One New MLB The Show Legend For Each Team: National League Central

Pittsburgh Pirates

Brian Giles

Brian Giles was one of the most underrated batters of the late-90s and early-2000s. A consistent yet strong force out of the Pirates’ line-up, he was one of their best players from 1999 through 2003. But he was consistently overshadowed by some of the other great players of that era. But Giles would easily have some of the best hitting attributes in the game if he was introduced. Giles career, which came to an end in 2007, saw him bat .291/.400/.502 with a 136 wRC+.

If San Diego Studios were to base a Giles card off of any singular year, it would be his 2002 season. That year, he batted .298/.405/.622 with a 177 wRC+. His walk rate was nearly double his strikeout rate at 21% and 11.5%, respectively. On top of that, he had a .324 ISO, 38 home runs, and 15 stolen bases. This would have to be either a Prime series or Retro Finest card because he didn’t take home any hardware, nor did he even make the All-Star game this season. Any Giles card would likely have under 80 fielding, at least pre-parallel, but he would have decent arm strength and okay speed.