The Best Players to Buy with MLB The Show 26 Stubs

If you’re sitting on a decent amount of MLB The Show 26 Stubs, the hardest part isn’t earning more. It’s spending them without wasting them. Most players don’t lose stubs because they buy “bad” cards. They lose stubs because they buy the wrong type of card at the wrong time.

This guide is written from the perspective of someone who plays Diamond Dynasty regularly and has made most of the common stubs mistakes already. The goal here is simple: help you buy players that actually improve your team and hold value long enough to be worth it.

What makes a player “worth buying” in MLB The Show 26?

A card is worth buying when it does at least one of these things:

Plays above its overall rating in online games

Fills a position that is hard to upgrade cheaply

Has a swing/pitch mix that performs better than the stats suggest

Holds value because it stays usable for weeks

The biggest mistake newer players make is buying cards that look strong on paper but don’t translate well online. Some cards have great attributes but slow swings, bad fielding animations, or pitch mixes that don’t fool real opponents.

In practice, the “best players” to buy are usually cards that are consistent, not flashy.

Should you buy hitters or pitchers first?

Most of the time, hitters should be your first stubs investment.

Pitchers can dominate for a few games, but once your opponent sees them enough, their effectiveness drops. This is especially true if you play Ranked regularly. Meanwhile, elite hitters stay useful much longer because hitting is more about your timing and approach than surprise.

That said, one shutdown starting pitcher is still worth buying early if you’re playing online. A good starter saves you from burning your bullpen every game.

A practical spending order that works for most players:

One strong starting pitcher

Two reliable bats (middle infield or outfield)

A catcher you can actually hit with

Bullpen arms

Bench depth

Which positions give the biggest upgrade for your stubs?

Some positions have more “cheap usable” options than others. If you spend stubs in the wrong spot, you might only gain a small improvement.

Catcher is usually worth paying for

Catcher is a weak spot for many teams because cheap catchers often have slow swings and weak contact. A catcher with a solid bat and good defense changes how your whole lineup feels.

Middle infield is a smart place to invest

Second base and shortstop matter because you need range, reaction, and a quick release. If your shortstop has weak defense, you will notice it immediately.

Corner outfield is easier to fill cheaply

There are usually plenty of affordable outfield bats. You don’t need to spend big stubs here unless you’re buying a true top-tier card.

First base is often a trap purchase

Many first basemen hit well but feel similar. If you spend 100K stubs on a first baseman, the upgrade over a free program card may not be huge.

What types of hitters play best online?

When you’re buying hitters, ignore the overall rating and focus on how they play in real online games.

Prioritize these traits:

Good contact vs both sides (not just one)

Power high enough to punish mistakes

A swing that feels quick (usually balanced or pull hitters)

Solid vision/discipline if you struggle with strikeouts

Fielding that matches the position

In MLB The Show, a hitter with a smooth swing and balanced contact often performs better than a card with higher raw stats.

Also, don’t underestimate switch hitters. They reduce matchup problems and make your lineup harder to bullpen against.

Which hitters are usually the best stubs purchases?

Instead of naming one exact card (since the market changes constantly), it’s more useful to explain the categories of hitters that are almost always worth it.

1. Meta shortstops (balanced hitting + defense)

The best shortstops usually have:

Diamond defense

Enough power to hit gaps and homers

Good reaction and arm strength

These cards stay in lineups for a long time because they impact both offense and defense. Even when better hitters come out later, strong shortstops still remain useful.

2. Switch-hitting infielders

A switch hitter at second base or third base is one of the safest ways to spend stubs. You get consistent at-bats against any pitcher, and you don’t have to restructure your lineup every time you face a lefty.

3. Outfielders with elite speed and defense

If you play Ranked, you will give up hits just because your outfielder takes a bad route. A fast center fielder with diamond defense saves runs and also creates pressure on offense with stolen bases and extra-base hits.

A lot of players focus only on power, but speed and defense are what win close games.

4. Catchers that can hit inside fastballs

If you’ve played enough online, you already know the issue: opponents spam inside sinkers and cutters.

Many catchers have slow swings that can’t catch up. A catcher with a quicker swing and decent contact is worth paying for because it stops your lineup from feeling like it has an automatic out.

What pitchers are actually worth buying?

Pitchers are more complicated because performance depends heavily on pitch mix and delivery, not just H/9 and K/9.

Starting pitchers worth buying usually have:

A sinker or cutter (ideally both)

A hard fastball (97+)

A changeup or splitter to kill timing

A slider with sharp break

A delivery that hides the ball

If a pitcher has a straight fastball, curveball, and changeup with no cutter/sinker, good players will hit them.

In MLB The Show, sinkers and cutters are popular because they look like fastballs but move late. That makes them harder to square up.

Bullpen arms worth buying usually have:

Outlier velocity or extreme movement

A fast release

At least one pitch that breaks horizontally (slider/cutter)

Relievers don’t need five pitches. They need two or three nasty ones.

Should you buy Live Series diamonds or special cards?

This depends on your goal.

If you’re building a competitive team quickly

Special cards are usually better. Most Live Series diamonds are overpriced early because people want collections, not because they play well.

If you want collections done long-term

Then Live Series diamonds can be worth buying, but timing matters. Prices often spike early and settle later.

A common mistake is locking in expensive Live Series cards too early. Once you lock them in, you can’t sell them. If you later realize you don’t even like the card, the stubs are gone.

When is the best time to buy players with stubs?

Market timing matters more than most people admit.

Best times to buy:

Right after a new program drops (more supply floods the market)

During content days when packs are being opened heavily

Late at night when fewer people are bidding

After big roster updates (panic selling happens)

Worst times to buy:

Weekend evenings (more players online, prices rise)

Right before big content drops (people speculate and prices inflate)

If you’re patient, you can often save 10–30% just by waiting for the right day.

Should you flip cards or just buy what you need?

If you enjoy flipping, it’s a good way to build stubs. But most players don’t stick with it long enough to make it worth the time.

In practice, the smartest approach is usually:

Flip casually when margins are obvious

Save the majority of your time for gameplay

Spend stubs only when you know a card fits your team

If you are trying to buy MLB The Show 26 stubs Nintendo Switch, make sure you still plan your spending the same way. The platform doesn’t change the core market logic: stubs disappear fast when you buy cards based on overall rating instead of performance.

What’s the safest way to spend stubs without regret?

The safest strategy is to buy cards that are easy to resell.

That means avoiding:

Collection-only cards that drop hard later

Players with low demand

Cards that are only popular because of hype

Instead, focus on:

Top-tier shortstops

Switch hitters

Elite center field defenders

Meta starting pitchers with sinker/cutter

Bullpen arms with velocity and slider/cutter combos

If you buy cards like these, you can usually resell them later with a small loss or even a profit if the market shifts.

Which types of players should you avoid buying?

Some cards look tempting but rarely feel worth the stubs.

Avoid slow corner bats unless they are truly elite

If a player has low speed, weak fielding, and a long swing, they have to hit a lot of home runs to justify the lineup spot.

Avoid pitchers with predictable mixes

Even if their stats are great, pitchers without a strong mix get hit hard once opponents adjust.

Avoid expensive “name value” cards early

Big-name players often cost more because people like them, not because they are the best competitively.

Advice: what should your stubs goal be?

The best way to think about stubs is simple: you’re buying wins and consistency, not collecting overall ratings.

A good stubs purchase is a player you can start every game without thinking about matchups. If you build your roster around a few reliable hitters, one dominant starter, and a bullpen arm you trust, you’ll win more games than someone who buys random expensive cards and constantly swaps their lineup.