Yes, MLB The Show 23’s Negro League greats are in Diamond Dynasty

GAMES
By James

MLB The Show 23 sheds light on the history of the Negro Leagues through the new Storylines mode, which tells the stories of eight of the greatest athletes to play professional baseball in the sport’s pre-integration days. But that’s not the only way these Negro League greats appear in the game: they’re also playable in Diamond Dynasty, the mode where you create fantasy teams using virtual trading cards.

Baseball’s all-time greats have been available as playable “legends” in Diamond Dynasty (and Franchise) for many years, allowing MLB The Show players to put Mickey Mantle on the same team as Aaron Judge. This year, the harvest of legends has arrived MLB The Show 23‘s Diamond Dynasty mode features Negro League players for the first time. They’ll be available as soon as the game launches – the public release date is March 28, but early access is live from March 24 – and thanks to the way Negro League baseball was played, they’ll be some of the most sought-after players in all of Diamond Dynasty. Here’s how to unlock them.

Which Negro League players are in MLB The Show 23?

MLB The Show 23‘s Storylines mode focuses on eight Negro League stars, ranging from one of the most renowned figures in American history to some lesser-known baseball players who were no less adept on the field:

  • Martin Dihigo
  • John Donaldson
  • Andrew “Rube” Foster
  • John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil
  • Leroy “Switch” Paige
  • Jackie Robinson
  • Hilton Smith
  • Hank Thompson

How do you unlock the Negro League players in Diamond Dynasty?

It’s simple: play the Storylines mode!

That’s right – all you need to do to unlock MLB The Show 23‘s eight Negro League stars for use in Diamond Dynasty is to play through their respective Storylines chapters. You’ll get a 90-rated card for each player once you complete their segment, and if you do all eight, you’ll also receive a 95-rated Captain card for Hall of Famer Buck O’Neil.

Each player’s storyline chapter is broken up into a number of playable ‘moments’ interspersed with video sequences that tell you more about the athlete’s career and life. The chapters are designed to take 35-45 minutes to complete, according to MLB The Show developer SIE San Diego Studio, so you should be able to play all eight in about five hours. That’s not too much time investment to unlock some of the best players in Diamond Dynasty! (Plus, the Storylines mode itself is really cool and worth checking out.)

What makes the Negro League players so good in Diamond Dynasty?

John Donaldson threw 14 no-hitters in his three-decade career – and he also hit .334 in more than 1,800 at bats.
Image: SIE San Diego Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

Diamond Dynasty is all about drafting the best possible team from the cards in your collection. It can make sense to play someone out of position – even if it lowers their overall rating a bit – to make room for a player who needs to stay in a certain spot. That will be less of a problem once you’ve unlocked the Negro League maps.

One of the many remarkable things about the Negro leagues is that it was common for athletes to be two-way players – throwing as well as hitting. (Financial constraints often limited rosters to about 20 places, forcing players to do double duty.) That’s not to say that everyone excelled at both roles, but a few of the standouts can be seen in MLB The Show 23. In fact, anyone but Satchel Paige can play at least two positions — and Cuban-born Hall of Famer Martín Dihigo can play all nine.

  • Martin Dihigo: SP/C/1B/2B/3B/SS/LF/CF/RF
  • John Donaldson: SP/1B/LF/CF/RF
  • Rube Foster: SP/1B
  • Buck O’Neil: 1B/LF/RF
  • Satchel Paige: SP
  • Jackie Robinson: 2B/SS
  • Hilton Smith: SP/LF/RF
  • Hank Thompson: RF/2B/3B/SS/LF/CF

Unlocking some of the more versatile players like Dihigo and Hank Thompson will give you more options as you build your Diamond Dynasty team.

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