eld.gg MLB The Show 25 Stubs: Use Captains Strategically
MLB The Show 25: How to MLB The Show 25 Stubs Maximize Your Squad With Captains and Theme Teams
MLB The Show 25’s latest major update has completely reinvented the captains and theme team system, making it more dynamic, strategic, and rewarding than ever before. The days of flat, static bonuses and limited viability are gone. Now, captains and theme teams can seriously elevate your squad and even rival the most stacked God Squads, depending on how you build. Let’s dive into why this change is a game-changer and how you can take full advantage of it to dominate the diamond.
What’s New With Captains & Theme Teams?
With the recent Team Affinity: Color Storm update introducing 30 new cards—one for each MLB team—the revamped captains system takes center stage. Every team received a captain card that now boosts players rated 95 overall or lower, an increase from the previous 91 ceiling. This alone expands the pool of eligible players significantly.
Even more exciting, the boosts are no longer generic but dynamic and tailored to each team and its players, giving every theme team its own unique identity and power level.
Some attribute boosts are downright bonkers—think +20 to key stats for certain squads—while others are more modest. This variability makes building around captains a strategic challenge, not just a plug-and-play affair.
Twins Theme Team — A Sleeper Powerhouse
One of the best-balanced theme teams right now is the Minnesota Twins. Featuring Royce Lewis as the hitting captain and Jim Kaat as the pitching captain, stacking 18 Twins players unlocks dual Tier 3 boosts that can transform your squad.
These buffs include:
+8 Power (L/R)
+8 Plate Vision
+12 BB/9 (pitching)
+8 Contact (L/R)
+8 Clutch
+12 H/9 (pitching)
The result? Players like Byron Buxton, already solid cards, effectively perform like elite 90+ overall hitters with these boosts. The Twins lineup features heavy hitters like Walker Jenkins, Harmon Killebrew, Brian Dozier, Royce Lewis, and Buxton, while the bullpen boasts pitchers like Danny Coulombe, one of the best left-handed relievers in the game.
This kind of spread turns even some gold-tier players into usable options, making the Twins a surprisingly competitive theme team.
How to Use Captains Strategically
While going all-in with 26 players from the same team to unlock full Tier 3 boosts is exciting, it’s not always the optimal competitive strategy. Here’s a smarter, more balanced approach:
Slot in 5–10 players from the same team.
Unlock Tier 1 or Tier 2 captain boosts.
Mix these boosted players with your existing God Squad.
This lets you retain meta favorites like 99 José Ramírez, Beltrán, or Hodges while boosting select cards that benefit most from captains. For example, the Cleveland Guardians’ Tier 1 buff grants +5 to power and clutch stats, making players like Bo Naylor near-elite hitters with minimal investment.
The key takeaway? You don’t have to MLB The Show 25 Stubs for sale rebuild your entire squad around captains. Selective investing can yield powerful returns.