How To Complete the Retro Lightning Collection in MLB The Show 25

As the year of MLB The Show 25 content kicked off, the Spotlight Programs revealed early on that we'd get a Retro Lightning player at the end of each month. This card series debuted a few years ago, and features retro versions of monster months put up by legends and current players alike.

The Spotlight Packs have had collections tied to them all year, allowing collectors to make quicker progress if they purchased all the pack cards in each drop. That collection not only fed into the Scott Rolen Collection, but also formed the foundation of the Retro Lightning Collection. It was clear this card would require a substantial Stub investment, but is it worth it?

Spotlight Retro Lightning C Carlos Santana (Cleveland Guardians)

If you're going to lock a juicy card behind a hefty Stub-wall, it should look like this.

Santana brings switch-hitting ability to a card featuring max Contact against LHP with 105 Power and 99 Contact against RHP with 81 Power. His 116 Clutch makes him a perfect middle of the order powerhouse, topped off with his smooth swing from both sides. His Fielding is pretty much 70's across the board, making him a serviceable if unspectacular backstop.

But you don't use Carlos Santana for the defense. Santana is one of those Diamond Dynasty Darlings that simply crushes everything, and has rightfully earned a place at the top of the current card pool.

Retro Lightning Carlos Santana debuts as the #1 overall Catcher according to True Overall, and the #2 1B which isn't too shabby for a secondary position.

How To Unlock Retro Lightning Carlos Santana

To collect Carlos Santana, you must collect all April Spotlight pack cards.

Note: This specifically means the Spotlight series cards in the Spotlight packs. You can also pull Topps Now cards in these packs, which DO NOT apply to this collection.

April Spotlight Drop 5 Player Cards (13 Total):

• Andres Muñoz
• O'Neil Cruz
• Noelvi Marte
• Matthew Liberatore
• Pavin Smith
• Taylor Ward
• Hunter Greene
• Cal Raleigh
• Tyler Mahle
• Tommy Edman
• Nick Pivetta
• Tyler Soderstrom
• Kris Bubic

Sub-Collection

Along the way to Santana, you also earn a 91 overall Eugenio Suarez by collecting 10 cards. This card can be utilized toward the Scott Rolen Collection, but WILL NOT apply to the Retro Lightning Collection toward Santana. Remember: only the pack cards apply to this collection.

Collection Tracker

Now that we know the cards required for the collection, let's take a look at Collection Tracker to see what the current value of Retro Lightning Santana rings in at:

At a cost close to 600,000 Stubs, Santana outpaces pretty much every card in the game outside of the big Live Series collections. A switch-hitting Catcher like Santana is a huge addition to any squad, but a 92 overall card costing this much is actually a little crazy.

If you're willing to pay the cost, navigate the marketplace to buy and collect the above cards and you'll have the (current) best Catcher in the game.

Don't forget that a ShowZone Pro membership grants access to Collection Tracker (and much more) and can help you manage your collections and Stubs more efficiently. Be prepared for all the big collections to come by having a clean, organized overview of your collection and any remaining progress you need to make.