The newest edition of the MLB The Show video game – MLB The Show 23 – is being released later this month. The Show is the premier baseball video game on the market, equivalent to Madden for the NFL or 2K for the NBA.
In the leadup to the release the game’s developer, San Diego Studios, did a partial player ratings reveal on Wednesday. They shared the ratings for the top five players on each team, as well as each team’s overall ratings.
If the ratings are predictive, it could be another down year for the Boston Red Sox, who rank 16th overall and fourth in the AL East ahead of only the Baltimore Orioles. They rank 20th in contact hitting and 21st in power hitting. Their pitching staff ranks 12th.
Of the top five players on the roster, two are infielders, one is a starting pitcher, and two are relief pitchers. Here’s who the developers see as the best players on the Red Sox…
1. SP Chris Sale: 87 overall
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – AUGUST 20: Starting pitcher Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox pitches in the top of the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park on August 20, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
Despite the fact that he’s only thrown 48.1 innings since August of 2019, The Show still likes what Chris Sale offers at 34 years old. Limited to just two starts and 5.2 innings pitched last year following a myriad of injuries, Sale enters 2023 as a relative unknown. If he gives the Red Sox the kind of performance that lives up to this rating though, that would be a huge boost to a starting rotation that could really use it.
T-2. INF Trevor Story: 84 overall
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 21: Trevor Story #10 of the Boston Red Sox at bat against the Toronto Blue Jays during the third inning at Fenway Park on April 21, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Story may give Red Sox users a boost in franchise mode, but he won’t be on the field for the team to start the season due to offseason elbow surgery. His timeline to return is still unclear, but it sounds like the soonest he could return isn’t until after the All-Star break.
T-2. 3B Rafael Devers: 84 overall
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 14: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox watches his three run home run in the fourth inning inning against the Oakland Athletics at Fenway Park on June 14, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
This rating feels very low for Devers, who slashed .295/.358/.521 last year with 27 home runs and 42 doubles, and finished 14th in AL MVP voting. Then, he signed a 10-year, $313.5 million extension in the offseason. It will be interesting to see how his rating compares to other third basemen around the league, but this rating feels like a massive undersell.
4. RP Kenley Jansen: 83 overall
Feb 15, 2023; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Kenley Jansen (74) participates in spring training workouts at Fenway South Player Development Complex. Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Along with the signing of Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida, Jansen was one of the big offseason acquisitions made by the Red Sox, and the only new acquisition in the top five. Last year’s NL leader in saves with 41, the hope is he will be able to stabilize the back end of a bullpen that had the fifth-worst ERA in baseball last year at 4.59.
5. RP John Schreiber: 82 overall
CLEVELAND, OH – JUNE 25: John Schreiber #46 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates striking out Amed Rosario of the Cleveland Guardians during the seventh inning at Progressive Field on June 25, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
One of the few bright spot for the Red Sox last year, Schreiber came out of nowhere to win the team’s closer role. Having thrown 31.2 career innings before 2022, he tossed 65 innings in 64 appearances for the Red Sox and tied for the team lead with eight saves. His 2.22 ERA and 0.985 WHIP were also high marks. He gets a solid bump, after having a 57 overall rating at this time last year.
