MLB The Show 23: Best Teams To Join As A Center Fielder

The dream of playing center field is fulfilled marvelously in MLB The Show 23. The position in the field gets to rob home runs, make diving catches, and gun runners down who try to tag up and score. At the plate, they're usually quick contact hitters with a touch of power.

Center field is understandably a popular position to play. But it's also often selected by new players who don't understand that not every team can use a center fielder. To have a long career in MLB The Show 23, only a few teams are primed to take advantage of their services.

Los Angeles Dodgers

MLB The Show 23 Dodgers Center Fielders Preseason

Position	Rating Of Best Player
Starting Pitcher 1	91
Starting Pitcher 2	88
Starting Pitcher 3	87
Starting Pitcher 4	85
Starting Pitcher 5	80
Relief Pitcher	77
Closing Pitcher	90
Catcher	88
First Baseman	88
Second Baseman	77
Third Baseman	78
Shortstop	77
Left Fielder	75
Center Fielder	68
Right Fielder	97

It's astounding that the Dodgers, one of the best teams in baseball, have a glaring hole at center field. It's not just a small hole, either. The rest of the team is 75 or better, so how is it that a 68-rated player is the best they've got? Gamers should absolutely take advantage.

This is a team used to getting to and winning the World Series. They still have many of their best pieces. The pitching is going to be there and the hitting is great. They really just need one more superstar to make their dominance unquestioned.

Philadelphia Phillies

MLB The Show 23 Phillies Center Fielders Preseason

Position	Rating Of Best Player
Starting Pitcher 1	91
Starting Pitcher 2	90
Starting Pitcher 3	80
Starting Pitcher 4	79
Starting Pitcher 5	72
Relief Pitcher	76
Closing Pitcher	82
Catcher	90
First Baseman	84
Second Baseman	72
Third Baseman	73
Shortstop	92
Left Fielder	78
Center Fielder	71
Right Fielder	95

After a trip to the World Series last year, the Phillies have already proved that they're very close to winning a championship. They don't need much, but they do need something. They're a team that could use a new second baseman, but center field is a slightly greater need.

The Phillies are the fastest team in the league by the ratings. A player that steps into center field with great speed automatically fits the scheme they are going for in Philadelphia. Step in and get that ring in the first year with the team.

San Diego Padres

MLB The Show 23 Padres Center Fielders Preseason

Position	Rating Of Best Player
Starting Pitcher 1	86
Starting Pitcher 2	86
Starting Pitcher 3	84
Starting Pitcher 4	76
Starting Pitcher 5	75
Relief Pitcher	77
Closing Pitcher	85
Catcher	70
First Baseman	79
Second Baseman	76
Third Baseman	95
Shortstop	86
Left Fielder	88
Center Fielder	74
Right Fielder	77

On paper, it looks like the Padres are an organization in great need of a new catcher. But many teams use rotations at catcher, so this isn't really too much of an issue. They would much prefer to find a star at center field who can get on base for their power hitters.

This is a team in the top half of the league in all five major categories: speed, defense, pitching, contact, and power. But being above average doesn't win championships. This is a team that won't blow many games, they just need one more piece to put them over the top.

Cleveland Guardians

MLB The Show 23 Guardians Center Fielders Preseason

Position	Rating Of Best Player
Starting Pitcher 1	89
Starting Pitcher 2	82
Starting Pitcher 3	78
Starting Pitcher 4	75
Starting Pitcher 5	72
Relief Pitcher	80
Closing Pitcher	93
Catcher	74
First Baseman	76
Second Baseman	86
Third Baseman	94
Shortstop	80
Left Fielder	76
Center Fielder	72
Right Fielder	77

The Guardians can't ask for too much. They've got a 72+ player in every position. It looks like a team that could use one more star pitcher but the fifth pitcher usually doesn't make the squad for the playoffs. This is a team that needs a difference-maker at center field for the playoffs.

The rest of the team in Cleveland is solid. Players can also have a rare power build here as the Guardians are already in the top five in both speed and contact. Go ahead and be one of the few center fielders that primarily gets for power.

Toronto Blue Jays

MLB The Show 23 Blue Jays Center Fielders Preseason

Position	Rating Of Best Player
Starting Pitcher 1	88
Starting Pitcher 2	86
Starting Pitcher 3	82
Starting Pitcher 4	76
Starting Pitcher 5	73
Relief Pitcher	78
Closing Pitcher	82
Catcher	86
First Baseman	88
Second Baseman	78
Third Baseman	85
Shortstop	84
Left Fielder	80
Center Fielder	76
Right Fielder	88

It's going to take a few extra months to take the starting job from anybody over 75, so gamers should only do so if there is an exceptional reason. The Blue Jays are worth the wait; this is a team that is in the top ten in contact, power, pitching, defense, and speed.

In every version of the game, Toronto is one of the best outside of their weak center fielder. After taking that spot from the starter, the rest of the starting hitters are 78+. They go from championship hopefuls to championship probables with this one change.

Tampa Bay Rays

MLB The Show 23 Rays Center Fielders Preseason

Position	Rating Of Best Player
Starting Pitcher 1	93
Starting Pitcher 2	84
Starting Pitcher 3	84
Starting Pitcher 4	80
Starting Pitcher 5	77
Relief Pitcher	79
Closing Pitcher	84
Catcher	76
First Baseman	70
Second Baseman	79
Third Baseman	77
Shortstop	80
Left Fielder	81
Center Fielder	74
Right Fielder	73

The Rays are the most "average" of the teams on the list, ranked fifteenth out of thirty teams in the major leagues. The squad could use a first baseman and right fielder too, but they're a prime spot for a center fielder to really take over and show off some star power.

While the team is not bad, they've got no hitter ranked above 81. Players in this kind of situation become the focal point of the team, getting to start more often and getting the prime stop in the lineup. It's a place where a star can be a star.

MLB The Show 23 is available now for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

MORE: Every Player to Appear on the Cover of MLB The Show