MLB The Show 19 is the newest release from the franchise that has dominated the MLB sector of the simulation sports game industry for years. While Xbox users continue to suffer from the absence of a quality MLB simulation game, Playstation fans have enjoyed the franchise's year-to-year improvements.
The newest release received high praise from many critics because of its realistic player experience. For instance, USgamer.net raved, "[MLB The Show 19] seems destined to go down as the best baseball sim of the generation, and maybe as one of the best sports sims as well."
The newest member of the Sony franchise seems to be at the pinnacle of sports simulation perfection. However, there are several player ratings that appear as outliers in Sony's keen attention to accuracy and detail. Here are ten players with overall ratings that make no sense to baseball fans.
10 RP Kenley Jansen - 98 Overall
Jansen's overall player rating is too high at 98, making him the best closing pitcher in MLB The Show 19. Other elite closing pitchers such as Brad Hand, Blake Treinen and Aroldis Chapman stand slightly below Jansen's overall rating, despite their superior performance on the field this season.
For instance, Jansen has more blown saves and home runs let up than each of the closers mentioned, but they are still rated several points below the Dodgers closer. Jansen's decreasing fast ball velocity, thanks to entering his 30s, should have also dethroned him from being the top-rated closer in the game.
9 SP Aaron Nola - 91 Overall
Despite Nola's impressive W/L ratio of 6:1, he has produced an abysmal 4.89 ERA so far this season. Starting pitchers with lesser overall ratings, such as Stephen Strasberg, Trevor Bauer and Kyle Hendricks, all have ERAs lower than 4.00. Although Nola may have a far superior W/L column in comparison to his nearby peers, an ERA approaching 5.00 is still concerning. In addition, Nola has not put up stunning strike out numbers either, so he should receive a lower overall rating, cutting him from the 90s club.
8 SP Gerrit Cole - 88 Overall
Cole's overall rating started at an 88 on MLB The Show 19's release date. But it hasn't changed since, despite his admirable performance so far this year. The Astros starter currently leads the MLB in total strikeouts so far this season, beating out pitching heavy-weights like Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Chris Sale. On top of that, Cole hasn't even reached 100 innings pitched this season—an amount Scherzer and Verlander have already surpassed—which illustrates how sizzling hot Cole has been. The starter also holds a winning record, which leads us to believe his overall rating should be increased, possibly taking Nola's current spot.
7 2B Robinson Cano - 86 Overall
Cano has certainly had a commendable and decorated career in the MLB. But his current 86 overall rating is far too high for his current performance. His batting average this season has fallen to .233, a figure far inferior to his career average of .303. In addition, Cano has suffered from numerous injuries in the latter stretch of his career. His 86 overall rating makes him one of the top 10 second baseman in MLB The Show 19, which has been far from the reality of this season so far. The Mets second baseman should be downgraded to the low 80s.
6 1B Josh Bell - 84 Overall
Josh Bell's modest ranking can be partially attributed to the fact that he is primarily used by the Pirates as a designated hitter. As a result, his fielding ratings drag his overall down. However, DHs Edwin Encarnacion and Carlos Santana are rated 87 and 86 overall, despite Bell having both a higher average and higher slugging percentage. In addition, Bell has amassed more All-Star votes than even the highest rated first baseman in the game, Freddie Freeman (93). Bell's overall rating should be greatly increased because of his tremendous success at the plate this season.
5 3B Kris Bryant - 95 Overall
Bryant is rated as the third best third baseman in the league, with a 95 overall rating. The hype that surrounds Bryant as a star - and his intimidating rating - are totally inflated. In Bryant's five seasons as a pro, he has failed to ever bat for .300 in a season. And he's only surpassed 30 homers and 100 RBIs in one season, way back in 2016. Since then, Bryant has faced injury troubles, which have refrained him from returning to form.
The Cubs third baseman is surely still a desirable player. But other third basemen near his overall rating, such as Anthony Rendon (95) and Justin Turner (93), not only have highly superior batting averages, but they are also better fielders. Bryant's overall rating should be much lower than 95, based on his performance in recent years.
4 LF Yoenis Cespedes - 85 Overall
Cespedes has remained at an 85 overall throughout the season although he has yet to be healthy enough to play. Similar to Cano, MLB The Show 19 continues to rate the Mets outfielder in a positive light, despite his continual troubles performing in recent years. Cespedes' hitting metrics are all rated in the 70s, but the stats he has put up—when he is healthy enough to play—do not deserve such positive marks across the board. In reality, Cespedes' overall should be at risk of tipping into the 70s.
3 SS Jorge Polanco - 78 Overall
Although Polanco is currently a top 10 player in the MLB in terms of batting average, he has a fairly mediocre rating of 78. The 25 year old is not receiving nearly enough credit for his skills as a ballplayer. His overall is partially dragged down by his low rating for stealing, thanks to his tendency of getting caught stealing as a baserunner. In addition, an overly harsh rating for fielding is plummeting his overall beneath too many names. For instance, it makes no sense that Cano is rated eight points higher than Polanco overarall since the Twins shortstop is performing far better at the plate.
2 2B Ozzie Albies - 84 Overall
Albies began the year with an overall rating of 88. But it has dropped to 84 during the 2019 season. MLB The Show 19's decision to downgrade Albies is confusing because of the considerable success the Braves player has been able to achieve in that time. His batting average this season is .012 above his career average, and he is on track to hit more RBIs this season than he ever has in prior seasons. The second baseman was wrongfully penalized and should at least be returned to his original overall rating.
1 RF Bryce Harper - 90 Overall
Bryce Harper was selected to be on the cover of MLB The Show 19, making this entry especially controversial. Harper's 90 overall rating is not indicative of Harper's ability on the field. Similar to Bryant, Harper receives a great deal of hype because of his high-profile entrance into the league, which can distract many from his actual, sub-par performance. Harper is batting .243, which is far from an adequate average for a 90 overall player. In addition, his power hitting fails to make up for his lack of contact hitting. According to a poll taken by every MLB player in the league, Harper was voted as the most overrated player in baseball.
All stats used in this article were taken from MLB.com.