MLB The Show Card Reviews: 2025 Tokyo Series Program
Available at launch, the 2025 Tokyo Series Program features Japanese stars on the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The team at The Show Gazette will bring readers content and player reviews whenever new programs release or significant content drops into the game.
Today, we’re going through all the players you can earn through the 2025 Tokyo Series Program.
SHOHEI OHTANI
- Overall: 84
- Position: DH
- ShowZone profile
Perks: It is a free Ohtani card. He has a great swing and solid hitting attributes with a plethora of quirks to help him offensively and is very strong on the basepaths with 81 speed and 89 steal. While the player card screen does not show pitching attributes, Ohtani does play on the mound as well. He retains his 5-pitch mix and pitch breaks, and his other pitching attributes are close to — if not the same as — his Live Series card.
Grind Time: Twenty points in the Tokyo Series Program. That could come from a combination of moments, stat missions or PXP with Cubs and/or Dodgers players.
Drawbacks: He has zero secondary positions. Putting him in the outfield is a nightmare, so trot him out to the field at your own peril. And as previously mentioned, his "hidden" pitching abilities mean there is a good chance people will pull him out in online play.
Verdict: A fantastic DH option for the early game cycle, and he is incredibly easy to obtain versus spending a ton of stubs on Ohtani's Live Series card.
SHOTA IMANAGA
- Overall: 85
- Position: SP
- ShowZone profile
Perks: Elite control ratings on his four-seamer (99) and splitter (95) with an overall 89 control rating help give him very small PAR regions. Imanaga also has good velo separation with about a 10-mph difference between his four-seam (92 mph) and his splitter (83 mph) and circle change (82 mph).
Grind Time: Forty points in the Tokyo Series Program.
Drawbacks: Unfortunately, Imanaga was given a circle change instead of the sinker he has on his Live Series card. That means he has both a splitter and a circle change that are nearly identical in velocity and pitch shape.
Verdict: At this point in the game, Imanaga might be better used in online play as a long reliever — or just devote to offline grinding because he pitches exclusively from the stretch. He would be a much more viable rotation option if he had the sinker instead of the circle change and splitter combo.
SEIYA SUZUKI
- Overall: 85
- Position: RF
- ShowZone profile
Perks: Suzuki has a very good swing, and this bat will play. His 83 clutch rating is right in line with his contact ratings against both sides (87 vs. righties, 81 vs. lefties), so you are getting basically the same hitter no matter the situation. He also has several helpful quirks, including Bad Ball Hitter, Dead Red and Unfazed to give him some extra boosts. In addition to the capable hitting, Suzuki is also usable defensively with his 89 throw power, 88 reaction and 75 speed.
Grind Time: Fifty-five points in the Tokyo Series Program
Drawbacks: The biggest downside to this card is the 50 vision rating, which will shrink the size of his PCI. His 70 fielding does leave something to be desired, but with his aforementioned reaction and throw power ratings, he will still play well enough in the field.
Verdict: Suzuki is a very good card to plug into your lineup at this time of year. Offensively, he actually compares pretty well with the Pipeline Series Dylan Crews card, so this is a great free option to have to help you save your stubs for other areas of need.
YOSHINOBU YAMAMOTO
- Overall: 86
- Position: SP
- ShowZone profile
Perks: Yamamoto has an excellent curveball on paper with 92 control and 99 break, plus having the Break Outlier quirk will help the pitch keep its shape as he progresses through each outing. His card is also extremely well balanced with pitching attribute ratings in the 80s almost entirely across the board. He has a great balance with his pitch mix, as he does not have any pitches that mimic each other like the Imanaga card.
Grind Time: End of program reward, maybe an hour or so of intentional gameplay.
Drawbacks: The curveball is 20 mph slower than his four-seamer, so hitters that are sitting on the fastball will have time to read and adjust to the curve. Yamamoto also does not have a sinker, but his mix offers enough variety for users to vary looks.
Verdict: Another very good free option to add to the squad. Yamamoto is a quick unlock that can take a rotation spot and hold it for a good portion of this early game cycle until you work through other programs.
Nick is an IBWAA member who has spent time writing for various sports websites over the last 12 years, primarily focusing on baseball. He is also an avid MLB The Show player and is believed to have been the first person in the world to get live series Kyle Hendricks to Parallel 5 every year since the iteration of the parallel system.