The highest rated Blue Jays in MLB The Show 17 and where they rank at their position

MLB The Show 17 hits the shelves today and as we do every year, we quickly wanted to check out the rankings for this year’s game.

The usual suspects are at the top of the list with Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw both coming in with a rating of 99, but some Blue Jays were still at or near the top of their positional rankings. As something that is not a surprise to anyone, Josh Donaldson starts things off at the top.

Hitters

Josh Donaldson: 94 – Blue Jays rank: 1^st – Third Basemen Rank: 1^st

Donaldson is ranked at the top of the third basemen rankings and sixth overall. He is tied at the top with Cubs’ third baseman, Kris Bryant, but their system still has him sitting above Bryant when looking at the rankings in order.

Troy Tulowitzki: 83 – Blue Jays Rank: 4^th (Tied) – Shortstop Rank: 7^th

With a wave of young, talented shortstops coming into the league, Tulo has slid down a bit, but still is among the top tier of shortstops.

Devon Travis: 83 – Blue Jays Rank: 4^th (Tied)  – Second Basemen Rank: 12^th

Devon Travis is one of four Blue Jays hitters that came in with an 83 rating and he definitely has the potential to raise up a little bit if he stays healthy this season.

Jose Bautista: 83 Blue Jays Rank: 4^th (Tied) – Right Field Rank: 8^th

Bautista’s defense hurts him a bit in the right field rankings, but he’s still among the best in the league.

Russell Martin: 83 – Blue Jays Rank: 4^th (Tied) – Catcher Rank: 7^th

For the catcher ratings, we mine as well call it Buster Posey (92) and then everyone else.

Steve Pearce: 81 – Blue Jays Rank: 9^th – First Basemen Rank: 15^th

Steve Pearce may surprise some people being this high, but with his proficiency against left-handed pitching, he may provide the Blue Jays with this kind of value in a platoon.

Kevin Pillar: 80 Blue Jays Rank: 10^th (Tied) – Centre Field Rank: 21^st

Kevin Pillar’s defense keeps him pretty high on this list.

Melvin Upton Jr.: 78 Blue Jays Rank: 11^th (Tied)  – Left Field Rank: 15^th

Most people are pretty concerned about the left field position for the Blue Jays, but MLB the Show’s rating and positional assignment has them sitting right around middle of the pack.

Starting Pitchers

Aaron Sanchez: 85 Blue Jays Rank: 3^rd  – Starting Pitcher Rank: 27^th

Aaron Sanchez lead the AL in ERA last year, but that didn’t do him too many favours in this ranking. He does come in at the top of the Blue Jays rotation, but at the back end of number one pitchers in the SP rankings.

Marcus Stroman: 82 Blue Jays Rank: 8^th  – Starting Pitcher Rank: 39^th

This feels like a good starting point for Marcus Stroman, but he’ll definitely be hoping to rise up the ranks a bit and carry on his strong performance from the World Baseball Classic.

Marco Estrada: 80 Blue Jays Rank: 10^th (Tied)  – Starting Pitcher Rank: 59^th

The next three Blue Jays pitchers may seem a little low in comparison to the two above him, but considering this would technically put Estrada within the top 2 pitchers per team (Top 60), it seems fair.

Francisco Liriano: 78 Blue Jays Rank: 11^th (Tied)  – Starting Pitcher Rank: 75^th

Liriano seems to rise and fall in these rankings every year with how inconsistent his career has been year-over-year. Could he be back on the upswing this season?

J.A. Happ: 78 Blue Jays Rank: 11^th (Tied)  – Starting Pitcher Rank: 76^th

Strikeouts and strikeout potential are a big part of how players are ranked in these games, which knocks Happ and Estrada down a bit, but they’re still ranked among very effective pitchers.

Closers

Roberto Osuna: 86 Blue Jays Rank: 2^nd  – Closing Pitcher Rank: 9^th

Roberto Osuna doesn’t quite make it into the top tier of closers, but he’s just on the cusp. If he can add some more K’s this season, he might move up a little as well.

Kendrys Morales will likely play a lot with the Blue Jays this season too, but DH isn’t considered a primary position in the game, so he is lumped in with the first basemen. He is rated 76, but considering his defense won’t actually be a factor in real life, he’ll produce at a much higher clip than you’d expect from someone rated that low.

Oh, and there’s one more person that Blue Jays might be interested in hearing about. Cleveland’s newest power bat, Edwin Encarnacion comes in with a rating of 86, ranking him sixth among all first basemen – despite his issues on the defensive side of the ball.