There were unexpected performances in both good and bad ways from players across Major League Baseball this year. As you might imagine, these drastic swings led to the live series cards of these players within MLB The Show 23‘s Diamond Dynasty rising and falling dramatically.
Here are some of the players whose cards saw the biggest fluctuations from the start of the season to when it came to a close.
Rising
Corbin Carroll, LF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Started: 72 OVR
Now: 89 OVR
NL Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll had a meteoric rise in 2023 that the Arizona Diamondbacks rode all the way to an unexpected appearance in the World Series. In his first full season in the majors, Carroll announced that the future has already arrived by posting a .285 average and 25 home runs. He was also an absolute terror once he got on base, swiping a whopping 54 bases while only being caught stealing 5 times.
Throughout the season, Carroll had the rare distinction of going all the way from a lowly bronze in Diamond Dynasty all the way up to a shimmering diamond.
Geraldo Perdomo, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks
Started: 61
Now: 79
Another part of the Diamondbacks’ young core that took a step forward in 2023, shortstop Geraldo Perdomo’s jump this year tied into low expectations headed into the season. He may not have developed just yet into a potential superstar like the aforementioned Carroll, but Perdomo blossomed from a liability for the team into a serviceable starter. Raising his average from a putrid .195 in 2022 to a far more respectable .246 in 2023 (with a .353 OBP thanks to drawing quite a few walks), Perdomo’s Diamond Dynasty card went from a common afterthought to a sought-after silver.
Bryson Stott, 2B, Philadelphia Phillies
Started: 71
Now: 84
Improving on a promising rookie season in nearly every way, the Phillies’ Bryson Stott became a household name in 2023. The second baseman was a more consistent hitter at the plate, raising a .234 batting average in 2022 to .280 this past season. He didn’t lose any of the power that he had previously flashed either by racking up 15 homers in 2023, including a red-hot August that saw him swatting 5 alone. His Diamond Dynasty card’s swift move from a 71 OVR to an 84 was helped along by some stellar fielding that eventually led to him being a GolD Glove finalist at his position.
Josh Lowe, CF, Tampa Bay Rays
Started: 67
Now: 83
In his first full season in the majors, Josh Lowe suddenly became one of the most dangerous hitters in a formidable Tampa Bay Rays’ lineup. There were few indications last season that Lowe would develop quite so abruptly into the kind of hitter to post an .835 OPS (up from .627 in 2022) with 20 homers and 83 valuable RBIs. To further help him arrive at a gold card in Diamond Dynasty, he has the kind of speed that allowed him to steal 32 bases this season while only being thrown out 3 times.
Kyle Bradish, SP, Baltimore Orioles
Started: 70
Now: 84
A large part of the improvement of a Baltimore Orioles team that surprised many by winning the AL East in 2023 is that their starting pitching went from a weakness to a stabilizing force. The 25-year-old Kyle Bradish was a perfect poster boy for the rotation, as the young hurler improved upon a 2022 season in which he had 4.90 ERA by going on to boast a 2.83 ERA in 2023. His ability to quiet opposing bats in a way that eluded him last year gave Diamond Dynasty no other option but to keep bumping up his card throughout the season, from a 70 OVR at the start of the season all the way up to an 84 OVR.
Falling
Luis Severino, SP, New York Yankees
Started: 86
Now: 70
It’s fair to say the New York Yankees as a whole performed below expectations in 2023 and starting pitcher Luis Severino was just a piece of that disappointing puzzle. Injuries have plagued the tumultuous career of Severino, but it looked like he was perhaps returning to form in 2022. Instead, Severino struggled to a 6.65 ERA in 18 starts this year and then had his season cut short by injury yet again with an oblique strain in early September. It’s no surprise then that the optimism of his Diamond Dynasty being an 86 OVR at release gradually curdled into its current 70 OVR state.
Noah Syndergaard, SP, Dodgers/Guardians/Free Agent
Started: 76
Now: 63
Noah Syndergaard’s career is currently in jeopardy after a disastrous 2023 that started with the hope he might be able to carve out another chapter in Los Angeles. Things didn’t work out with the Dodgers though, where he limped to a 7.16 ERA through 12 starts, and he was shipped to Cleveland in a deadline deal. A change of scenery wasn’t the answer however and he was eventually designated for assignment. This is how it goes, one minute you’re a veteran silver card in Diamond Dynasty and the next you’re buried in the many pages of free agent common cards.
Sandy Alcantara, SP, Miami Marlins
Started: 90
Now: 77
In a classic example of the old adage that the bigger they are the harder they fall, Marlins’ starter Sandy Alcantara went from a Cy Young winner in 2022 to an average pitcher in 2023. His ERA dropped from a minuscule 2.28 last year to 4.14 in 2023, though his 3.20 ERA in the second half of the season helped to erase the memory of a lackluster first half (until a late-season injury warranted Tommy John surgery and will now have him miss the entire 2024 season). Because his Diamond Dynasty card started out with an impressive 90 OVR diamond, his troubles early on were enough to see him drop to a 77 OVR silver.
Andres Gimenez, 2B, Cleveland Guardians
Started: 86
Now: 78
After a breakout season in 2022, Cleveland Guardians’ 2nd baseman Andres Gimenez took a small step backwards in nearly every offensive category, except for stolen bases. All of these dips added up to an OPS that went from .837 in 2022 to just .712 in 2023. You’d think that winning a Gold Glove might be enough to keep him as a gold card in Diamond Dynasty, but instead he was reduced down to a high silver at 78 OVR.
Manny Machado, 3B, San Diego Padres
Started: 95
Now: 85
Another team like the Yankees that experienced an all-around bummer of a 2023 season was the San Diego Padres, where third baseman Manny Machado was forced to shoulder a lot of the blame. In reality, his 2023 didn’t see him slipping offensively in most categories, save for his OPS going from .898 to.782. That didn’t stop Diamond Dynasty from bringing his elite 95 OVR diamond card all the way down to an 85 OVR gold by the end of the season.
