MLB The Show 23 Diamond Dynasty Negro Leagues Cards and Season 3 Tips

For the first time, MLB The Show 23 brings the legends of the Negro Leagues into Diamond Dynasty, letting players build lineups that celebrate both history and skill.

Baseball’s all-time greats have been available as playable “legends” in Diamond Dynasty (and Franchise) for many years now, allowing MLB The Show players to put Mickey Mantle on the same team as Aaron Judge. This year, the crop of legends in MLB The Show 23‘s Diamond Dynasty mode will include Negro League players for the first time. They’ll be available as soon as the game launches – its public release date is March 28, but early access is live as of March 24 – and thanks to the way Negro League baseball was played, they’ll be some of the most desirable players in all of Diamond Dynasty. Here’s how to unlock them.

Which Negro League players are in MLB The Show 23?

MLB The Show 23 features several legendary Negro League players who played a major role in baseball history, including Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, Buck O’Neil, Rube Foster, and Hilton Smith. These athletes are part of the game’s Storylines mode and can also appear in Diamond Dynasty, where players can collect and use their cards on custom teams. Each player includes detailed storytelling segments and authentic uniforms, celebrating their real-life achievements and contributions to the sport.

MLB The Show 23‘s Storylines mode focuses on eight Negro League stars, running the gamut from one of the most renowned figures in American history to some lesser-known ballplayers who were no less skilled on the field:

• Martín Dihigo
• John Donaldson
• Andrew “Rube” Foster
• John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil
• Leroy “Satchel” Paige
• Jackie Robinson
• Hilton Smith
• Hank Thompson

How do you unlock the Negro League players in Diamond Dynasty?

Players can add the Negro League legends to their Diamond Dynasty roster by completing Storylines mode challenges in MLB The Show 23. Each chapter features moments from a specific player’s career, such as Satchel Paige or Jackie Robinson, and finishing these moments rewards you with special Diamond Dynasty cards. Progressing through these stories not only grants the player cards themselves but also additional rewards like uniforms and equipment inspired by Negro League history.

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It’s simple: Play the Storylines mode!

That’s right – all you have to do to unlock MLB The Show 23‘s eight Negro League stars for use in Diamond Dynasty is to play through their respective Storylines chapters. You’ll get a 90-rated card for each player once you complete their segment, and if you do all eight of them, you’ll also receive a 95-rated Captain card for Hall of Famer Buck O’Neil.

Each player’s Storylines chapter is broken up into a number of playable “moments” interspersed with video vignettes that tell you more about the athlete’s career and life. The chapters are designed to take 35-45 minutes to complete, per MLB The Show developer SIE San Diego Studio, so you should be able to play through all eight of them within approximately five hours. That’s not too much of a time investment to unlock some of the best players in Diamond Dynasty! (Plus, the Storylines mode itself is really cool and worth seeing.)

What makes the Negro League players so good in Diamond Dynasty?

Negro League players in Diamond Dynasty stand out for their rare mix of power, speed, and skill that translates beautifully into gameplay. Their stats often reflect their real-life dominance, with high contact and agility ratings that make them dangerous at the plate and on the bases. Many also bring unique pitching repertoires and fielding versatility, giving teams extra depth and strategy options. These attributes make them some of the most dynamic and exciting cards to build a roster around.

Diamond Dynasty is all about fielding the best squad possible from the cards in your collection. It may make sense to play someone out of position – even if that drops their overall rating a bit – to make room for a player who needs to stay in a certain spot. That’s going to be less of an issue if you’ve unlocked the Negro League cards.

One of the many remarkable things about the Negro Leagues is that it was common for athletes to be two-way players – to pitch as well as hit. (Financial constraints often limited rosters to 20 or so spots, forcing players to pull double duty.) That’s not to say that everyone excelled in both roles, but a few of the standouts are featured in MLB The Show 23. In fact, everyone except Satchel Paige can play at least two positions – and Cuban-born Hall of Famer Martín Dihigo can play all nine.

• Martín Dihigo: SP/C/1B/2B/3B/SS/LF/CF/RF
• John Donaldson: SP/1B/LF/CF/RF
• Rube Foster: SP/1B
• Buck O’Neil: 1B/LF/RF
• Satchel Paige: SP
• Jackie Robinson: 2B/SS
• Hilton Smith: SP/LF/RF
• Hank Thompson: RF/2B/3B/SS/LF/CF

Unlocking some of the more versatile players, like Dihigo and Hank Thompson, will give you more options as you piece together your Diamond Dynasty squad. And because SIE San Diego previously added two-way functionality to MLB The Show, you’ll be able to take advantage of that feature to get the most out of players like John Donaldson, slotting them into your lineup in the same game they start on the mound.

How to unlock specific Negro League cards in Diamond Dynasty

Unlocking Negro League Cards

In MLB The Show 23, unlock specific Negro League greats like Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, Buck O’Neil, Rube Foster, Hilton Smith, Hank Thompson, John Donaldson, and Martín Dihigo by completing their dedicated chapters in the Negro Leagues Storylines mode. Each player’s storyline consists of episodes with challenges (e.g., tally hits, strikeouts, or innings pitched without allowing runs); finishing a full path rewards that player’s Diamond Dynasty card directly to your collection.

Access Storylines from the main menu, select Negro Leagues Season 1, and progress sequentially-rewards auto-apply to Diamond Dynasty for squad use. Later games like MLB The Show 25 expand this with collections (e.g., 20+ Negro League cards for John Donaldson via Storylines, programs, showdowns, and conquests), but for 23, Storylines is the core method.

Best Negro League lineup for Diamond Dynasty

Top Negro League Lineup

MLB The Show 23’s Negro League greats shine in Diamond Dynasty due to versatile stats and high ratings, like Martín Dihigo’s multi-position eligibility (SP/C/1B/2B/3B/SS/LF/CF/RF) and John Donaldson’s pitching/fielding flexibility. A strong all-Negro League lineup leverages unlockable Storylines cards such as Satchel Paige (elite SP), Jackie Robinson (dynamic 2B/3B), Buck O’Neil (solid 1B), Rube Foster (SP), Hilton Smith (SP), Hank Thompson (3B/OF), John Donaldson (SP/OF), and Martín Dihigo (utility star).

Suggested Positions

This setup maximizes versatility for no-money-spent squads; upgrade via parallels or boosts for ranked play.