José Méndez — Diamond 89 OVR Starting Pitcher Overview
José Méndez is a Diamond 89 OVR Starting Pitcher card for the Free Agents, part of the The Negro Leagues set in MLB The Show's Diamond Dynasty. He throws right-handed. As a two-way card, he can be used as both a hitter and a pitcher in the same lineup. He is also eligible at Second Baseman, Third Baseman, Shortstop, Center Fielder, and Right Fielder. The card was added to Diamond Dynasty in April 2026.
On the mound, José Méndez works with a 5-pitch arsenal led by a 96 mph 4-Seam Fastball and a 95 mph Sinker. His pitching ratings include 96 Velocity, 82 Control, and 92 Break. The profile favors a balanced mix of command and movement. Notable quirks include Breaking Ball Hitter and Situational Hitter from a total of 5 quirks.
José Méndez is eligible at 6 positions, and DiamondOps scores each one separately: Center Fielder (79.6), Right Fielder (79.4), Shortstop (78.9), Second Baseman (78.7), Third Baseman (78.5), and Designated Hitter (70.4) on All-Star. Which slot is best depends on how you play — Center Fielder on All-Star, Right Fielder on Hall of Fame, and Right Fielder on Legend. At Center Fielder the card scores 79.6 on All-Star, 84.1 on Hall of Fame, and 85.4 on Legend — it keeps 107% of its All-Star value at the top difficulty, which is unusually durable. Among Starting Pitchers the card ranks #153 on All-Star and #184 on Hall of Fame.
DiamondOps grades each pitch in José Méndez's arsenal: 4-Seam Fastball (S), Sinker (S), 12-6 Curve (B), Changeup (B), and Slurve (B). 2 of them grade S-tier, which is what separates a genuine out-pitch mix from a deep-but-flat arsenal. Its strongest tunnel pairing is the 4-Seam Fastball off the Sinker, so the two share a release look. Its 96 mph Sinker adds a velocity bonus on top. Arsenal grades are the same at every difficulty — unlike a hitter's OpScore, a pitch mix does not re-weight as you climb.
José Méndez is not currently traded on the open Diamond Dynasty market — cards like this are typically earned through programs or collections rather than bought with stubs.
OpScore is DiamondOps' composite rating of a card's in-game performance value. José Méndez earns an OpScore of 82.7 on Legend difficulty, ranking #872 among all cards and #171 among Starting Pitchers.
Common questions
- What is José Méndez's overall rating in MLB The Show 26?
- José Méndez is a 89 OVR Diamond Starting Pitcher for the Free Agents.
- Is José Méndez a good card in MLB The Show 26?
- Among Starting Pitchers, José Méndez ranks #153 on All-Star, #184 on Hall of Fame, and #171 on Legend by OpScore — DiamondOps' difficulty-aware rating: it weights the attributes that decide at-bats and recomputes them for each difficulty, whereas in-game Overall is a single number that does not change with the level you play on.
- What quirks does José Méndez have in MLB The Show 26?
- José Méndez has 5 quirks: Homebody, First-Pitch Hitter, Breaking Ball Hitter, Situational Hitter, and Day Player.
Where to go next
Every link below comes from this card's own series, team, rarity, position, or the collections and programs it belongs to.
- Legends and Flashbacks — Jackie Robinson DayA collection this card counts toward.
- Legends and Flashbacks — The Negro LeaguesA collection this card counts toward.
- Best Starting PitchersThe top starting pitchers in the game, ranked by OpScore.
- Best Second BasemenThe top second basemen in the game, ranked by OpScore.
- Best Third BasemenThe top third basemen in the game, ranked by OpScore.
- The Negro Leagues CardsEvery The Negro Leagues card, filterable by position, team and rating.
- Free Agents CardsEvery Free Agents card in the game, with live market prices.
- Diamond CardsEvery Diamond card, ranked by overall rating.
- High Diamonds (85+ OVR)Overall is one number that never changes with difficulty. Two 87s can be a full tier apart in practice, which is what OpScore on each row is for.
- Diamond RadarWhich cards our model predicts will be upgraded at the next roster update.