MLB The Show recently released their official player ratings for the 2023 edition of the video game.
Player ratings will determine how well (or how badly) a player will perform on the different modes of the game.
It’s also a symbolic part of the game for fans of the 30 teams.
Competition exists at all levels of life, and fans continually argue about who has the best players and which ones should be rated higher or lower.
The Houston Astros are one of the best teams in the league, if not the very best.
Naturally, they have a lot of excellent players, and their MLB The Show ratings agree.
Thoughts? 👀@MLBTheShow x #MLBTS23Ratings pic.twitter.com/DwMHPZcgKU
— Houston Astros (@astros) March 9, 2023
The Astros themselves published a picture with their five top players according to the ratings.
Cuban slugger Yordan Alvarez is first with 94, and second baseman Jose Altuve is second with 93.
Corner outfielder Kyle Tucker is third with 90, and starter Framber Valdez is fourth with a solid 87.
Closer Ryan Pressly wraps up the top five with an 85 rating.
Alvarez is perhaps MLB’s most dangerous left-handed hitter at the moment.
No one in the league has his combination of power, contact, and plate discipline.
As a hitter, Alvarez should be close to 99.
In 2022, he hit .306 with 37 long balls and a healthy .406 on-base percentage.
The problem with Alvarez is that he is not a defensive asset and he is not particularly fast.
Those two situations limit his overall score.
Altuve is not nearly as explosive as Alvarez, but is much more complete.
He plays good defense and runs the bases well in addition to hitting for average and some impressive power for a guy his size.
Tucker doesn’t have the type of contact ability of Alvarez and Altuve, but does everything else well.
Valdez is the de facto Astros ace now that Justin Verlander is gone, but he is prepared to take his place.
There are other talented players in Houston, and Alex Bregman is a notable omission from the top five.
Still, it’s a solid group.
NEXT: Jose Altuve Is Flashing Major Power On Thursday
