Select + Starting 9: Our Fantasy Baseball Opening Day Line Up

There’s just something magical about Opening Day in baseball. More so than any other sport, the first day of the baseball season is almost as anticipated as the first day of their playoffs, generally the most exciting part of a sports season. We’ve already covered virtual representations of actual baseball players, so we figured we would instead look for established video game characters who would double as awesome ball players. Here’s our picks for our sandlot crew:

Catcher - Ness, Earthbound

Ness’ stroke is widely known from his appearances in Earthbound and the Super Smash Bros. series, but think about his practicality as a catch for the team! He’s short, so his strike zone would be hard for full-sized hitters to take advantage of. Plus he may or may not be able to use his PK powers to influence the direction of the ball while traveling from the mound.

First Baseman - Mike Haggar, Final Fight

The Mayor can swing a pipe, so why not a bat? His stroke is up there with the best of them, but we worry about his mobility. Yes, his appearance in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 showed us he could jump really high, but his ability to move quickly laterally is still unknown. Luckily, we can stick him at first base and hope he doesn’t have to make too many plays.

Second Baseman - Frank West, Dead Rising

Another guy we know can rake, Mr. West would fit perfectly on this team. His swing is perfect, he’s surprisingly agile, and he will definitely provide a level of grit the Pardon My Take guys would have to admire. Plus, everyone needs a guy to talk to the media, which Frank would (obviously) be perfect for.

Shortstop - Nathan Drake, Uncharted

Like Jacob S. said to us, “Nathan Drake is like your Derek Jeter for the team, he’s definitely got the skills to play shortstop, and he would be the team captain.” While some later entries might differ with Drake as captain, we dig it, and we allow it.

Third Baseman - Mario, Super Mario series

Yes, we know Mario’s been in a few baseball games before, but he was a plumber before he was on any sort of diamond. Mario’s got the potential to be a five-tool player, but we felt his stubby legs might keep him from succeeding in the outfield. We’ll stick him at third base here.

Left Field - Master Chief, Halo

Remember when we said someone might not like Nathan Drake as captain? We were referring to this guy. Chief isn’t the kind of guy to take orders from anyone, but we know he can be a team player in the right circumstances. His field skills would be second to none, since he is superhuman after all, and we know he can also rake it, based on how far he sends everyone when he smacks them with an Energy Sword. Chief’s recommendation comes courtesy of Reddit user Adamshero.

Center Field - Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog

Center fielders are asked to do a ton back there, often having to make plays in other areas of the outfield if their teammates can’t get there. So it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to ask a guy who can run at the speed of sound to handle all that, would it? Sonic’s got the skills to be the best defensive midfielder in the game and the best base-runner as well. We’ll just have to do something about those stringy little arms to put some power into that swing.

Right Field - Showa Sawamura, Rival Schools

Did you really think we’d do a whole list and not put a fighting game character on here? Recommended to us by r/salty admin PielordX, Showa is the perfect person to add some fire to the squad, as he’s fiercely competitive and hates losing. Plus, he’s not above getting into some brawls for when an extra level of motivation is necessary. Showa has also shown he has a rocket for an arm, perfect for picking off greedy baserunners who try to beat the throw.

Designated Hitter - Raptor, Lethal League

This guy comes courtesy of another r/salty user, Kaizentai, who asked simply, “Do you know how fast the ball goes in this game?” Once we saw, we knew Raptor needed to be on this team. As a designated hitter, Raptor doesn’t have to worry about anything other than hitting the ball as hard as he possibly can, which will undoubtedly yield impressive results.

Pitcher - Akuma, Super Street Fighter II: Turbo

We think any Akuma will impose a level of fear that only Nolan Ryan managed to illicit in the majors, but we specifically need this Akuma because his fireballs were cheap. Nobody’s going to be able to hit them, and Heaven help the man who gets hit by an Akuma pitch. Akuma can also throw a Red Fireball as a bit of a changeup and keep batters on their toes. Oh, and we won’t need a closer, mostly because we don’t want to be the person who tells Akuma he has to get out of the game.

If virtual baseball with real athletes is more your thing, then check out our list of the best MLB The Show 18 streamers!