Question 1

What is the best card in MLB The Show 26?

Accepted Answer

Milestone Troy Tulowitzki currently ranks as the #1 card in MLB The Show 26 across both ShowZone's True Overall and Meta Overall rating systems. The full top 25 for each rating is visible above via the True overall / Meta overall toggle.

Question 2

Where can I see the best cards by position in MLB The Show 26?

Accepted Answer

ShowZone maintains dedicated top 25 rankings for every position — best catchers, best starting pitchers, best shortstops, best center fielders, and 8 more position-specific lists. Use the "Rankings by Position" section below to jump directly to any position's top 25. Each variant applies the same True Overall + Meta Overall scoring but filters to that position's eligible cards.

Question 3

What is the difference between True Overall and Meta Overall?

Accepted Answer

True Overall measures a card's actual skill ceiling by weighting attributes by their real gameplay impact, ignoring SDS's in-game 99 cap. Meta Overall extends True Overall by factoring in the current online meta — pitch speeds, swing animations, hit-distance modeling, and real-world effectiveness in Ranked / Battle Royale. True Overall answers "how good is this card structurally?" Meta Overall answers "how good is this card right now in the meta?" Both are ShowZone-developed rating systems recalculated per card.

Question 4

How often is this top 25 list updated?

Accepted Answer

The rankings refresh automatically whenever player data changes — most often after a roster update. Roster updates in MLB The Show 26 happen roughly every 3 weeks during the MLB season. New card releases, attribute changes, and parallel updates can all reshuffle the top 25.

Question 5

Why don't these rankings match the in-game overall ratings?

Accepted Answer

SDS's in-game overall is capped at 99 and uses a different attribute weighting than ShowZone. Many elite cards are tied at 99 in-game but have meaningful differences in real gameplay impact. ShowZone's True Overall removes the cap and weights attributes by what actually matters during play, so it can surface differences the in-game 99 hides. That's why our #1 card by True Overall can differ from what SDS lists as the "best" 99 OVR.

Question 6

How do I know if a top-ranked card is a good buy right now?

Accepted Answer

Each card on this list is linked to its individual player page on ShowZone, which shows live marketplace buy and sell prices (refreshed every minute), historical price trends, and per-attribute breakdowns. ShowZone Pro Diamond members can additionally see Investment Intelligence — community buy/sell pressure signals — and set push price alerts for target buy prices on specific cards.

Best Cards in MLB The Show 26

Troy Tulowitzki

Top 25 Cards in MLB The Show 26 by Meta Overall

Frequently Asked Questions

Find the Best at Every Position

Catcher

First Base

Second Base

Third Base

Shortstop

Left Field

Center Field

Right Field

Designated Hitter

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Starting Pitcher

Relief Pitcher

Closing Pitcher