MLB The Show 23 has been out for well over a month now, and many fans have been off discovering all the ins and outs the latest installment has to offer. With so many new features to soak in, it can be a bit overwhelming when deciding where to start. But for Diamond Dynasty fans, it’s a pretty straightforward affair, particularly with the arrival of the new Captain Series.
As we know, Team Affinity is designed for those looking to assemble theme teams in Diamond Dynasty, and in the process, maximize how much they can elevate everyones potential on it. Well the Captain Series works hand-in-hand with just that. Honoring a series of different baseball players from all 30 MLB teams, every one of the Captain Series players come with three different tiers, each providing specific boosts once unlocked for that captain.
With Tier 3 providing the best skill attribute boosts, players will need to complete the collection requirements for every captain in order to unlock each tiers’ set of boosts. Fans can have one Hitting Captain and one Pitching Captain, and can mix and match players from different teams.
For those who are trying to keep up with all the new players being released or might be loading into MLB The Show 23 for the first time, you might be wondering which players are included in the Captain Series? Not to worry! We cover the full Set 1 and Set 2 collections of Captain Series players down below.
MLB The Show 23 – Captain Series Players
MLB The Show 23’s Diamond Dynasty has handful of different areas where you can secure Captain Series players. The main set of Captains can be acquired by completing the Season 1 and Season 2 Divisions from the Team Affinity Program. The second, and much smaller group of Captain Series stars, was available in the no-longer-active Season 1 Reward Path.
Moreover, should you have pre ordered the game prior to the early access period, you received an exclusive Captains Choice Pack, which presents a whole different selection of Captains, including former legends of the sport.
With over 30 to acquire from the Season 1 set and another 30+ from Season 2, most Captains come with a 92 overall rating and all have skill attributes that you can elevate upon meeting their specific tier requirements. So for example, if you have Derek Jeter’s Captain Series card, you will need to collect five Captain Series hitters to unlock his Tier 1 Boost of +5 Contract vs R, +5 Contract vs L, and +5 Batting Clutch for Jeter and his corresponding Captain Series cards.
Each Captain’s Tier Boosts are uniquely different though. So be sure to choose wisely when deciding which ones you want to prioritize and work towards as you begin collecting their corresponding player items. To assist you with this selection process, we here at VideoGamer have provided the full list of Captain Series players you can acquire in MLB The Show 23.
Set 2 Team Affinity Captains
With Season 2 here, MLB The Show 23 has released a slew of new Set 2 Team Affinity Captain Series players fans can now acquire. In order to maintain the relevance and importance of the Set 1 Captains, the Set 2 Team Affinity selection comes with positional Captain items that each team didn’t have in Season 1. In other words, if your favorite team had a Hitting Captain in Season 1, they now received a Pitching Captain in Season 2, and vice versa.
To help you decide who you want to pursue and use for your Diamond Dynasty theme teams, we’ve provided a list of all the Set 2 Team Affinity Captain Series players that are live in MLB The Show 23 Diamond Dynasty.
American League
East
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B) – Blue Jays
- Yandy DÃaz (1B) – Rays
- Enrique Hernandez (SS) – Red Sox
- Whitey Ford (SP) – Yankees
- John Means (SP) – Orioles
Central
- Jim Thome (1B) – Guardians
- Eric Hosmer (1B) – Royals
- Tim Anderson (SS) – White Sox
- Justin Verlander (SP) – Tigers
- Bert Blyleven (SP) – Twins
West
- Corey Seager (SS) – Rangers
- Jim Edmunds (CF) – Angels
- Edgar MartÃnez (DH) – Mariners
- Roy Oswalt (SP) – Astros
- Dennis Eckersley (CP) – Athletics
National League
East
- Garrett Cooper (1B) – Marlins
- VÃctor Robles (CF) – Nationals
- Tom Glavine (SP) – Braves
- Al Leiter (SP) – Mets
- Robin Roberts (SP) – Phillies
Central
- Mark McGwire (1B) – Cardinals
- Greg Vaughn (LF) – Brewers
- Kyle Hendricks (SP) – Cubs
- Nick Lodolo (SP) – Reds
- David Bednar (CP) – Pirates
West
- Will Smith (C) – Dodgers
- Steve Finley (CF) – Diamondbacks
- Larry Walker (RF) – Rockies
- Yu Darvish (SP) – Padres
- Logan Webb (SP) – Giants
Set 2 Captains Choice Pack Players
Last Friday (May 19), MLB The Show 23 decided to release an all-new Set 2 Captains Choice Pack in The Shop, which comes baring eight 95 overall new Captains to choose from. With the Set 2 Captains Choice Pack now live, fans can purchase up to three of them at a cost of 30,000 Stubs per pack. Upon purchasing each pack, fans can select one of the eight Captains available inside.
On that note, here’s a look at all the new Captain Series players you can get from the Set 2 Captains Choice Pack in MLB The Show 23:
- Salvador Pérez (C) – Royals – (Venezuela Team Captain)
- Johnny Bench (C) – Reds – (1970s & 80s Captain)
- Joe Morgan (2B) – Reds – (Short Kings Captain)
- Cal Ripken Jr. (SS) – Orioles – (Durability Captain)
- Sammy Sosa (RF) – Cubs – (50 Homers Captain)
- Mookie Betts (RF) – Red Sox – (Arm Accuracy Captain)
- Randy Johnson (SP) – Blue Jays – (Tall Kings Captain)
- Rollie Fingers (CP) – Athletics – (High Stamina Relievers Captain)
Remember, you can only purchase three of these packs and each of these Captains come with their own unique Captain boosts – so be sure to review every one before you decide who you want to select.
May Topps Now Captains Choice Pack
Along with the second week of May Topps Now Program players introduced to MLB The Show 23, comes a May Topps Now Captains Choice pack that contains two special new 92 overall diamond players:
- Tyler O’Neill (RF) – Cardinals
- Wade Miley (SP) – Reds
To unlock the new May Topps Now Captains Choice pack, you will need to progress your way through the reward path by completing Missions and Moments. Once you collect 34 Program Stars, you will unlock presumably the first of two May Topps Now Captains Choice packs, as was the case for the April Topps Now Program.
Similarly to that of the April Topps Now Captains, O’Neill and Miley have player collection tier requirements tied to the May Topps Now Program players. So if you’re after their Captain tier boosts, you will need May Topps Now Program players.
All Gold Everything Mini Season Captains
Along with the new Team Affinity Captain Series players that were released in Season 2, arrived two more unique Set 2 Captains, both of which can be unlocked by completing the new Mini Season mode, ‘All Gold Everything.’ In this Mini Season mode, fans need to build a team of all gold and common players. Upon doing so, they will then need to complete the Mini Season and win the Championship in order to unlock the following two Gold Overall Set 2 Captains:
- Paul Goldschmidt (1B) – Cardinals
- Kevin Gausman (SP) – Blue Jays
Both Goldschmidt and Gausman have the standard 92 overall ratings, and come with collection requirements that consist of having 80-84 overall rated players. Should you not be interested in completing the All Gold Everything Mini Season, you can find these new Captains in the Community Marketplace as well.
As MLB The Show 23 continues to reveal more Set 2 Captains during Season 2, we will be keeping this guide up to date with all you need to know. So be sure to check back as more Captains are released.
Set 1 Team Affinity & Rewards Path Captains
Along with the Team Affinity and Season 1 Reward Path Captains, there were also two Breakout Series Captains you could have unlocked from the Pennant Race Choice Pack in Ranked during Season 1.
These two players are marked with an asterisk down below and are not available in the Team Affinity Program nor in the Season 1 Rewards Path:
American League
East
- Aaron Judge (OF) – Yankees
- Gerrit Cole (SP) – Yankees
- Nestor Cortes Jr. (SP) – Yankees*
- Chris Sale (SP) – Red Sox
- Shane McClanahan (SP) – Rays
- Alex Manoah (SP) – Blue Jays
- Adley Rutschman (C) – Orioles
Central
- Miguel Cabrera (DH) – Tigers
- Zach Greinke (SP) – Royals
- Shane Bieber (SP) – Guardians
- Andres Gimenez (2B) – Guardians*
- Liam Hendriks (RP) – White Sox
- Elvis Andrus (SS) – White Sox
- Byron Buxton (OF) – Twins
West
- Jose Altuve (2B) – Astros
- Ryan Pressly (CP) – Astros
- Paul Sewald (CP) – Mariners
- Shohei Ohtani (SP) – Angels
- Martin Perez (SP) – Rangers
- Seth Brown (1B) – Athletics
National League
East
- Pete Alonso (1B) – Mets
- Bryce Harper (RF) – Phillies
- J.T. Realmuto (C) – Phillies
- Austin Riley (3B) – Braves
- Sandy Alcantara (SP) – Marlins
- Josiah Gray (SP) – Nationals
Central
- Andrew McCutchen (RF) – Pirates
- Joey Votto (1B) – Reds
- Ian Happ (LF) – Cubs
- Corbin Burns (SP) – Brewers
- Adam Wainwright (SP) – Cardinals
West
- Clayton Kershaw (SP) – Dodgers
- Zac Gallen (SP) – Diamondbacks
- Daniel Bard (CP) – Rockies
- Manny Machado (3B) – Padres
- Brandon Crawford (SS) – Giants
Set 1 Pre Order Captains Choice Pack
Down below, we list all the Captain Series players that were included in the Captains Choice Pack you received had you pre ordered MLB The Show 23 prior to launch.
If you missed out on getting your hands on these Captains, you can find them available in the MLB Players Store in Diamond Dynasty.
Here’s the full list of the exclusive Captain Series Choice Pack players:
- Mike Piazza (C) – Dodgers
- David Wright (3B) – Mets
- Derek Jeter (SS) – Yankees
- Willie Mays (CF) – Giants
- David Ortiz (DH) – Red Sox
- Nolan Ryan (SP) – Rangers
- Roy Halladay (SP) – Blue Jays
- Trevor Hoffman (CP) – Padres
April Topps Now Captains Choice Pack
On April 14, MLB The Show 23 released its Week 2 set of April Topps Now Program players, and with it, came a special April Topps Now Captains Choice Pack. As you progress your way through the April Topps Now Program rewards ladder, you will be able to unlock two of these Captain Series packs, which will grant you the chance to select the following two players:
- Anthony Rendon (3B) – Nationals
- Joe Musgrove (SP) – Padres
Just like the previous Captains, Rendon and Musgrove both come with 92 overall ratings and have Captain collection requirements tied to April Topps Now Program players.
April Monthly Awards Program Captains
Inside the April Monthly Awards Program, fans can secure two additional Set 1 Captain Series players. That being said, there’s a small wrinkle with these two new Captains. Instead of being listed as 92 overalls, these two Captains come with 95 overall ratings.
Upon reaching Tiers 5 and 6 of the program, fans will be able to unlock the following two Captain Series players in Diamond Dynasty:
- Carlos Santana (C) – Guardians
- Mark Pryor (SP) – Cubs
Similarly to the April Topps Now Captains, the collection requirements for both Santana and Pryor do consist of collecting April Monthly Awards Program players.
Trying to get your hands on some of the best players in the game? Look no further than the World Baseball Classic Program Players in MLB The Show 23. If you’re aiming on playing with more Supercharged Live Series cards in MLB The Show 23, check out the latest selection here!
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