Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, Shane Victorino and now Chase Utley can be added to your 2008 Philadelphia Phillies squad in MLB The Show 22.
Slated to come out April 5, 2022, the new entry in the MLB The Show franchise will help tide over baseball fans frustrated by the lockout.
Earlier this offseason, in their first gameplay release trail via social media, Sony San Diego Studios revealed that Ryan Howard would be added to the game this year. Now, via twitter post, they’ve also revealed that Utley would feature in this year’s rendition of MLB The Show.
Unlike Howard, Utley has never been featured prominently for a baseball video game, despite his dominance in the latter half of the 2000s. Howard was a more flashy player, driving in runs and mashing homers at a terrific rate. Thus he was the cover athlete for MLB The Show 08.
While Howard’s card in MLB The Show 22 will likely have max power, Utley’s card will probably be more understated. His defense and speed will probably be key selling points. One of the aspects that made Utley great in real life was his ability to consistently steal bases.
No player in baseball history with 100 stolen bases or more has a higher success rate on stolen bases than Utley. The Phillies second baseman is also the 79th best defender all-time according to dWAR, an adaptation of DRS that includes positional value.
Utley was a five-tool player, lest we forget his far more prominent hitting ability. His contact stats in-game will very likely be tremendously high against both righties and lefties. While Utley wasn’t known for his power, he did average nearly 30 home runs a season during his 5-year peak.
Like the real ballplayer, Utley’s card will be very well rounded and a must have for any Phillies related theme squad.
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