Chicago Cubs: Three legends that need to be in MLB the Show

Chicago Cubs: Alfonso Soriano’s addition would please Cubs, Yankees, Rangers, and Nationals fans.

Including Alfonso Soriano feels like a no-brainer at this point, given the sheer amount of cards SDS could give him and the power/speed threat he was in his prime. His positional versatility would also lead to a lot of players quickly finding a spot for him in their lineup. Not to mention, his presence would appeal to fans from all across the MLB, given the solid performances he gave for multiple teams over the years.

Soriano could quickly receive a prime card in a Yankees uniform, where he made two All-Star appearances, won a Silver Slugger, and finished third in MVP voting in 2002. You could also give him a Silver Slugger card in a Nationals uniform to mark his best offensive season in which he launched 46 long balls and put up a 135 OPS+. He could even receive a signature series with either the Cubs or the Yankees to note the teams he did the most damage within his career.

What will make this card worthwhile is the speed and base stealing Soriano demonstrated alongside his prolific power. He stole over 40 bases three times throughout his career and ended just 11 steals off of 300. This will keep players on their toes whenever Soriano’s on base and could even make him an excellent leadoff hitter for most lineups in-game.

While he might not necessarily appear in a Chicago Cubs uniform, having Soriano in the outfield or at second base will offer a unique power speed dynamic that only some of the better cards in the game could match. His vision might not be quite as good as some legends in the game, but you could easily see multiple Soriano cards appearing in the game and an excellent end-game Prime, Awards, or Signature series card.

Ron Santo should be among his fellow Chicago Cubs greats in MLB the Show.

When it comes to Hall of Fame third basemen, Ron Santo continually seems to be overlooked in favor of players like George Brett and Mike Schmidt, both of whom currently have cards in MLB the Show. Still, I feel Santo more than deserves a spot in the game for his years of incredible play with the Cubs and his defense.

I could easily see Santo’s best card being a Prime series one for his stellar stretch from 1963 to 1969. During those seasons, Santo was named an All-Star six times, earned five Gold Glove awards at third base, and garnered MVP votes in each of those seven seasons. He demonstrated good power numbers and on-base skills, hitting around 30 home runs each year, leading the league in OBP twice, and in walks four times.

During this stretch, his lowest OPS+ was 126, which is still well above average. A Prime (or even Signature) Santo would almost certainly be a 99 overall with high contact and vision, solid power, and great defense. More importantly, it would finally complete the puzzle of the team’s retired numbers as he’s the only Cubs great with a retired number not to be featured in MLB the Show (Greg Maddux just made it in this year).

It feels like it’s only a matter of time before Santo makes it into the game, especially given the presence of his contemporaries. Though, with The Show 20 making a push towards adding more 90s and early 2000s players, it may be a bit before we can get the 1960s Chicago Cubs band back together and have Ronnie step up to the plate again. Still, I personally really want him in, even if Schmidt’s and Brett’s cards are really good.

A Sammy Sosa card would help us relive the Steroid Era in all of its juiced-up glory.

The most obvious choice of Cubs legends to bring into the fold for MLB the Show, however, has to be Sammy Sosa. Slammin’ Sammy’s cards would be all about the power, capturing his prolific hitting powers at the height of the home run chase with rival Redbird slugger Mark McGwire.

Sosa could easily have a Signature card, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he got an awards card for his MVP season in 1998 similar to that of Gary Sheffield’s 99 overall Silver Slugger card. No doubt, the card would have maxed out or near maxed out power and very high contact to reflect the 66 home runs and 160 OPS+ he put up that year. Of course, his even better 2001 could be represented with a Silver Slugger card, but it’d be more fitting to honor the home run chase with a card from that year.

Considering how other players are treated in MLB the Show, Sosa might receive some other cards with lower overalls that players can earn before his end-game card. Something like Sosa’s 2002 season where he led the league in home runs in his age 33 season would be one such candidate for a card.

He certainly has a better chance of getting into The Show than he does of making the Hall of Fame. He could be another high power alternative to cards like the Sheffield mentioned above, and he would easily fit the push to bring in more recent legends of the game. It would certainly be nice, of course, if his fellow home run record chasers McGwire and Barry Bonds could also get in, but we’re focused on Chicago Cubs players here.

Here’s hoping that Soriano, Santo, and Sosa will eventually make their way into MLB the Show in a future iteration. It’s unlikely that any will make their debut in 2020, but these cards would make great additions to any Diamond Dynasty all-time Cubs teams.