Former Pirates That Need to Be in MLB The Show

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor David Stegon. Subscribe to Stegon’s MLB the Show-focused substack for more content like this (it’s free!). If you want to get better at MLB the Show, buy his book that teaches you everything you need to know about Diamond Dynasty.

The last few years have been good for Pirates fans who play MLB the Show. 

Last year, Andrew McCutchen received a 2012 Finest Card that quickly became a staple of competitive lineups (and remains my favorite MLB the Show card ever for obvious reasons). We also got an Oneil Cruz future stars card that was absolutely dirty, a surprisingly good Ralph Kiner, and even a Jason Kendall that was not atrocious. 

This comes after the inclusion of Roberto Clemente in MLB the Show ’21 (a huge collection reward in ’22) and Honus Wagner in ’20. While the content developers at MLB the Show have done an excellent job including legendary Pirates players in their all-time rosters, there are still a few more that I’d like to see:

Bobby Bonilla

This is the big sleeper right here. Bobby Bo was a switch-hitting monster during his Pirates days and would have multi-position versatility with 3B, RF and 1B. Give me a 1990 Retro Finest Bonilla, and I would P5 him in about three days. 



Launch a Bobby Bonilla program on July 1, otherwise known as Bobby Bonilla Day. Complete several moments to get a Retro Finest Bonilla, including a GTA-style mission where you must drive to Queens to pick up your annual $1.19 million payment and drive home without getting robbed.

Josh Gibson

This may already be in the works thanks to MLB the Show’s introduction of Negro League programs in this year’s game. A maxed-out Josh Gibson with 125 power and a rocket arm could break the game. While we still only know some of the negro league stars that will be part of this year’s game, I’d love guys like Cool Papa Bell, Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe, and Judy Johnson in the game as well.

Ginger Beaumont

I do love the old-timey players in MLB the Show. Beaumont seems like a wonderfully random choice who would play a stellar center field and steal some bases.

Three Rivers Stadium

MLB the Show has a wealth of older stadiums, and this year even features a revamped Forbes Field. (For some reason, the Forbes Field currently in the game does not have the right field bleachers that were built in 1925, although the new version does.)

However, the game lacks the cookie-cutter stadiums of the 1970s. While Three Rivers, Riverfront, and the Vet do not have the charm of either older or newer stadiums, these venues were integral to how a generation of baseball fans viewed the game. Let’s put them in there, rock-hard astroturf and all.

A Useable Mark Melancon

The Shark was a dominant reliever for the Pirates from 2013 to 2016, but MLB the Show has yet to fully capture his greatness. That is partly to blame on Melancon the player. 

MLB the Show historically rewards pitchers who throw gas and rack up strikeouts. While this worked well in actual games, it does not translate to the gaming console. Melancon pitched more like a poor man’s Mariano Rivera, using his cutter and outstanding control of his secondary pitches (most notably a curveball) to get batters out. MLB the Show needs a Melancon with a dominant cutter, low H/9, and near-perfect control. 

A Useable Gerrit Cole

I’m not the world’s biggest Gerrit Cole fan but MLB the Show always does him dirty. His cards tend to get hit hard, which is odd considering he has been among the best starting pitchers in all of baseball for several years now. He usually gets a Gold Pirates throwback card that is useless except for collections. 

I’d love a 2015 All-Star Gerrit Cole that is not terrible.

Russell Martin

A catcher with power, speed, and 3B eligibility would be awesome. Plus, we can get to replay the Cueto moment. This one need to happen.

Andy Van Slyke

No explanation needed.

John Smiley

A big lefty throwing hammers from a goofy arm angle? Yes please!

Tony Womack

Ready to get toxic? A 1997 All-Star Tony Womack with 99 speed would be a controller-throwing nightmare.

Arky Vaughan

Sure, why not.

Elroy Face

Fork balls for days. This card could be incredibly effective, especially as a long reliever. I’m thinking he would play like the Bruce Suter cards that lack a crazy fastball but has such a good splitter that they can induce tons of weak contact.

Francisco Cordova

Frankie was before his time, a sinker-baller who threw from multiple arm slots to make opposing hitters miserable. With the overpowered nature of sinkers in MLB the Show a Cordova card could be low-key fantastic. (Ricardo Rincon sold separately.)

And, of course…

Barold Lamar Bonds

Listen, everyone wants him in the game but Barry gonna Barry. The Home Run King has long denied selling his likeness to video game makers for reasons only Barry knows. 

This resulted in the hilarious creation of Jon Dowd in MVP Baseball 2005, a fictional character designed after one of the game’s producers who was given Barry’s ungodly baseball talent. MLB the Show either needs to give us a John Dowd or, better yet, pay Barry and get the man in the game. 

His 1991 card (when he could still run) would be among the best players the game ever saw. And, of course, his steroid-fueled Giants years would be unstoppable. Plus, I could throw at virtual Barry whenever he came up to bat, so that’s fun!

Subscribe to David Stegon’s MLB the Show-focused substack for more content like this (it’s free!). If you want to get better at MLB the Show, buy his book that teaches you everything you need to know about Diamond Dynasty.