MLB The Show 22: Spring Cleanup Program Primer

MLB The Show 22 dropped a new main program today, the Spring Cleanup program. This comes after the first program, Faces of the Franchise. The Show 22 took a slight tweak to the main programs by naming them as the previous few editions went by inning: 1st Inning program, 2nd Inning program, etc.

Below, you will find everything you need to know about the second program for The Show 22, Spring Cleanup. There will also be brief sections on secondary programs.

Spring Cleanup

There are 44 different experience levels and awards in Spring Cleanup (a cap of 750 thousand experience). Each experience tier will award you packs of cards and one throwback jersey.

Remember to do each Daily Moment for quick and easy experience. Then, do the Featured Program Moments to play moments throughout the careers of one of the five bosses for Spring Cleanup.

Your first player pack will be a pack of silver versions of the bosses from early or late in their careers. Each card needs parallel experience (250 experience) as part of the Legends & Flashbacks Missions and achieving them will add experience to the program. The only player who doesn’t need 250 parallel experience is Veteran David Justice, who has to reach base five times instead.

There are two silver packs for you in the Spring Cleanup program. There are three classic packs as part of the program.

The classic pack contains 85 OVR diamond players. Postseason David Price has high stamina, making him a great long relief option. Pick the three (when you get all three) that would best benefit your team or gets you closer to completing a Collection.

There are TWO bosses packs. Here are the boss cards for Spring Cleanup, diamond players from the silver pack and all rated 93 OVR. They are Breakout Ed Mathews, Milestone Zack Britton, All-Star Ernie Banks, All-Star Tom Seaver, and 2nd Half David Justice.

Mathews is a fantastic player with high contact and power. He’s not the fastest player, but he does have solid defense. Being a third basemen, the defensive ratings are more important than his speed. Unfortunately, Mathews doesn’t have a secondary position.

Britton’s card is from his dominant 2016 season where he allowed only four earned runs all season. He has three fastball variations and a slider, particularly effective against lefties. What’s notable is his Pitching Clutch is maxed at 125 with his Hits per 9 Innings just slightly below at 120. To put it in perspective, aside from Stamina, his lowest pitching rating is Walks per 9 Innings at 82, which is still high. He’s a great addition to your bullpen.

Hall of Famer Ernie Banks has similar hitting stats to Mathews, but with better defense. The former Cubs legend favors contact against lefties and power against righties, but he’s a well-balanced hitter that hits for contact and power. He’s great at short, but if you have a better player there, you can move him to third.

Next is former Mets great Tom Seaver. Seaver has high Stamina and the “Workhorse” quirk because of it to go along with a high Strikeouts per 9 Innings (95) and Pitch Break (92), which makes all of his non-four-seam pitches deadly. He also has good Velocity (83) which places his fastball in the mid-90s. Depending on if you’ve payed Events or Ranked Seasons, he might be the highest rated pitcher in your rotation.

Lastly is David Justice from 2000 after being traded to New York from Cleveland, where all he did was mash the ball. The lefty is a very well-balanced hitter with his lowest contact or power rating at 90 and his highest at 108. He is the slowest of the three position players, but he does have solid defense similar to Mathews. Justice can play all three outfield positions.

There is also a new Conquest map for Spring Cleanup, shaped like an umbrella with rain drops. Unlike most other Conquest maps, you actually start with two strongholds under your command. However, you also must defeat Toronto and Arizona by the end of turn two. From there, just make sure to nab every territory before you capture the final stronghold to complete all of the goals for the map (check them with Triangle).

Don’t be surprised if at least one more Conquest map is added as well as at least one Showdown during the time of the program. This is based on The Show 21 and the Faces of the Franchise program in The Show 22.

Royals City Connect

There is also a new City Connect jersey program, this time for Kansas City who recently revealed their City Connects. You must gain 50 program stars to unlock the City Connect. Complete the Moments first, then the Missions.

You’ll unlock Veteran Bret Saberhagen at 30 program stars, who is then a part of the Missions for more program stars. The 89 OVR righty has great Stamina (102), Walks per 9 Innings (89), and Pitch Break (89). Saberhagen’s curveball and slider, especially, have lots of movement on them.

Collecting the City Connect Royals uniform also plays a key role for Spring Cleanup. In the Spring Cleanup menu, scroll down to Collections and add the Royals’ City Connect for a big gain in experience (15 thousand!).

April Monthly Awards Moments

While not necessarily part of Spring Cleanup, new Moments and cards have been released for the April Monthly Awards program (formerly Topps Now). There are six new Moments, including Byron Buxton’s massive walk-off homer against the White Sox and Miguel Cabrera’s 3,000th hit.

There are three new Tops Now cards you’ll unlock for completing the six moments – granted you completed the previous two weeks as well. All three cards are 85 OVR pitchers (two starters, one reliver). First is MacKenzie Gore, who won his first career start with San Diego. Gore is notable as he has a unique pitching delivery. The lefty might walk a few batters, but is solid all around.

Next is another lefty starter Eric Lauer, coming off of a career-high (Angel Hernandez aided) 13 strikeouts against the Phillies on Sunday Night Baseball. Lauer is more well-rounded as a pitcher than Gore in ratings and an overall better defender, but his Arm Strength is nearly 20 points lower than Gore’s. This could mean the difference between throwing out a runner at first on a slow roller up the line or the runner being safe.

Last is reliver Michael King, who has been a revelation for the Yankees through the first month of the season. While most relievers and closers have Stamina ratings between 25 and 30, King’s Stamina is a whopping 50, making him well-suited to pitch three or four innings out of the bullpen. Notably, his Pitch Break and Pitch Clutch are both 99, with his Strikeouts per 9 Innings and Velocity at 97. His slurve, especially, has almost too much movement.

A prediction for next week’s Monthly Awards update: Luis González of the San Francisco Giants will be one of the Moments, if not cards, after his first career homer was a go-ahead and game-winning two-run homer in the top of the ninth with two outs against the Brewers.

That’s everything you need to know about the new Spring Cleanup program. Hit those Moments, nab the City Connect, and add more cards to the Monthly Awards!