On the same day the beloved Shark Map launches in Diamond Dynasty, we’re also treated to the usual Diamond Duos pack drop. Mark Mulder and Alex Gordon get their first 99 overalls of the year.

*Clicking on the player’s name underneath the card art takes you directly to the card’s full attribute and feature breakdown on ShowZone.*

MLB The Show 23 Diamond Duos 29

SP Retro Finest Mark Mulder (Oakland Athletics)

Meta Overall rating: 95.52 – 31st best SP

The only member of the fabled Oakland Big Three currently in Diamond Dynasty, Mark Mulder finally gets a 99 overall after debuting earlier in the year with a 94 overall. The big lefty features a five-pitch-mix with a couple meta staples, but ultimately his arsenal isn’t much to write home about. Mulder doesn’t throw particularly hard with the Sinker coming in at 94+ MPH and has no 4-Seamer to boot. The Cutter is Mulder’s fifth pitch, featuring pedestrian 83 Control and 91 Break. The best off-speed pitch is the Curveball that’s a slow one – 77 MPH with solid Break and Control. Finally, Mulder features a Splitter and Slider that are both pretty run-of-the-mill ratings wise.

Ultimately, Retro Finest Mark Mulder doesn’t have much going for him. The big speed differential between the Sinker and Curveball doesn’t mean much since Curveballs are so underwhelming in-game. The lack of a true Changeup is mitigated a bit with the Splitter but the Slider and Cutter are close enough speed wise that simply makes this card underwhelming all the way around.

With H/9 at 105, K/9 at 107, BB/9 at 106 and Clutch at 101, Mulder has decent enough face value attributes but unfortunately the pitch-mix lets him down. Meta Overall agrees with Mulder just missing the Top-30 SP in Diamond Dynasty.

LF Awards Alex Gordon (Kansas City Royals)

Meta Overall rating: 105.36; 1B: 106.50, 3B: 107, CF: 103.83, RF: 104.96

Sometimes, recent retirees making their way into the game as new legends feels a bit boring. Alex Gordon last played during the shortened 2020 season which means he was an active player featured in Diamond Dynasty. However, this Awards Alex Gordon is surprisingly beefed up compared to what I expected. Gordon has 114 CON L, 119 CON R, 101 PWR L and 99 PWR R along with 116 Clutch. Gordon was a relatively average hitter during his career, posting up a final career OPS+ of 102 so maybe a fairly balanced attribute spread like this shouldn’t be surprising. Still, I think this is a big win for budget players or Royals theme teamers as Gordon is a solid enough bat.

Predominantly known for his outstanding defense, this Awards Alex Gordon is naturally from one of his Gold Glove seasons. If the offensive attributes were a pleasant surprise, the defensive attributes are pretty much as expected. Stock 97 Fielding, 94 Arm Strength, 92 Arm Accuracy and 92 Reaction to go along with 78 Speed means Gordon will snuff out a lot of would-be hits in the outfield. It would be nice if the Speed was a bit higher, but the 92 Reaction should offset the lack of elite Speed and allow Gordon to shine. If you’re a pro with the throw meter, you’ll be shooting down aggressive baserunners quite a bit as well.

Awards Alex Gordon is around the 25th best overall card at his featured positions. Of note, Gordon actually ranks higher in Meta Overall at the corner infield positions. His stellar defense won’t matter as much there, but it does make him a little more versatile than many other cards.

Are you adding either of these new legends to your squad? Let us know in the comments!