MLB The Show 25: Pipeline Past Program and Pack Breakdown

A brand-new card series has arrived in MLB The Show 25 named Pipeline Past. This exciting flashback series features current MLB stars in their early prospect form, spotlighting their days as rising talents through the lens of MLB's Pipeline ratings. These are brand-new, never seen versions of these players which brings a gigantic coat of fresh paint to the card pool.

Nuts and Bolts

In a fun twist, the live stream reveal of the Pipeline Past program was styled like a retro gameshow. A randomizer bounced around the screen, prompting trivia clues before revealing each new card — a playful and nostalgic presentation fitting for a flashback theme. It was an enjoyable watch and I think it's worth pointing out that the livestream presentation quality this year has been phenomenal. Kudos to everyone at SDS making the streams happen.

Even more exciting, code redemption has made its return. Starting at 3 PM EST, players can head over to codes.theshow.com to redeem the following codes:

• “P1PELINEPAST” – Redeem for a free Deluxe Pipeline Past pack
• “HEADL1NER” – Redeem for a random Headliner pack
• “5XSHOW” – Redeem for five free Show packs

It's important to note that the code redemption was a bit wonky as SDS' servers were almost certainly overloaded. As of publication, the "5XSHOW" code provided by SDS wasn't working but "5XPACKS" worked for some reason. If you're having trouble redeeming, keep refreshing and trying again to ensure you get your freebies.

Pipeline Past Program Overview

The Pipeline Past Program requires 100 total stars to complete. There’s a wide variety of ways to earn stars, including:

• Moments
• PXP Missions
• Program card missions
• Stat-based grinds

This flexibility allows players to progress their way without being locked into one specific path. As more programs feature this flexibility, it really does make the overall grind more enjoyable than constantly doing the same stuff over and over again.

Program Rewards

Completing the Pipeline Past Program yields the following rewards:

• 35,000 XP
• 6 Show Packs
• 250 Stubs
• 1 Deluxe Pipeline Past Pack
• 6 total Pipeline Past Cards including 92 overall Joey Gallo

Gallo is a beloved Diamond Dynasty darling, and this Pipeline Past version certainly does him justice. Gallo has an amazing swing, and the 115/125 Power splits are otherworldly. While the Fielding isn't as strong as it could be, it doesn't really matter with this card being a primary 3B.

The refreshed Meta Overall system loves Gallo, ranking him as the #4 overall option at each of his eligible positions.

The rest of the cards have varying degrees of interesting qualities. Gerrit Cole never really profiles well in MLB The Show despite being one of the best pitchers on the planet. This version does carry a Sinker and solid pitch mix to go along with solid enough attributes.

But we all know the program cards pale in comparison to the pack cards. At least Gallo is a worthy final reward for completing the program.

Completing the Program

Special missions for current MLB stars not featured in the core program can be completed for 4 stars each. These missions can be completed with any version of the following players:

• Adley Rutschman
• Bobby Witt Jr.
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
• Kris Bryant
• Yoan Moncada
• Corey Seager

Optional Collections

There are also two optional collections for major star boosts:

• Collect all five 90 OVR Pipeline Past cards: +30 stars
• Collect all four 92 OVR Pipeline Past cards: +70 stars

This follows the typical program build and if you're looking to complete the Pipeline Past collection for Corey Seager, you're getting this program done without breaking a sweat along the way.

Pipeline Past Showdown

A new Pipeline Past Showdown features Lucas Giolito as the final boss. Completing the Showdown rewards:

• 20 stars
• Grants a Pipeline Past Lucas Giolito card

Pipeline Pack Breakdown

The new Pipeline Past Pack comes in three different tiers:

Deluxe Pack – 10,000 Stubs

• Contains 1 Diamond card
• Odds:
• • 90+ OVR: 1 in 5
  • 92 OVR: 1 in 20
• Unlimited purchases for 9 days

Premier Pack – 25,000 Stubs

• Contains 3 cards from the Pipeline set
• Improved odds:
• • 90+ OVR: 1 in 2
  • 92 OVR: 1 in 4
• Unlimited purchases for 9 days

Ultra Pack – 50,000 Stubs

• Contains 5 guaranteed Pipeline Past cards
• Guaranteed 1x 90+ OVR
• Odds:
• • 92 OVR: 1 in 2
• Limit: 2 Ultra packs per user

Pipeline Past C Kyle Schwarber (Chicago Cubs) - #1 Catcher True Overall

In what is effectively a secondary Chase card, Kyle Schwarber is the "special insert" card that can be found not only in the Pipeline Past packs but in standard Show packs as that special drop. While being available in packs other than Chase packs makes it likelier to pull these inserts, they're still incredibly rare and Schwarber will be one of the most expensive cards in the game for a while.

Featuring Catcher as his primary position, Pipeline Past Schwarber recaptures some of the fabled energy from years past when he carried Catcher eligibility. He lost that position within the last couple of years, but the Pipeline Past series resurrects his backstop glory and immediately vaults him to the top of the True Overall board.

There's really not much else to say - this card absolutely rakes. Schwarber's amazing swing allows any attributes to play better than they look, and this card is already juiced to the gills.

New Chase Card

Pipeline Past 3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays) - #2 3B/1B True Overall/Meta Overall

To top it off, a new Chase card has been revealed — Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Vladdy Jr. was a 3B prospect as he got called up to the Bigs, and this card highlights what baby Vlad was looking like as a prospect.

The offensive profile is stellar, with elite Contact and Clutch to go with 90/94 Power. The Fielding is a bit stronger than one might expect, with an incredibly strong arm to pair with 70 Reaction. This means Vlad Jr. will more than hold his own at 3B or his secondary 1B, and will absolutely rake from the DH spot.

Closing Thoughts

The Pipeline Past Program and pack content brought a ton of new content to MLB The Show 25 on Wednesday. It's actually a surprising amount of content being dropped just two days before the 4th Inning Program launches on Friday.

There's plenty of cards featured in this program that are unexciting, but at some point it should probably be accepted that not every single card coming out will be a huge improvement over the previous cards. There is binder fodder in literally everything that has ever existed. The tiers and levels have been clearly separated this year, however, as programs are littered with unexciting cards while premium sets, Chase packs, and collections feature all the elite cards.

It's more than fair to criticize the balance between accessible and inaccessible "elite" cards, but expecting every single piece of content to be a WOWZER moment is probably a little unfair.

Keep in mind - there will be another huge Legends and Flashbacks collection coming soon. Vouchers will be required and sets like this feed into the big collections. If you're working toward Corey Seager, or looking to complete the next major collection - you'll progress through the program without having to play a solitary second.