On the 25th anniversary of Mike Piazza's mammoth home run that healed New York City, MLB The Show 26 unveils the Subway Series program.
Celebrating the Big Apple's epic rivalry between the Mets and Yankees, the Subway Series program showcases the stellar 2001 Topps card design featuring four major names from the Mets-Yankees saga.
Subway Series Program Breakdown
The program itself is pretty straightforward. I'll be taking the scenic route and loading up a team of Mets and Yankees to grind their respective missions on the new Subway Conquest map. Completing the map will pay out another Vault pack, which feels like my best shot at pulling Live Series Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani at this point.
Subway Conquest Map
The cards featured in this program are:
- Mike Piazza, C NYM (99 OVR Subway)
- Derek Jeter, SS NYY (99 OVR Subway)
- Mike Mussina, SP NYY (99 OVR Subway)
- John Franco, RP NYM (99 OVR Subway)
I want to love this Mussina card, as Mike Mussina is one of my favorite pitchers. However, sub-100 Clutch on a 99 OVR is a non-starter for me, and that's before we get to the soft pitch mix. Mussina will sit mid-90s on his sinker and 4-seamer, but the lack of a slider or slurve on top of the mediocre velocity makes Moose a liability online. If you really spec out the card with full Diamond Mods at Parallel 5, you might convince me to give him a shot - but I don't want to put the work in to get to that point.
John Franco feels like a staple bullpen arm every single year. The crafty lefty features his trademark screwball, along with a solid repertoire that features above-average control and break. The ABS strike zone feels like a major value enhancer for Franco this year.
Mike Piazza gets a juicy card, with massive offensive attributes backed up by average defense. Piazza is a powerhouse that lands in the top-5 Meta Overall catcher conversation, and would also be an incredible DH. There are plenty of defensively talented catchers that can hit, so Piazza blasting moonshots as the DH isn't a bad backup.
Last up is The Captain, Derek Jeter. It's hard to be mad at a free 99 OVR Derek Jeter, and the card is a stellar option at the shortstop position. Jeter's offensive attributes are what you'd expect, with elite Contact/Vision/Clutch and respectable Power for a shortstop. Defensively, Jeter is one of the most talked-about shortstops of all-time. Advanced metrics paint a very different picture than narrative history, and this Jeter gets a Gold Shield out of the box. You can P5 Jeter and get the Diamond Shield, which supports the strong arm and solid 80+ Speed/Stealing.
I've been basically building a squad full of childhood stars, so Jeter taking over the shortstop position rounds the team out pretty well now.
Chase Pack 26 Featuring 99 OVR Subway Series C Jorge Posada (New York Yankees)
They did the meme!
The least surprising Chase card of the year. Jorge Posada was always destined to be an expensive collection or pack card, as Posada is almost always one of the most sought-after catchers in Diamond Dynasty. All the familiar reasons; nothing to really harp on much. Posada has great offensive attributes, one of the best swings in the game, switch-hitting talents, the ability to play 1B, and a genuine baseball name.
What more could you want? Aside from a chance to actually use the card.
Jose Altuve Milestone Program Breakdown
The latest Milestone program celebrates Jose Altuve's 2,500th career hit. Altuve is a curious case, as all signs point to his career being Hall of Fame worthy. The Astros cheating scandal has tarnished many from the organization, so watching Altuve's career wind down will be a test case in forgiveness.
I don't know if Altuve cheated, but this Milestone card's offensive attributes certainly look like a cheat code. Max Contact against both sides, and max Clutch after reaching P5 with 85+ Power against both sides make Altuve an offensive threat at 2B. The Fielding isn't very strong, and Altuve notoriously has a weak arm. This is relevant at 2B and Altuve's lone secondary in LF. Mostly just a stellar addition to the Astros' theme teams, but Altuve has an amazing swing as well and will perform if given the opportunity.
September Spotlight Program 1 Breakdown
The cards featured in this week's program are:
- Teoscar Hernandez, LF LAD (99 OVR Spotlight)
- Lazaro Montes, RF SEA (97 OVR Topps Now)
- Luis Campusano, C SD (97 OVR Topps Now)
I love Teoscar Hernandez cards, so a shout-out is well earned after I've had a ton of success hitting with him over the years. This is just another outfielder overall, but Teoscar's swing rules and these offensive attributes are pretty tasty.
September Spotlight Pack 1 Breakdown
The cards featured in this week's pack are:
- Bryan Woo, SP SEA (99 OVR Spotlight)
- Thomas Saggese, SS STL (99 OVR Spotlight)
- Nick Morabito, LF NYM (97 OVR Topps Now)
- Yohandy Morales, 1B WSH (97 OVR Topps Now)
- Cooper Hjerpe, RP STL (97 OVR Topps Now)
There's your content for this Friday in Diamond Dynasty. What stands out the most in this drop? Let us know in the comments!
