In years past, players were rated on the “bar” system. That is, the more their bar is filled up, the better the player is. Players with full bars regularly included the likes of Albert Pujols, Justin Verlander, and our own Joey Votto.

This year is the first year that The Show will feature a numbered rating system, similar to other sports games like Madden NFL and the 2k NBA Series. Players are rated on multiple skills on a scale from 1-99, which adds to their overall score, also on a scale of 1-99. These ratings are seemingly pretty well thought out, as Sony San Diego has said they’ve been doing extensive statistical analysis and baseball game watching to figure out the perfect formula for their ratings.

The result is something not seen in any other sports video game: 17 players rated 99 overall. Usually a perfect score is saved for the absolute pinnacle of an athlete. Names like LeBron James and Tom Brady are lucky if they get a 99 overall in their respective video games.

You might be thinking, “JOEY VOTTO SHOULD BE RATED 99! HE’S AWESOME!”

Actually, our main man Votto only managed a 98 overall. Not even the best player on the Reds team, according to the creators of The Show. Aroldis Chapman scored a 99 overall, and as a Starting Pitcher yet to boot.

Does that seem kinda wacky? It is. In fact, I would argue that the majority of the Reds roster (and many of the other rosters) are out of sync with reality. Here is the projected opening day 25 man roster, and their ratings in MLB 13: The Show :

Hitters

Joey Votto – 98
Brandon Phillips – 93
Jay Bruce – 93
Shin-Soo Choo – 86
Ryan Hanigan – 83
Todd Frazier – 79
Ryan Ludwick – 78
Zach Cozart -76
Chris Heisey – 74
Devin Mesoraco – 73
Josh Donald – 72
Jack Hannahan – 72
Xavier Paul – 62

Pitchers 

Aroldis Chapman – 99
Mat Latos – 94
Sean Marshall – 92
Johnny Cueto – 88
Homer Bailey – 87
Bronson Arroyo – 84
Sam LeCure – 81
Jonathan Broxton – 79
Nick Masset – 76
Jose Arredondo – 75
Logan Ondrusek – 75
Alfredo Simon – 72

There are many errors in these ratings that the casual Reds fan will be able to point out. Perhaps the most glaring is Johnny Cueto’s 88 rating compared to the relatively high 94 rating for Mat Latos. Now, I figured this would be skewed a bit due to Latos virtually being a strikeout machine in last year’s game. But an 88 for someone who was battling for contention in the Cy Young race last season? Seems a bit far fetched to me.

Also pretty evidently inaccurate is Aroldis Chapman’s rating of 99 as a starting pitcher. I could see a 99 rating given to Chapman as a closer, but he’s unproven as a starter. I’m hoping he lives up to his 99 overall rating in real life, and in my video game dynasty.

So, Reds fans, if you have a PS3 and you love baseball as much as I do, pick up MLB 13: The Show when it comes out next Tuesday. I will warn you, the game is very realistic, which means hitting the baseball is pretty hard. However, this year’s game includes a ‘beginner’ mode, which does a very good job of introducing the art of hitting to those new to baseball video games. Try it, you’ll like it!

However, this year I have found a great way to put some baseball back into my life during this down-time: video games!

Now, I know some of you have never played a video game in your life. And to you, I say, you’re missing out. There are many high quality sports video games on the market. Some are very popular (FIFA, Madden, etc.) while others fly under the radar. Out of the Park Baseball ’13 is one of those games.

Unless you’re a huge fan of sports simulation video games (yes, I’m a nerd), you probably haven’t heard about the Out of the Park series. This game runs on Windows, linux and Mac OS X, so most of you will be able to play it.

The jist of the game is that you are literally thrown headfirst into a GM position in a baseball league. Of course you can take over one of the teams that are in the MLB today, or you can get a bit more creative. There are options that let you create teams and fictional leagues (including your beer-league softball teams). You can also take over a historical team, meaning if you’d like to take over the Boston Red Sox before they sold Babe Ruth and reverse the curse 100 years earlier, you’re free to do so. Want to take over pre-steroid era Giants and steer a young Barry Bonds onto the right path? You can do that as well.

But of course, one of the most fun aspects of this game is taking over a current day roster. I can boot Walt Jocketty out of his office and kick up my feet on his desk. I’ll fire Dusty Baker. I’ll switch Joey Votto over to short stop. I’ll sign Alex Rodriguez to another ten year deal. Because I can.

The only catch is that the rosters are currently an entire year behind. Reds fans will find a fully healthy Ryan Madson in the closer spot, paired with fellow fully healthy Nick Masset in the setup spot. Each player is assigned an ‘Overall’ rating and a ‘Potential’ rating. To me some of these ratings seem out of wack (Devin Mesoraco already has a full five star overall rating, as opposed to Ryan Hanigan’s two and a half). But, none the less, the game play is very addicting and fun.

(** Note — After some research, I’ve found that it is indeed possible to get up-to-date rosters. If you’d like to play with the new Shin Soo Choo’s Cincinnati Reds, let me know in the comments **)

Oct 9, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; The batting helmets of Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (not pictured) and right fielder Jay Bruce (not pictured) prior to the game between the San Francisco Giants in game three of the 2012 NLDS at Great American Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

I will caution you though. Every single aspect of running a major league baseball team is at your finger tips. Therefore, the interface can get sort of overwhelming at times. However, if you’re patient and want to take the time to learn what it truly takes to run a baseball team, this is the game for you. Perhaps after a couple of virtual seasons you’ll be a bit easier on ole Walt when the real season rolls around.

OOTP is currently 50% off, so buy it while it’s hot. There will ultimately be a Out of the Park Baseball ’14 coming out in a couple of weeks/months, so keep a look out for that. There is also a very high quality free trial, which I believe gives you an entire season of baseball to play for free. So, if you don’t feel like shelling out the dough for the game, try it out first. I’ve linked to the site throughout the article, but here it is again.

So, in between checking Blog Red Machine and watching the Pete Rose reality show, why not play some Out of the Park Baseball? I know I will be.