced on the market, so I recommend just going for the Rockies’ collection.
Performance C+: Bichette hits lefties quite well and is an above average hitter vs righties too. He is comparable to a Matt Kemp or Justin Upton, and can probably be obtained much easier than both of those cards. His defense is in the 60’s, including his speed and arm strength. I don’t recommend playing him in RF, unless you are in a small park and do not have a better option. He has hit, as expected, for me. No huge surprises, good or bad.
Overall B: Bichette, again, is really not considered a legend to most and this is a reason a lot of people ignore the Rockies’ collection. This is also another reason why this collection is so cheap. Bichette makes a great platoon corner outfielder and should be in your lineup vs lefties. I recommend using a smaller ball park if you want to start him in RF or LF. Again, this is a collection I highly recommend if you are on a budget with your stubs!
Los Angeles Dodgers: SP Orel Hershiser
Economics D: This is going to be one of the most expensive collections out there. You don’t need Kershaw, but you need Puig, Jansen, Greinke, Ryu, Gonzalez, Rollins, and Kendrick. This collection will cost up to 40k in stubs and Hershiser cost about the same on the market. You may have better luck bidding on the market.
Performance C+: Hershiser has 60-70 per nine attributes with 5 quality pitches. He does not have overpowering velocity or break, however. His lack of a slider is also a letdown, especially when facing righties.
Overall C-: Unless you are just a huge Dodger’s fan then I don’t recommend this legend. He may be a novelty pitcher to have in your rotation, but I do not think he is worth the stubs. You can get Lester, Hamels, Lee, Greinke, Sale, Kluber, and Wainwright for all under 20k and they are just as effective. In fact, Hershiser is very similar to Greinke on this game and is much cheaper.
San Francisco Giants: 1B Will Clark
Economics B: Clark is one of many solid hitting first basemen in this game and is arguably one of the cheapest to obtain. You don’t need Posey or Bumgarner for this collection, but you will need Pence. Overall, this collection can be completed for 10-15k and it will also get you a solid right fielder plus a good bullpen. Clark costs on the market. I recommend just going for the collection to obtain him.
Performance B+: Clark and McGriff are two of the legend first basemen that bat left handed and that is always one huge advantage. What separates Clark from most of the other first basemen is that he throws left handed (which is a huge advantage for turning double plays) and is an excellent defensive first basemen. He has great contact with good power vs righties, as well.
Overall B: There are a lot of good hitting “budget” first basemen out there including: Lind, Morneau, Mauer, Duda, Adams, Belt, etc. Clark is just simply better than all of these left handed hitting first basemen, but he will cost you a bit more. However, he costs much less than the premier first basemen like Cabrera and Goldschmidt. He really is one the few “middle class” first basemen out there, along with McGriff. It really is a preference for who you want at first base, since there are so many options! Regardless if you choose to go with Clark or not, I recommend having a right handed bat on the bench that can start and play vs left handed pitching.
San Diego Padres: RF Dave Winfield
Economics B: You won’t need the newly acquired Kimbrel to complete the Padres collection, which would have been a huge disappointment since both Kimbrel and Winfield have the same overall rating. However, you will need Upton, Kemp, Cashner, and Shields. This collection will cost anywhere from 20-25k and Winfield is overpriced upwards to 50k on the market, so just go with the collection.
Performance A: Winfield is your prototypical right handed right fielder. He has the strongest arm among all outfielders, 99 to be exact, with great defense and amazing hitting vs lefties. His one downfall can be his hitting vs right handed pitching, but his defense makes up for it. His hitting is not bad vs right handed pitching, but you may want to consider going an alternative route if you cannot hit well righty on righty. I’d compare him to a player like Puig, but he has more power and better overall defense.
Overall A-: Winfield and Dawson are two very similar legends and I give Winfield the edge due to how much cheaper he is to obtain and the fact his defense is a bit better. Kaline and Kiner are a bit better, offensively, but cost much more to obtain via market and collections and again their defense is not up to par with Winfield’s defense. If you want to get one Right Fielder in Diamond Dynasty while not spending 50k+ stubs then go for Winfield. Obtaining a 95+ overall for 20k is a steal and you won’t be disappointed with Winfield’s overall play. This is one collection I recommend doing, regardless if you are on a budget or if you are willing to empty your wallet.
We hope you enjoyed our review; if so please like, share and comment. Make sure you stay tuned in to Sports Gamers Online for our next MLB 15 The Show Diamond Dynasty Legends Review on the NL Central!