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While it's not the biggest program of the year, MLB The Show's new Twenty in June program revisits Sammy Sosa's unbelievable month of power in June 1998 -- and brings with it a Sosa that is equally exciting in game. But there's a catch...
Twenty in June Program Debuts With 95 OVR Sammy Sosa
That catch? The 95 OVR Sosa, who has a purple Lightning-style card art treatment and maxed-out 125 Power against righties, will only be available to unlock at the end of June, as the Twenty in June program is set to roll out day by day over the course of the month.
In truth, it's an ingenious way to replicate what Sosa did that sultry summer, smashing 20 of the 66 home runs he would hit in the storied race to and beyond the single-season home run record against Mark McGwire, and for any of the many Diamond Dynasty players who are literally too young to have lived through it, a series of moments that roll out in parallel to Sosa's blasts is going to be a thrill in its own way. It's just that it will also be a bit of a tease for a card that looks fantastic at the moment but will only be available, per in-game menus, on June 30, when the power curve will likely have largely caught up to it.
Players will likely obtain Sosa by completing 20 moments worth four program Stars each and five more missions also worth four Stars per completion, but just one moment and three missions -- the latter tied to homers with right fielders and Cubs and Parallel XP with Cubs -- are currently available. It stands to reason 19 more homer-related moments and two more missions are coming, but there's no clue as to when that may happen.
Apart from the Sosa, the program itself does have some substantial rewards: 40,000 Inning XP, 10 The Show packs, and two May Spotlight Drop 4 packs are the spoils en route to 100 Stars. For moments played with a souped-up slugger and missions that can be completed at a leisurely pace over a month, that's not bad at all.
But whether this program will be remembered fondly is likely to hinge on whether the Sosa that will now dangle in front of players for a full month of June turns out to be worth it in July.
May Spotlight Nears End With Drop 4
With May coming to a close this weekend, there's just one more bit of the May Spotlight program coming after Friday's Drop 4, which is headlined by Yankees starter Will Warren, Astros hot corner-er Isaac Paredes, and Padres slugger Gavin Sheets as its 92 OVR players.
Warren's the one of those three that comes for "free" with the program's reward path, and he's fine as a non-fireballer, with 99 K/9, no pitching stat lower than 83, and great break on his variety of pitches. Having a four-seamer at 94 MPH and a sinker at 93 allows for those to play well off of each other, too. Paredes and Sheets are probably more appealing as the Drop 4 pack cards, though, with Paredes rocking triple-digit stats in all of Contact and Power against righties and Batting Clutch, and Sheets just missing the same distinction by virtue of his 98 Contact against righties. Paredes is a reverse-split right-handed batter in that regard; he also has secondary position eligibility at first and second. Sheets, meanwhile, can play all three outfield spots, but has some rather dire defensive stats that will make that a significant concession.
Apart from those headliners, pack residents Ty France and Daylen Lile are the only other notable Drop 4 members, with France having a titanic 120 Batting Clutch and Lile possessing a nice contact hitter's profile, with Contact numbers around 100 and 87 Speed.
Drop 4 also brings with it another Extreme-level moment for players that want to get their reward path progress done in one chunk: Replicating the Yankees' 10-run inning against the Rockies. It's at Coors Field and on All-Star, so it's doable -- but the pinstriped pounders started that frame with No. 8 and 9 hitters Austin Wells and Oswaldo Peraza at the plate, and you'll have to do the same.
As a reminder, May's Spotlight program ends on May 6, next Friday, when the Lightning collections for the player of the month and retro player of the month will become fully completable.
Other News and Notes
- The 3rd Inning XP path ends next Friday just before 3:00 p.m. Eastern or noon Pacific, so players have just one more week to finish it and make progress toward the 3rd Inning Bosses of Eric Gagne, Trevor Story, and Bernie Williams. To facilitate that grind, Double Inning XP is available for the rest of the 3rd Inning.
- New Multiplayer program missions and players -- a 92 OVR Mike Piazza and a 93 OVR Brian Dozier -- dropped earlier this week, and the Piazza at least is very good, with one of the better offensive profiles of any catcher in Diamond Dynasty. Dozier is no slouch, with all his Contact and Power stats at 95 or better, but he lacks truly eye-popping attributes and has plummeted in price since his release, victim to a suddenly crowded market at second base.
- Chase Pack 12 dropped on Friday, and features a 94 OVR Felix Bautista that will thrown very, very hard and also miss the plate very, very often thanks to a 60 BB/9 and 73 Control. Whether that is worth the pain of scrounging through packs or price he'll command on the market is very, very much up to you.
