My Rankings of Team Affinity Season 3
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These are based off of relatively small sample sizes and quite a bit of Showdown. Obviously my list won't be exactly the same as yours but I always enjoys topics like these to spark discussion on which cards you think are the best in a given set.
Without further ado:
#1 - Jacob deGrom, SP - NYM
As someone who wasn't a big fan of deGrom's Live Series card, I wasn't expecting much from this card. I knew it would be popular amongst NMS squads and Ranked Seasons players not in Hall of Fame-territory but sweet lord, this card is so gross. Not only can he throw heat but his slider may be the best in the entire game -- full stop. Couple that with his wipeout changeup, curveball and surprisingly effective two-seamer and you have a card that will likely haunt every player's dreams for the rest of the year. It's a good thing we got some righty-killers in TA3 or this deGrom would be nearly untouchable.#2 - Trea Turner, SS - WSH
I've had a lot of success with POTM Marcus Semien and Milestones Alfonso Soriano at second base but I think Turner will overtake them as my full-time starting second baseman. For whatever reason, I've always done well with Turner's cards -- something about his swing just feels so easy to me -- but I never imagined getting a Turner with 90+ power from both sides (once you Parallel him up to Tier-V) and while admittedly, I could see his defense being an issue every once in awhile, the havoc he causes at the plate and on the base-paths makes it totally worth it to me.#3 - Alex Reyes, CP - STL
I knew this card was going to be amongst the best in TA3 but what I wasn't expecting to get a card I could legitimately go three plus innings with in each outing. The fact that Reyes has 45 Stamina makes him one of the most useful and unique cards you can get from TA3. Of course Stamina alone isn't the reason why I have this card ranked so high (although its importance cannot be understated) as Reyes also has some excellent delta between his pitch repertoire with his four-seam fastball reaching triple-digits with his changeup coming in around 12-15 mph slower, his 12-6 curveball set at 79 mph, a filthy slider that has good horizontal break at 86 mph and a sinker that seems incredibly difficult to square up with the Outlier II perk. You likely have a card you legitimately may not take out of your lineup for the rest of The Show 21's life-cycle.#4 - Matt Olson, 1B - OAK
I have always loved Matt Olson's swing in The Show and this year is no different. Olson's Live Series card was my starting first baseman for quite awhile until I inevitably upgraded to Paul Konerko then David Ortiz and Jim Thome. Now I'm at a crossroads, as I still love Jim Thome but this Matt Olson card is testing how far that affinity (pun intended) goes as it's no secret that one of Thome's glaring weaknesses on his 96 overall card is the terrible Fielding and Reaction ratings. Olson not only has diamond-caliber defense but also comes equipped with Active Quirks, better Vision and the same penchant for blasting no doubters -- and do not underestimate how effective Active Quirks can be.#5 - Gregory Soto, RP - DET
I'll admit there might be some "new toy" bias at work here but with Live Series Aroldis Chapman getting a heavy downgrade recently, it's hard not to see this Gregory Soto card as the hero that came and saved the day and while I'm sure others will complain that his repertoire and difference in pitch speeds might not be the greatest, I'd argue he has everything that I need to get outs against some of the best lefty-killers in the game. Don't sleep on this card, as long as his low control doesn't bother you too much, this card will have legs in your lineup.#6 - Jose Ramirez, 3B - CLE
I've always placed a very high value on switch-hitters and shorter players like Jimmy Rollins, Omar Vizquel, Jose Altuve and of course, Jose Ramirez. So it should come as no surprise that I was extremely excited to see that Cleveland's TA3 card was Jose Ramirez and not Shane Bieber -- who I was expecting. And while I am struggling to find a place for Ramirez to actually start in my lineup, you better believe he's one of the hitters I'm most confident and comfortable with coming off the bench as a pinch-hitter or late-game rally starting utilityman. He's someone I'm prioritizing getting to Tier-V sooner rather than later.#7 - Aaron Judge, RF - NYY
I've never been a big fan of Judge cards as his swing has and still does feel too slow for me but so far, I've been super impressed with how well this card has performed. As I said in the Jose Ramirez blurb, I have historically preferred shorter players in no small part due to their shrunken strike zone and more compact swings -- so this Judge card goes against everything I've come to know about myself over the course of playing MLB The Show. And although I like what I've seen from this card at the plate, it's in the field that this card really shines and you better believe your opponent is going to hate you when they try finding a gap between this Aaron Judge in right field and say -- Byron Buxton and Alfonso Soriano in center and left field, respectively.#8 - Nicholas Castellanos, RF - CIN
I've seen a lot of people claim this card is the very best in Team Affinity Season 3 -- and while I'm not there yet -- don't be fooled into thinking that being ranked 8th is some kind of slight against this card -- as that couldn't be further from the truth. It's pretty easy to see that this card will likely be a mainstay on your team, even if he may find a more permanent role off your bench as one of your top pinch-hitters after you've had time to settle him in. Small sample size so far but this card absolutely rakes.#9 - J.T. Realmuto, C - PHI
I think this might be one of my more "against the grain" picks amongst the consensus rankings as it seems most people prefer Salvador Perez -- at least, from what I'm seen so far. That said, I may ultimately end up with Realmuto much, much higher once I get past my stubborn unwillingness to bench Matt Wieters over the long-haul. Back when my team was filled with budget cards, Live Series J.T. Realmuto had a batting average above .450, so I'm sure this is a card that will grow on me a ton.#10 - Eduardo Escobar, 3B - ARZ
This card has been stupidly good for me in Showdown so far and while that may have me a bit jaded at the moment, I could actually see this card being one of the more underrated and overlooked that a lot of folks may end up clinging to in the end. I guess we'll just have to see how he performs above Veteran Boss battle Showdowns until then though.#11 - Ozzie Albies, 2B - ATL
#12 - Josh Hader, CP - MIL
#13 - Salvador Perez, C - KC
#14 - Chris Taylor, CF - LAD
#15 - Adolis Garcia, CF - TEX
#16 - Rafael Devers, 3B - BOS
#17 - Teoscar Hernandez, RF - TOR
#18 - Jake Croenworth, 2B - SD
#19 - Cedric Mullins, CF - BAL
#20 - Kevin Gausman, SP - SF
#21 - Nelson Cruz Jr., RF - MIN
#22 - Michael Brantley, LF - HOU
#23 - Jared Walsh, 1B - LAA
#24 - Mike Zunino, C - TBR
#25 - Adam Frazier, 2B - PIT
#26 - German Marquez, SP - COL
#27 - Craig Kimbrel, CP - CHC
#28 - Carlos Rodon, SP - CWS
#29 - Yusei Kikuchi, SP - SEA
#30 - Trevor Rogers, SP - MIA -
Trea Turner baby!!!
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I work like a jabroni on the content inside and miss a mistake like that...
I had it as... "My Rankings of Team Affinity Season 3 Rankings"
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Nice write-up. Enjoyed the read.
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I normally can't hit with Trea Turner cards, i don't know what it is I just can't. That said 1st at bat with the new card and second pitch bang 450 foot homerun to the top seats in left center of Target field, i just sat there stunned that i had done that lol. He's a beast and may challenge for SS on my team now.
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Live Series DeGrom the reason i made WS this year can’t wait to use this new one!
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J-Ram at #6 and Hader at #12 are my only question marks.
Edit: also, Gregory Soto is BP.
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My top 5 are:
DeGrom
Hader
J Ramirez
Albies
DeversNo particular order.
Then probably:
Castellanos
Realmuto
Escobar
Judge
Turner or Olson
Brantley might have the best swing though, just not enough power and poor speed. But I will use him vs CPU plenty. Dont sleep on Cedric Mullins either.Great write up though, and love your reasons. No right answer on these of course but you took the time to explain your reasoning.
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I honestly would put Realmuto higher haha, nice to see him getting some love nonetheless though. His swing is really nice in my opinion and I love the fact that he can basically completely shut down any stealing
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I wasnt going to use realmuto i can hit .000 with him but with that 98 arm cannon he is gonna be my catcher for a long time (as im a phillies fan) nobody gonna steal on him at para 1 with max arm plus the cannon quirk (id assume he has it)
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Degrom
Castellanos
Turner
Reyes
Walsh(bench) -
This is a fun and top quality post. I think this highlights why it is important to try out cards and see how they work for you and to try them in different game modes. There are cards that I will hate (or love) doing a moment on veteran and then play online and my experience is completely different. I have been playing the event this week with only TA3 players to get TA3 missions and have found a lot of fun cards that I play well with...some that have really surprised me.
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degromo, soto, reye, castle, mullens, turner. top 3 for each type. I do like this a lot but like above hader imo is low and rameriz too high. that being said I dont have judge highly bc hes too dam tall and icant hit wiht him lol
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@Lord_Blumpkin35 bro I think judge is the best affinity player on paper, but I def struggle with this because of the size of his strike zone. Especially on HOF+
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@ndeangelo17_psn said in My Rankings of Team Affinity Season 3:
@Lord_Blumpkin35 bro I think judge is the best affinity player on paper, but I def struggle with this because of the size of his strike zone. Especially on HOF+
^ exactly, as of now im rocking castle in right. my friend is loving judge so I may have to try him out but its been the player everyone else seems to hit bombs with and I cant do anything other than pop out or hit roll overs to third with. castle has a short leash before I try judge out just bc hes too good to not try
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@lord_blumpkin35 said in My Rankings of Team Affinity Season 3:
@ndeangelo17_psn said in My Rankings of Team Affinity Season 3:
@Lord_Blumpkin35 bro I think judge is the best affinity player on paper, but I def struggle with this because of the size of his strike zone. Especially on HOF+
^ exactly, as of now im rocking castle in right. my friend is loving judge so I may have to try him out but its been the player everyone else seems to hit bombs with and I cant do anything other than pop out or hit roll overs to third with. castle has a short leash before I try judge out just bc hes too good to not try
Dont forget abouy Teoscar.
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@ronniegant1992 said in My Rankings of Team Affinity Season 3:
@lord_blumpkin35 said in My Rankings of Team Affinity Season 3:
@ndeangelo17_psn said in My Rankings of Team Affinity Season 3:
@Lord_Blumpkin35 bro I think judge is the best affinity player on paper, but I def struggle with this because of the size of his strike zone. Especially on HOF+
^ exactly, as of now im rocking castle in right. my friend is loving judge so I may have to try him out but its been the player everyone else seems to hit bombs with and I cant do anything other than pop out or hit roll overs to third with. castle has a short leash before I try judge out just bc hes too good to not try
Dont forget abouy Teoscar.
I think as far as outfield go I want castel, judge, mulleens, teoscar is 4th on the list. im not sure of any other possible options but that seems what id go with
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the ones that have made my team are
jake cronenworth (new starting 2b)
jacob degrom
alex reyes
rafael devers (bench bat)
salvador perez (bench bat)
nicholas castellanos (starting RF)
trea turner (bench bat)
matt olson (was going to be my starting 1b until AS MVP vladdy came out)gregory soto was going to be in my bullpen, but i have lit him up in RS and he also got rocked....so may take him out
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Solid list. I would only swap Hader and Soto. Soto's delivery is very straight forward, I think Hader with that cross body style gets more break on his slider and more swings and misses. Perez is definitely the better hitter and I might even put Zunino over him. However I am using the Realmuto allstar card which is 10 times better imo. Escobar was really a surprise for me. Joram is great and those quirks are second to non but I just could not get any exit velocity out of him. Could be user error. Degrom and Turner are must haves and will be in my lineup for a while. Olson is making his case to play over Oriz and Prince.
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This is all nice and dandy but the list should change depending on difficulty you’re playing on. I know for myself there’s a bunch on cards I’d play on AS but wouldn’t dare use in higher difficulties
