It’s a new year for MLB The Show and a fresh start for Diamond Dynasty. Now that Sets/Seasons have been officially removed, the meta will progress throughout the year from low Diamonds to 99 OVR cards. So, what are the best cards to use in MLB The Show 25 right now? Here’s our list, sorted by position.

Updated December 31, 2025.

Infielders

First, let’s look at the best infielders in MLB The Show 25 Diamond Dynasty right now, sorted by position:

C

1. Finest Cal Raleigh (99 OVR)
2. Spotlight Gary Sanchez (99 OVR)
3. Signature Jorge Posada (99 OVR)
4. Retro Finest Jason Varitek (99 OVR)
5. Jin Kim Biz Mackey (99 OVR)

With almost 125 everything offensively, Raleigh is a top dog in Diamond Dynasty. But don’t sleep on Gary Sanchez, either.

1B

1. Postseason (World Series) Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (99 OVR)
2. Milestone Carlos Santana (99 OVR)
3. Halloween Josh Bell (99 OVR)
4. Neon Lance Berkman (99 OVR)
5. Hall of Fame David Ortiz (99 OVR)

In a world where switch-hitters are the dominant breed, a 99 OVR right-handed slugger is the top-ranked first baseman in our rankings list.

The second Postseason Vlad Jr. is worth the grind.

2B

1. Halloween Ketel Marte (99 OVR)
2. Spotlight Jorge Polanco (99 OVR)
3. Home Run Derby Ben Zobrist (99 OVR)
4. Postseason Bo Bichette (99 OVR)
5. Neon Ozzie Albies (99 OVR)

The second base position is stacked at the moment, and a familiar face leads the charge.

It feels like every Ketel Marte is good. His 99 OVR Halloween card might be the best Marte ever released in MLB The Show history.

However, there is no shortage of secondary options. Home Run Derby X Ben Zobrist and September Spotlight Jorge Polanco are also elite options.

3B

1. Milestone Chipper Jones (99 OVR)
2. Finest Jose Ramirez (99 OVR)
3. The Show Classics Jeimer Candelario (99 OVR)
4. Finest Junior Caminero (99 OVR)
5. Captain Terry Pendleton (99 OVR)

This one is a tie.

Jose Ramirez has a sweet swing and a smaller strike zone. Jones, meanwhile, is an unbelievably good option at the hot corner. Pick whichever one you can afford.

SS

1. Moonshot Ozzie Smith (99 OVR)
2. Finest Francisco Lindor (99 OVR)
3. Awards Corey Seager (99 OVR)
4. Milestone Elly De La Cruz (99 OVR)
5. Finest Trea Turner (99 OVR)

There are a lot of good options for short, many of which couldn’t make our top five.

But if I were to choose one to top the list, it’s Ozzie Smith. Smith’s Moonshot 2.0 is not only the best version of “The Wizard” we’ve ever seen but it’s also an incredibly beefy power hitter.

Extreme Program Elly De La Cruz and Finest Francisco Lindor are among the other top-tier options.

Outfielders

Now, for the best outfielders:

LF

1. Finest Ian Happ (99 OVR)
2. Moonshot Tim Raines (99 OVR)
3. Halloween Jasson Dominguez (99 OVR)
4. Finest Kyle Schwarber (99 OVR)
5. Retro Finest Gary Sheffield (99 OVR)

Can you believe that 99 OVR Ted Williams, a major Collection reward, is not in the top five?

Switch-hitters take the top three spots here, including Finest Ian Happ in the top spot.

CF

1. Milestone Mike Trout (99 OVR)
2. Signature Carlos Beltran (99 OVR)
3. Milestone Mickey Mantle (99 OVR)
4. Neon Willie Mays (99 OVR)
5. Spotlight Ken Griffey Jr. (99 OVR)

A free 99 OVR Milestone Mike Trout headlines a top five that looks awfully different than what I would think it would be. However, experience changes a lot of things.

I could not hit with the 99 OVR Mantle this season, and part of me believes his swing animation is just too long and slow. On the other hand, I hit very well with Willie Mays, whom I normally don’t have success with.

Choose who you want. I’m just giving you my two cents.

RF

1. Finest Juan Soto (99 OVR)
2. Spotlight Ronald Acuna Jr. (99 OVR)
3. Captain Anthony Santander (99 OVR)
4. Postseason George Springer (99 OVR)
5. Neon Bryan Reynolds (99 OVR)

The 99 OVR Retro Finest Jose Bautista was an interesting card to release on Hall of Fame Weekend. However, it, much like Williams, doesn’t make the top five.

Familiar players like Juan Soto, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Anthony Santander do make this list, though.

Pitchers

Finally, a look at the best pitchers in MLB The Show 25:

SP

1. Milestone John Donaldson (99 OVR)
2. Awards Randy Johnson (99 OVR)
3. Postseason Shohei Ohtani (99 OVR)
4. Awards Bob Gibson (99 OVR)
5. Milestone Justin Verlander (99 OVR)
6. Milestone Jacob deGrom (99 OVR)
7. Neon Al Leiter (99 OVR)
8. Milestone Clayton Kershaw (99 OVR)
9. Milestone Roy Halladay (99 OVR)
10. Milestone Roger Clemens (99 OVR)

This John Donaldson card is a freak of nature.

Donaldson cards are always tough to hit. His cards have Outlier on the four-seamer and slider, meaning players have to account for a fastball that can run 102-104 MPH, plus try to cover a mid-90s slider. But when the forkball comes, it’s a different story.

The good news, in a sense, is that Donaldson is very expensive to obtain.

Aside from him, there are a lot of good options, including some cheap ones like 99 OVR Justin Verlander and 99 OVR Clayton Kershaw.

RP

1. Awards Felix Bautista (99 OVR)
2. Finest Andres Munoz (99 OVR)
3. Postseason Adrian Morejon (99 OVR)
4. Hall of Fame Lee Smith (99 OVR)
5. Postseason Jacob Misiorowski (99 OVR)
6. Finest Aroldis Chapman (99 OVR)
7. Postseason Jared Koenig (99 OVR)
8. Retro Finest Andrew Miller (99 OVR)
9. Awards Rob Dibble (99 OVR)
10. Hall of Game Rollie Fingers (99 OVR)

Our top ten includes a collection of flamethrowers, funky lefties, and some off-the-beat options who can change the look on opposing players on a dime.

Have fun.

Check out more of our gaming coverage, including our guide to Diamond Dynasty as a whole, and our MLB The Show 25 review.