Pitchers and catchers are in spring training doing their thing. Local news stations are doing pieces about the insane State Fair food served at their stadiums. MLB The Show 25 enters early access this week. If you love the national pastime, heaven is not that far away. Here are the three players that will be making or wrecking your video game seasons soon with their perfect ratings.
Shohei Ohtani (P/DH) Los Angeles Dodgers
Calling Ohtani a generational player is underselling it. He is one of the best pitchers and best hitters on the diamond, an absolute cheat code. He's the type of athlete we previously only saw in video games. Ohtani captured his third MVP trophy after mashing 54 home runs and leading the Dodgers to a world championship. He'll hold this 99 rating for a while if he keeps putting up these numbers. Oh, and by the way, he didn't pitch last year due to an injury. Yep, he's going to be even better in 2025. It may take a miracle for anyone to stop Los Angeles this year.
Aaron Judge (OF) New York Yankees
The sweet-swinging outfielder is the fastest player in MLB history to bash 300 home runs. It took him only 955 games, 132 less than the previous record holder Ralph Kiner. He also holds the American League record for home runs, smashing 62 in 2022. Unfortunately for pitchers, Judge is just entering his prime. He will have a little less protection in the batting order without this next player.
Juan Soto (OF) New York Mets
In a move that will fuel Big Apple sports talk debates for decades to come, Juan Soto moved his explosive batting show across town from the New York Yankees to the Mets. Why? Oh, let's say there are 765 million reasons. No less of a Mets legend than Darryl Strawberry has blessed the move, comparing the trio of Soto, Francisco Lindor, and Pete Alonso to Strawberry, Keith Hernandez, and Gary Carter.
Soto homered in his first major league game with the Washington Nationals, and hasn't stopped mashing them since. It's wild that a hitter this talented is on his fourth team, but that's a discussion about baseball economics for some other time.