MLB The Show 25: 3rd Inning Cornerstone Evolution Breakdown

The newest round of Cornerstone Evolution cards lands with the 3rd Inning Program and features Ralph Kiner, Justin Turner, and Jim Palmer.

Cornerstone Evolution works the same as it has, and each player can unlock all three Cornerstone cards by the time 135,000 XP is reached in the 3rd Inning Program. Within each respective Cornerstone Program, up to three Show packs and 10,000 XP can also be earned in addition to the ultimate Diamond Cornerstone cards.

A notable change is the addition of a Rewind round to the Cornerstone packs, allowing players that may have missed previous Inning Programs a chance to unlock those cards. This is a huge change for those wanting to work on the Scott Rolen Collection.

Cornerstone LF Ralph Kiner (Pittsburgh Pirates) - #7 LF True Overall

Ralph Kiner of the Pirates echoes the previous inning's J.D. Martinez as a LF that mashes and not much else. While the offensive attributes aren't quite as strong as J.D., Kiner does play a much better LF with 72 Fielding and 70 Reaction. These are passable enough attributes, but the 46 Speed also means you're going to watch a fair number of hits drop in front of ole Ralph.

SDS emphasized that the Cornerstone cards are meant to truly represent cornerstone players of each franchise, which I'll admit I didn't even pick up on until they said it. With that context in mind, the Cornerstone series almost acts as a year-long-power-creep Team Affinity style along with the actual T.A. drops. Mind you, it doesn't mean the Cornerstone cards will have a perfect balance with all teams being represented, but it does provide a way to highlight players that might not be used as much in Diamond Dynasty.

Cornerstone 3B Justin Turner (Los Angeles Dodgers) - #7 3B True Overall

Justin Turner provides a new option at the hot corner and follows the theme of the day - lefty killer. Turner has 125 Contact and 100 Power against LHP, with 92 Contact helping him stay in there against righties. A solid enough Fielder with 76 Fielding and 73 Reaction, Turner at least makes the conversation for potential 3B.

There's plenty of us out there that don't have Scott Rolen and won't get him anytime soon, so having a rotating option of cards like this to experiment with is always good. I haven't quite gelled with Turner's swing in previous versions, but at least on paper this card looks like it can crack my squad.

Cornerstone SP Jim Palmer (Baltimore Orioles) - #7 SP True Overall

I'm not sure if SDS utilizes True Overall in their attribute creation(feel free to shout us out!), but the fact that these new Cornerstone cards all debut at #7 at their respective positions is quite the cosmic wink. I'll happily claim the abundance from the Triple-7s.

Anyway, Palmer is easily the Cornerstone card I'm most excited for and the one I'll unlock first. I've long been a fan of Palmer in Diamond Dynasty, and I consider him to be a rather overlooked and underappreciated SP.

Having said that, I'm cognizant that this is a 90 overall card and not the best version of him we'll see. Still, the pitch mix is there with his trademark 12-6 Curveball at a ridiculous 72 MPH with 99 Break. Pitches move more this year, so perhaps Palmer will play up a tier or two? Only time will tell, but his 4-Seamer will sit mid-to-high 90's and you'll be able to toy with hitters from the mix of off-speed pitches with varied speeds.

Which of the Cornerstone Evolution cards are you taking first? Let us know in the comments!