MLB The Show 23: Diamond Duos 31 and Chase Pack Set 6 Available Now

Today’s content drop ended up being quite eventful. There’s a bunch of new cards in Diamond Dynasty from various sources, including the traditional Diamond Duos release. Set 31 is here and features Barry Larkin and Zack Wheeler.

MLB The Show 23 Diamond Duos 31

SP Kaiju Zack Wheeler (Philadelphia Phillies)

Meta Overall rating: 95.80 – 18th best SP

First up in this pack is Zack Wheeler. Getting a 99 overall Kaiju card, Wheeler feels pretty “meh” and isn’t the most exciting SP available. In fact, his 18th overall SP Meta Overall rank is actually higher than I would have guessed and technically he’d rate out as the 14th best SP in the current rotation format. Wheeler has great stuff in real life, but unfortunately it doesn’t translate to The Show very well most of the time.

Wheeler features 104 H/9, 107 K/9 and 108 BB/9 which are all solid enough. He also features 109 Clutch which isn’t too much higher than his standard H/9, but still a higher attribute nonetheless. Where Wheeler ends up less impressive is the pitch-mix. Wheeler is known for his elite velocity and his 4-Seamer sits 96+ MPH and features 91 Control. Wheeler’s Slider comes in at 91+MPH with 91 Control and 93 Break and should be a plus pitch. Hard Sliders often end up being pretty good pitches when used correctly in Diamond Dynasty, especially when combined with a Slurve and Sinker. On that note, Wheeler’s Sinker sits 95+MPH with 87 Control and 88 Break, the Slurve sits around 85+ MPH with 84 Control and 87 Break and Wheeler’s worst pitch is a Curveball at 81+ MPH with 76 Control and 78 Break.

I think this card has unique enough speed differentials that you can get some solid starts out of him. The Sinker/Slider/Slurve combination should prove an effective trio. With the Sinker breaking arm-side and the Slider being 6 MPH faster than the Slurve and breaking glove-side, there’s definitely some potential with this Wheeler card. Combined with a somewhat funky delivery, you could do a lot worse than Kaiju Zack Wheeler although ultimately you could do better as well.

SS Retro All-Star Game Barry Larkin (Cincinnati Reds)

Meta Overall rating: 106.83 – 6th best SS, 33rd best overall card

Year after year, Barry Larkin often feels underrated when he ends up getting his 99 overalls. There’s definitely a contingent amongst the DD faithful that swear by the card, though I feel like that’s true for almost every player. Still, Larkin is often lost in the shuffle despite possessing fantastic cards. This 99 overall Retro All-Star Game card is no different.

109 CON L, 108 CON R, 116 PWR L and 103 PWR R all look good on a SS. It almost feels a bit boring talking about these balanced attributes anymore. With the Sets and Seasons dynamic all year, we’re seeing a lot more balanced cards than ever before. There’s less feeling of power creep and just a bunch of very good, balanced and usable cards to choose from. To me, this is a great thing and has kept DD fresh all year. But it also compounds the issue with Larkin in that – these attributes aren’t really all that unique. However, if you’re a Larkin or Reds fan or perhaps even a budget DD player, then a card like this is perfect for your squad.

Not just a steady bat, Larkin also features 92 Fielding with 85 Arm Strength, 88 Accuracy and 89 Reaction which will make him one of the better defenders at SS. Combined with his stock 90 Speed, Larkin should be getting to plenty of balls in the hole and helping you prevent baserunners over the long haul. He also features 85 Stealing which makes him a dangerous enough asset on the bases if you choose to run on your opponent.

All said and done, Diamond Duos packs this year have been a steady dose of good cards with the occasional greatness. With these releases being cheaper than prior year’s Headliners, it’s been a good way for players to upgrade their squads without spending a ton of money or Stubs. Wheeler and Larkin fit this description perfectly.

MLB The Show 23 Chase Pack Set 6

While the Diamond Duos packs are standalone and refresh every couple days, the Chase Packs are much rarer and have been delivering arguably the best cards in the game all year. In fact, including this Awards DeGrom, the top 4 cards in the game all came from Chase Packs. In total, 5 of the top 25 cards in the game all year were Chase Pack cards and the exception – World Baseball Classic Shohei Ohtani – would still be a welcomed addition to any squad. So…how good is this Jacob DeGrom card?

SP Awards Jacob DeGrom (New York Mets)

Meta Overall rating: 111.13 – #1 SP, 12th best overall card

Literally the best SP in the game. It’s also the best DeGrom card we’ve ever seen.

If you’ve been playing Diamond Dynasty the last couple years, then you probably remember when the 2021 All-Star Game Jacob DeGrom was dropped. That DeGrom became a living nightmare for many Ranked players as he was a free card that everyone could have in their rotation – and everyone did. The recent John Donaldson invasion in Ranked is somewhat comparable to the Era of DeGrom back in MLB The Show 21…and this version is better.

The 2022 Finest version gives this Awards version a run for best DeGrom, but ultimately Awards DeGrom has better Control on all five pitches that I think the difference in attributes is negligible. Also, don’t be fooled by the screen full of Quirks on the 2022 Finest version – most of them are Passive Quirks which no longer exist.

You can see the face-value attributes for yourself here.

116 H/9, 109 K/9, 111 BB/9 and 125 Clutch. Elite on paper alone, but add in DeGrom’s Outlier 4-Seamer with 99 Control and the rest of his explosive arsenal and you get the best SP in the game. Unless this DeGrom ends up with an altered windup for some reason, then this card should be even more deadly than you remember.

A huge difference with this card is the addition of the Sinker. Traditionally, DeGrom has always been given a 2-Seam Fastball in his mix. The pitch had its use from time to time, but we know that Sinkers are generally the best pitch in the game. So not only did DeGrom’s 2-Seamer evolve into a Sinker, but the attributes on the pitch are significantly better than before. It sits at 95+ MPH which is a bit slower than the 2-Seamer and provides more separation in speeds. The pitch also has 92 Control and 83 Break which are much better than the 2-Seamer ever had. Even the Curveball, DeGrom’s worst pitch on this card, has 88 Control and 80 Break.

tl;dr – this card is absolutely bonkers.

If you pull this card and play Ranked regularly, you’re going to be getting instant quits left and right. That happens already with certain pitchers but DeGrom will be automatic wins against a lot of people who don’t want their Friday nights ruined. DeGrom will also be an automatic win in the sense that he’ll be incredibly tough to hit, even for really good hitters, and you’ll at least give yourself a chance to score runs yourself before your opponent starts to adjust. Even then; good luck, as DeGrom features 121 Stamina and won’t struggle to pitch all 9 innings at all.

What are your thoughts on these cards? Will Larkin or Wheeler join your squad? Is this Jacob DeGrom the best SP we’ll ever see? Are you dropping Stubs to get DeGrom or ripping bundles to try and pull him?

Let us know in the comments below!