It’s a new year of MLB The Show, as MLB The Show 26 is live worldwide. That means new cards and a new meta to navigate as Diamond Dynasty players roll with lower overall cards for the first few months. Now that we’ve gotten time with the game, here’s our rankings of the best cards in the game, sorted by position.
Contents
Updated August 9, 2026.
Infielders
Let’s take a look at our power ranking list for the best catchers in MLB The Show 26:
C
- 99 OVR New Threads Adley Rutschman
- 99 OVR Milestone Jason Varitek
- 98 OVR Summer Cal Raleigh
- 99 OVR Spotlight Gabriel Moreno
- 96 OVR Prime Ted Simmons
For any veterans of MLB The Show out there, you likely know how much switch-hitters are king in this game. Not only do these hitters prevent same-sided matchups — which aren’t too tough in most instances but are unfavorable for others — but also get around the ol’ “shrinkage” problem.
Adley Rutschman’s 99 OVR New Threads card, a collection reward, is arguably the best premium option at catcher. Better pop time & fielding than the 99 OVR Varitek, plus impressive hitting attributes.
There are budget options available, too, like the 99 OVR Spotlight Gabriel Moreno from the July Spotlight Drop 4 Program.
1B
- 99 OVR Awards Victor Martinez
- 99 OVR Signature Albert Pujols
- 99 OVR Spotlight David Ortiz
- 99 OVR New Threads Luis Garcia Jr.
- 98 OVR 2026 All-Star Nick Kurtz
Two tough-to-complete collection rewards are on top here.
Victor Martinez’s Awards card may be on top all year. It’s the second Legends & Flashbacks Collection reward, a highly expensive one. But just look at those attributes.
The 99 OVR Albert Pujols Signature Series card is the NL Live Series reward, meaning you’ll need the Red Diamond Ohtani to get it. But for those who can afford that Ohtani, Pujols can play the outfield and third, so there is some position versatility.
2B
- 99 OVR Signature Ray Durham
- 98 OVR 2026 All-Star Ozzie Albies
- 99 OVR Cover Athletes Ernie Clement
- 99 OVR Spotlight Brice Turang
- 99 OVR Awards Dustin Pedroia
The 99 OVR Signature Ray Durham narrowly beats out the 98 OVR Ozzie Albies.
Durham nearly has it all: small strike zone, a switch-hitter, and a good all-around option.
But there are also some cheap options, like the 99 OVR Cover Athletes Ernie Clement.
3B
- 99 OVR Milestone Miguel Cabrera
- 99 OVR Milestone Nolan Arenado
- 99 OVR Spotlight Kazuma Okamoto
- 99 OVR Awards Adrian Beltre
- 97 OVR Home Run Derby Junior Caminero
The 99 OVR Milestone Miguel Cabrera was released months ago as the first Legends & Flashbacks Collection reward. And it’s still one of the best cards available. Lacking in fielding but Cabrera’s offensive attributes make up for it.
But for a really good option, go with 99 OVR Nolan Arenado. Max fielding Ability, has meta Quirks (Dead Red, Bad Ball Hitter, First-Pitch Hitter), and good overall attributes.
SS
- 99 OVR Milestone Troy Tulowitzki
- 99 OVR Awards Geraldo Perdomo
- 99 OVR Pipeline George Lombard Jr.
- 97 OVR Spotlight Brayan Rocchio
- 99 OVR Spotlight CJ Abrams
Yes, the 99 OVR Milestone Tulowitzki is still a worthwhile investment.
Great all-around shortstop, and one that gets better with Mods. The good thing, though, is that there are very good cheap options, like the 99 OVR Lombard Jr. & 97 OVR Rocchio.
The July Spotlight Lightning was CJ Abrams, which is fifth on our list as of right now. Great offensive attributes. However, the fielding brings this card down significantly.
Outfielders
Now, let’s look at the top outfielders:
LF
- 99 OVR 2026 All-Star Game Yordan Alvarez
- 98 OVR Home Run Derby Kyle Schwarber
- 98 OVR 2026 All-Star Game Juan Soto
- 99 OVR New Threads Zyhir Hope
- 99 OVR Milestone Ryan Braun
Look, don’t put Yordan Alvarez or Kyle Schwarber in the field (unless you use Schwarber at first). However, the two are undisputed heavyweights in terms of offense.
Both are incredible hitters — but use either as a DH. Instead, go with a center fielder in left, even if it has to be out of position.
CF
- 99 OVR Hall of Fame Carlos Beltran
- 99 OVR Hall of Fame Andruw Jones
- 99 OVR 2026 All-Star Game Mike Trout
- 99 OVR Awards Willie McGee
- 99 OVR 2026 All-Star Game Byron Buxton
The 99 OVR Hall of Fame Carlos Beltran is the best overall card in the game right now. And for those asking why, just look at the attributes.
But for those who can’t get the collection done, there are still really good options. Like the 99 OVR Hall of Fame Andruw Jones, a free card.
RF
- 99 OVR Signature Ken Singleton
- 99 OVR 2026 All-Star Game Cody Bellinger
- 99 OVR Spotlight Esteury Ruiz
- 96 OVR Spotlight Braden Montgomery
- 97 OVR Postseason Lance Berkman
The 99 OVR Signature Ken Singleton has fantastic offensive attributes. Add in the fact that Singleton is a switch-hitter, and you get the idea.
And, as expected, we have switch-hitters rounding out the top five.
Starting Pitchers
Let’s take a look at the best starting pitchers:
- 99 OVR 2026 All-Star Game Jacob Misiorowski
- 96 OVR MLB Draft Brody Bumila
- 96 OVR Standout Nolan Ryan
- 99 OVR New Threads Dustin May
- 97 OVR Signature Al Leiter
- 97 OVR All-Star Roger Clemens
- 99 OVR Awards Felix Hernandez
- 99 OVR New Threads Tarik Skubal
- 97 OVR 2026 All-Star Game Justin Wrobleski
- 96 OVR Topps Now Ian Seymour
Right now, there are a lot of 97-99 OVR starting pitching options that are just not particularly good.
Roy Oswalt, most of the 2026 All-Star Game cards, and even a card like the 99 OVR Soriano — everything is just too hard, without anything soft to change speeds — are not viable meta pitchers, for many reasons.
The 99 OVR Jacob Misiorowski is a very difficult card to obtain. It was a Weekend Classic leaderboard reward twice in July. But for those who can afford it, it checks boxes: 120 H/9 versus left-handed hitters, plus a hard cutter and Outlier on the four-seam fastball. If not, just use the 96 OVR Lightning.
Brody Bumila’s 96 OVR is the best budget card in the game, period. Outlier on the four-seam, a meta pitch mix, and the rare lefty. Nolan Ryan cards normally have their flaws (poor Control, not enough meta stuff). But this 96 OVR card might be the best Ryan ever released. Why?
It has a slider.
Relief Pitchers
- 97 OVR 2026 All-Star Game Mason Miller
- 99 OVR Finest Billy Wagner
- 98 OVR 2026 All-Star Game Jhoan Duran
- 98 OVR 2026 All-Star Gam Aroldis Chapman
- 97 OVR Spotlight Jordan Hicks
- 96 OVR 2026 All-Star Game Riley O’Brien
- 96 OVR 2026 All-Star Game Louis Varland
- 99 OVR Hall of Fame Trevor Hoffman
- 98 OVR Milestone Jim Johnson
- 91 OVR Mural Adrian Morejon
Yes, this Mason Miller has a sinker. Yes, this is an exceptionally good card — so long as the opposition can’t catch up to the fastball.
Jhoan Duran & Aroldis Chapman’s 98 OVR cards are must-use options, as well.
This article will be updated throughout the year as new cards are added to Diamond Dynasty.
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