MLB The Show 22 player potential

Screenshot by Gamepur

The MLB has probably never seen such a wealth of young talent moving throughout the league. With so many superstars coming up that are still very early in their careers, there is no telling how good games can look in the future. That being said, we don’t need to look to the future to see some of baseball’s best right now. Here are the best young players in MLB The Show 22, age 25 and younger.

The following ratings are all current as of MLB The Show 22’s launch. Over time, these will likely be altered as updates for the game come out.

Starting Pitcher

• Julio Urias – Dodgers, 90 OVR, 25
• Freddy Peralta – Brewers, 89 OVR, 25
• Alex Manoah – Blue Jays, 87 OVR, 24
• Trevor Rogers – Marlins, 84 OVR, 24
• Mike Soroka – Braves, 83 OVR, 24

Relief Pitcher

• Garrett Crochet – White Sox, 80 OVR, 22
• Jordan Hicks – Cardinals, 78 OVR, 25
• Nick Sandlin – Guardians, 78 OVR, 25
• Cristian Javier – Astros, 75 OVR, 25

Closing Pitcher

• Emmanuel Clase – Guardians – 85 OVR, 24
• Garrett Whitlock – Red Sox – 81 OVR, 25

Catcher

• Tyler Stephenson – Reds, 79 OVR, 25
• Korey Lee – Mariners, 75 OVR, 23
• Adley Rutschman – Orioles, 74 OVR, 24

First Base

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – Blue Jays, 96 OVR, 23
• Ryan Mountcastle – Orioles, 80 OVR, 25
• Spencer Torkelsen – White Sox, 74 OVR, 22

Second Base

• Nico Hoerner – Cubs, 86 OVR, 24
• Jazz Chisholm – Marlins, 84 OVR, 24
• Jonathon India – Reds, 82 OVR, 25
• Willi Castro – Tigers, 79 OVR, 24
• Andres Gimenez – Guardians, 78 OVR, 23

Third Base

• Rafael Devers – Red Sox, 85 OVR, 25
• Austin Riley – Braves, 83 OVR, 24
• Ke’Bryan Hayes – Pirates, 81 OVR, 25
• Luis Urias – Brewers, 79 OVR, 24

Shortstop

• Fernando Tatos Jr. – Padres, 94 OVR, 23
• Bo Bichette – Blue Jays, 87 OVR, 24
• Wander Franco – Rays, 81 OVR, 21

Left Field

• Yordan Alvarez – Astros, 90 OVR, 24
• Eloy Jimenez – White Sox, 79 OVR, 25
• Akil Badoo – Tigers, 75 OVR, 23

Center Field

• Ronald Acuna Jr. – Braves, 99 OVR, 24
• Luis Robert – White Sox, 88 OVR, 24
• Trent Grisham – Padres, 80 OVR, 25

Right Field

• Juan Soto – Nationals, 91 OVR, 23
• Kyle Tucker – Astros, 85 OVR, 25
• Alex Verdugo – Red Sox, 81 OVR, 25
• Dylan Carlson – Cardinals, 78 OVR, 23

One of the first items on the agenda when hopping into MLB The Show 22 Franchise Mode is to see what potential trade targets are available.

Lucky for you, I did the work so you don’t have to. Here are the best players to trade for in MLB The Show 22.

2B José Altuve – 92 – Houston Astros

José Altuve is still a franchise-altering player at 31-years-old. The superstar second baseman is one of the best overall players in the game, with balanced hitting against both sides of the plate, elite fielding capabilities and serviceable speed.

Altuve can be acquired for a package of mid-level prospects but will cost over $20 million per season for the remaining three years on his backloaded deal.

2B Ketel Marte – 90 – Arizona Diamondbacks

Ketel Marte was much easier to trade for before the extension (which raised his value) but is still a great addition, default roster or not.

Marte has elite positional value seeing as he can play shortstop and outfield as secondary positions. He also happens to be one of the best hitters in the game against left-handed pitching and above average against righties.

Marte is a very good player across the board and worth the increased trade value after the extension.

RF Teoscar Hernández – 86 – Toronto Blue Jays

Teoscar Hernández is one of my favorite hitters in MLB The Show. The 29-year-old outfielder is another example of an overall quality player. He is an above-average hitter against right-handers and almost impossible to get out when facing a lefty.

76 speed for a middle-of-the-order slugger is a nice benefit as well. His only downside is his 44 vision.

C Mitch Garver – 85 – Texas Rangers

Mitch Garver is one of the best values in the game and easily one of the best players to trade for in MLB The Show 22.

Garver’s biggest strength is his positional superiority. Most high overall catchers have attributes on defense that inflate their actual rating. Garver is a catcher with a skill set that favors offensive attributes and can be put in the clean-up spot of the lineup.

The newly acquired Texas Ranger has elite power and above-average contact while being extremely balanced against both right and left-handed pitching.

CP Josh Hader – 85 – Milwaukee Brewers

Josh Hader could be considered a must-have in MLB The Show 22 for all modes. With 99 H/9 and K/9, the Milwaukee Brewers closer is one of the hardest pitchers to even make contact against. Hader also features 94 velocity and 99 break.

The high heat and wipeout slider headline a ridiculous four-pitch mix for the left-handed back-end arm. I always recommend adding a player like Hader to throw into the highest leverage point of the game. He can be used as a get-out-of-a-jam-free card.

CF Bryan Reynolds – 84 – Pittsburgh Pirates

Bryan Reynolds is a budding 27-year-old superstar outfielder with four seasons of arbitration remaining before having to worry about paying top dollar for his services.

The Vanderbilt product has elite contact against both right and left-handed pitching, with plus power against the right side. His fielding and speed are above average.

Reynolds is an overall plus player to place in the front of the lineup, he’s easy to acquire and one of the best players to trade for in MLB The Show 22.

RF Hunter Renfroe – 84 – Milwaukee Brewers

There is no reason to be long-winded when explaining the benefit of adding Hunter Renfroe to your roster. He has elite power and a rocket launcher for an arm. As an added benefit, he’s under team control for two seasons.

LF Jesse Winker – 83 – Seattle Mariners

Jesse Winker is a value because he absolutely mashes right-handed hitting. If he is placed into a platoon, Winker essentially becomes a high-nineties overall player. The corner outfielder has 99 contact and 85 power against right-handed pitching.

His vision helps his overall hitting ability but he really should be in a platoon to maximize his value.

SP Sean Manaea – 83 – San Diego Padres

There are a bunch of mid-eighties starting pitchers that are fairly easy to acquire on the trade market, but Sean Manaea is arguably the best of the bunch.

He could be a number one pitcher in a weak rotation but would really benefit a team with a pair of frontline starters, making him a plus arm in the middle of a loaded rotation.

CP Andrew Kittredge – 81 – Tampa Bay Rays

Andrew Kittredge is one of those lockdown, high-leverage relievers such as Hader. The Tampa Bay Rays closer is almost as good and even easier to trade for.

I recommend pairing Kittredge and Hader, using one in high-leverage spots and the other as a closer. Having both also allows you to play the matchups, as you would have a wipeout righty and lefty.

SP John Means – 80 – Baltimore Orioles

John Means is easy to acquire and will bolster almost any rotation. He has a nasty change up and the potential to develop over the course of the season.

RP Garrett Crochet – 80 – Chicago White Sox

Garrett Crochet is another example of a high-leverage reliever used to get out of jams. Having a multi-inning reliever with elite potential will give you so many options. Not only is Crochet a back-end reliever from the jump but he will continue to develop monthly and reach the high nineties in no time.

If you are looking to acquire the fastest players in MLB The Show 22, click here.