Welcome back to another MLB The Show 17 Diamond Dynasty Card review post here at Hit The Pass! This week I’m going to be diving into the April Monthly Awards set that was released this past Friday in the mode.

The set contains six “base” cards (two Diamonds, four Golds) all featuring players who put up an excellent first month of the season. If all six are acquired they can be cashed in for Player of the Month Eric Thames who is a 94 Overall Diamond. While you were able to acquire one of these cards via the special limited Monthly Awards Pack of which only 10K were released, those have long since sold out even with them having carried a cost of 20K Stubs.

You can still pick up five of the six cards on the market for varying prices, while the Mitch Haniger card is only available on the Ticket Counter (more on that later).

I’m going to take a quick look at the pros and cons of each card. If you would like a more detailed review of each card make sure to check out the video below.

91 rated 1B Ryan Zimmerman

PROs

– Great hitting stats
– Solid defense at 1B

CONs

– Price compared to other Diamond 1B (currently 70K-75K Stubs)
– 54 Vision leaves something to be desired

91 rated SP Jason Vargas

PROs

– Good pitch mix (2FB, CIR, 4FB, KNCV, SL)
– Excellent control
– Above average ‘Per 9’ ratings

CONs

– Low velocity

89 rated SP Mike Leake

PROs

– Good all-around attributes
– Excellent control
– Very nice Velocity/Break mix
– Affordable price compared to other high-Gold starters (6K-8K)

CONs

-58 K/9 does you no favors when needing that big punch out

87 rated Aaron Judge

PROs

– Power for days
– Will mash LH pitchers

CONs

– Market price is INSANE! (65K-75K)
– Below-average vision

85 rated Chris Owings

PROs

– Six position eligibility
– Very solid Contact, Defense, Speed combo

CONs

– Average Vision
– Would not play at 3B or SS due to arm strength (69)

85 rated Mitch Haniger

PROs

– Very good against RH pitching
– Solid Defense and Speed for OF

CONs

– Only available on Ticket Counter, must be level Silver 50
– 1400 Tickets is too high a price for a platoon player

94 rated Eric Thames

PROs

– Superstar-like Contact & Power attributes

CONs

– Below average Vision
– Defensive liability
– Cost of completing entire set is 175K+

Recommendation

I wouldn’t suggest going for the complete April Monthly Awards set. While the Thames card does show off some monster hitting stats, his defense and cost of completion are huge negatives. Even if you pulled a Zimmerman or Judge in your Monthly Award pack (they are the two most valuable base cards) you would still need roughly 100K in stubs, 1400 tickets and be at level Silver 50 to get everything else needed to complete the set. The price is just too high compared to what you get.

I do recommend the Vargas, Leake and Owings cards on their own. They are relatively well-priced compared to similar tier cards and could offer a nice upgrade to your team. Unfortunately, I feel the price of the Judge and Zimmerman keep them from being cards I would recommend. Your hard earned Stubs are better spent elsewhere. Haniger just isn’t worth the big Ticket price.

Make sure to check out the full review video below. If there is a particular card you would like me to take a look at next, hit me up on Twitter @SnaggleJ.