Only a handful of elite players land at or near the top of the ratings scale in "MLB The Show," and this year four begin the season at 99 Overall with another just a single point behind them.

That represents an increase at the upper echelon from the start of last season. Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw return at the top along with Jose Altuve, who earned the 99 distinction in the middle of last season. Kenley Jansen and Nolan Arenado are the newcomers to the group. "MLB The Show 18" has 29 players rated 90 or above, which is a threshold that has seen decreasing numbers in recent years.



The Yankees enter the season with the best roster in the league, according to the game. The team features a lineup that includes three players rated 90-plus and 13 who are rated 80 or above.

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Trailing close behind are the Nationals (three at 90-plus, 11 at 80-plus+), the reigning champion Astros (two at 90-plus, 13 at 80-plus) and the Dodgers (two at 90-plus and 13 at 80-plus). Houston has a remarkable 10 players rated at least 86. The Mets are the only other team with three 90-plus-rated players while the Cubs, Red Sox, Giants, Indians and Mariners all feature rosters with double-digit players rated 80-plus.



To no one's surprise, the Marlins are the weakest team in the game with only two players above an 80 (the highest an 83) following their offseason fire sale.

'MLB The Show 18' top-rated players

99 Overall

Mike Trout (LAA, CF)

Jose Altuve (HOU, 2B)

Clayton Kershaw (LAD, SP)

Kenley Jansen (LAD, CP)



98 Overall

Nolan Arenado (COL, 3B)



95 Overall

Chris Sale (BOS, SP)

Andrew Miller (CLE, RP)



94 Overall

Max Scherzer (WAS, SP)

Kris Bryant (CHC, 3B)

Josh Donaldson (TOR, 3B)



93 Overall

Aaron Judge (NYY, OF)

Bryce Harper (WAS, OF)

Corey Kluber (CLE, SP)



92 Overall

Stephen Strasburg (WAS, SP)

Noah Syndergaard (NYM, SP)

Brian Dozier (MIN, 2B)

Joey Votto (CIN, 1B)

Paul Goldschmidt (ARI, 1B)

Buster Posey (SF, C)



91 Overall

Gary Sanchez (NYY, C)

Aroldis Chapman (NYY, CP)

Roberto Osuna (TOR, CP)

Zack Greinke (ARI, SP)

Madison Bumgarner (SF, SP)



90 Overall

Ken Giles (HOU, CP)

Craig Kimbrel (BOS, CP)

Brad Hand (SD, CP)

Yoenis Cespedes (NYM, OF)

Jacob DeGrom (NYM, SP)



89 Overall

Freddie Freeman (ATL, 1B)

Francisco Lindor (CLE, SS)

Adrian Beltre (TEX, 3B)

Zach Britton (BAL, CP)

Manny Machado (BAL, 3B)

Mookie Betts (BOS, OF)

Giancarlo Stanton (NYY, OF)

Chris Devenski (HOU, RP)

Anthony Rendon (WAS, 3B)

Wade Davis (COL, CP)

Rich Hill (LAD, SP)

Justin Turner (LAD, 3B)



88 Overall

Carlos Carrasco (CLE, SP)

Jose Ramirez (CLE, 3B)

James Paxton (SEA, SP)

David Robertson (NYY, RP)

Wilson Contreras (CHC, C)

Christian Yelich (MIL, OF)

Felipe Rivero (PIT, CP)

Corey Seager (LAD, SS)

Cody Bellinger (LAD, 1B)

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Shohei Ohtani in 'MLB The Show 18'

"MLB The Show 18" also features the highly anticipated debut of Shohei Ohtani. In an unorthodox move, Ohtani will be available on the game's shipped roster.



The usual procedure for rookies is that they aren't added to the game until they become a member of the MLB Players Association, which requires an appearance in a major league game. That means rookies who get their first action early in a season typically don't make it into a roster update until mid-April. Developer SCEA, however, reached an agreement individually with Ohtani for his rights, which allowed it to include him before that milestone happens.



Ohtani enters the league with a very favorable rating of 86 Overall. That ranks him at a potential All-Star level before even throwing a pitch or making a plate appearance. Only 16 starting pitchers across the league rate higher than Ohtani. He's listed as a starting pitcher, but has corner outfield as a secondary position. It's still unclear whether a system has been put in place that will allow him to play the field or DH on non-pitching days.



Entering the league as one of the most anticipated rookies ever makes it somewhat understandable that he's been rated so highly, but his performance in spring training has not backed up the hype, and it isn't even a certainty that he'll begin the season on the big-league club.



"MLB The Show 18" releases Friday, March 23, for those who have preordered, and then goes wide on Tuesday, March 27, for PlayStation 4. Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is featured on the cover.



Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is co-founder of the sports gaming site HitThePass.com, hosts the "Press Row Podcast" and can be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.