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

Despite the recent love the Chicago Cubs have received from the MLB the Show franchise, there are still plenty of legends that the team at Sony San Diego Studios could pull from the Northside.

The Chicago Cubs have gotten a lot of attention in MLB the Show in the past two years. Last year saw the addition of legends Kerry Wood and Mark Prior (the former also received a player program in this year’s game) and Javy Baez became the first Cub to appear on the cover of the game for 2020.

Still, a lot of notable legends from the team’s vast pantheon of stars are not represented in the games as of right now. It’s difficult for the team at Sony San Diego Studios to obtain the rights to individual players, but we can dream that our favorite stars from the past will get cards that can be added to our Diamond Dynasty teams.

The introduction of new card sets like the Prime and Awards sets also opens up more opportunities for amazing single-season performances and peak abilities of players to be represented in the game. This is how Jason Heyward received a 95 overall Gold Glove card with the Braves despite his struggles in Chicago. It’s also worth considering a few players with some crossover appeal as there are some legends like Andre Dawson that appear in the game but not in a Cubs uniform.

For me, three hitters immediately stood out and, while adding a new pitcher like Rick Sutcliffe, Al Spalding, or Carlos Zambrano would be great, we’ve just received two new pitching legends in the form of Prior and Wood. Plus, I think these three hitters would be incredibly fun to play around with and are often requested by fans of the franchise.

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.