6th Inning XP Program Features 99 OVR Dustin Pedroia and Ken Singleton

We've made it to the 6th Inning XP Program.

The XP Path itself is very generous, with 99 OVR Max Clark at 22,500 XP. If you collect both 5th Inning Bosses (2026 All-Star Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani), you get a 30,000 XP jumpstart in the new program. I was able to do this and took Clark into my Legend-difficulty Mini Seasons, and happily report that this card is great. Having a top-flight outfielder so early in the program before you get anywhere near the Bosses makes this Inning a bit more exciting.

I've been using Awards Ronald Acuna Jr. in RF with a full P5 Diamond Mod build, and Max Clark is still better in just about every single way.

XP Path Reward Highlights

Max Clark is a stud while 99 OVR Finest Keith Foulke is a sorely needed card for collections. The pitch mix doesn't excite me for the upper levels of Ranked, but Foulke is attainable for anyone playing the new program and should help lock down the Finest collection voucher.

6th Inning Boss Card Reviews

I think this is a great Boss duo, with two very different cards to choose from.

My pick from this pack will be Awards Dustin Pedroia. I've never used a Pedroia card in Diamond Dynasty, and this Awards card is absolutely bonkers. Now that I'm consistently playing Ranked and mostly playing on Hall of Fame/Legend, cards like Pedroia become undeniable forces in the most competitive games. As more 99 OVR cards come out, offensive attributes at the upper levels will greatly value Vision and Clutch a bit more.

That isn't to say Ken Singleton wouldn't be a great option. He will be for many, as he's an elite switch-hitting corner outfielder with a cannon for an arm. There's no denying the switch-hitter meta, and cards like Singleton will be sought after for that reason alone. This is a fantastic card, and I'm passing because I have plenty of outfielders already. The Max Clark mentioned earlier will get some run, and if I don't like what I see, I'm just going back to Acuna.

Cornerstone Trammell

The 6th Inning Cornerstone honor goes to Alan Trammell of the Detroit Tigers. Trammell is one of my favorite "underrated" legends in the game, as I typically love his swing and his cards are extra-base hit machines. With Weekend Classic live this weekend, Trammell is the running to get some playing time as shortstop has been wide open for me the last month or so.

SDS making these Cornerstone cards so easy to get this year has been a huge win, and it increases the likelihood of the card being used when it's not some mundane grind just to unlock it.

July Spotlight Drop 3 Program Breakdown

July Spotlight Week 3 content landed today as well. Program cards being 99 OVR from here on out should yield interesting results each week.

The featured program players this week are:

• Kazuma Okamoto, 3B TOR (99 OVR Spotlight)
• Wilyer Abreu, RF BOS (97 OVR Topps Now)
• Zach Thornton, SP NYM (97 OVR Topps Now)

Kazuma Okamoto gets a very Pete Alonso-esque card, though Kazuma is better in the field, so perhaps it's Alonso that is Okamoto-lite?

July Spotlight Pack Week 3 Breakdown

The featured pack players this week are:

• Gavin Williams, SP CLE (99 OVR Spotlight)
• Esteury Ruiz, RF MIA (99 OVR Spotlight)
• Heliot Ramos, LF SF (97 OVR Topps Now)
• Eduardo Valencia, C DET (97 OVR Topps Now)
• Petey Halpin, CF CLE (97 OVR Topps Now)

July Lightning Collection Reward Bonus 99 OVR Milestone Salvador Perez

You can unlock a free 99 OVR Milestone Salvador Perez by collecting the three featured July Spotlight Program rewards that have been released so far. The previously mentioned Okamoto can be collected alongside Esmerlyn Valdez and Brayan Rocchio to add a free 99 OVR catcher to your binder.

Salvy is an absolute unit and will hit tank after tank if you put him in your lineup. He has an amazingly sweet swing and just seems to launch anything he makes contact with when I use his cards. The flip side is that he's terrible defensively behind the plate, and isn't really much better of an option at his secondary first base. I think he's a great right-handed DH or platoon option if you're into that sort of thing. He's definitely worth some play time if you've never given him a chance before, even if just for some added variety to your lineup.

Chase Pack 20 Featuring 99 OVR Finest Billy Wagner (Philadelphia Phillies)

They didn't do the meme!

Instead of a switch-hitter, we get an epic lefty from hell in Billy Wagner.

Wagner is a Diamond Dynasty stalwart, as he's simply one of the most dominant left-handed pitchers in Major League Baseball history. That translates pretty well to Diamond Dynasty, as Wagner's legendary Outlier 4-seam fastball and paralyzing slider combo is accompanied by inner-circle elite attributes in the major categories.

Having said that, I sell this card the second I pull it 100% of the time. The five-pitch mix is attractive in theory, but the usage rates determine PAR size this year. That means the changeup, curveball, and sinker will be dangerous pitches in high-leverage situations. Wagner should absolutely dominate on All-Star difficulty, but the exorbitant cost of Chase cards makes this an instant sell for me.

Weekend Classic 5 Rundown

If you're interested in the more competitive side of Diamond Dynasty, check out my Weekend Classic 5 Primer and Guide where I cover the team I'm taking into Weekend Classic, what I expect from the meta, and more!

What are you most excited about with the 6th Inning Program content launch? Let us know in the comments!