August Monthly Awards Program Features Robbie Ray

The August Monthly Awards Program in MLB The Show 21 is headlined by Lightning Robbie Ray. You will need to collect nine other Monthly Awards cards en route to snagging the 99 overall Blue Jays starting pitcher. The other new cards this month are Bobby Dalbec, Tyler Naquin, Will Smith, Hunter Renfroe, Ty France, Frank Schwindel, Luis Robert, Devin Williams, and Andrew Kittredge.

Now, let’s chat about these cards.

August Monthly Awards Program

The August Monthly Awards Program is live!
Earn ⚡Robbie Ray⚡ by first earning these August Monthly Awards Winners:
💎Bobby Dalbec
💎Tyler Naquin
💎Will Smith
💎Hunter Renfroe
💎Ty France
💎Frank Schwindel
💎Luis Robert
💎Devin Williams
💎Andrew Kittredge#MLBTheShow pic.twitter.com/OAMeMQn5A6

— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) September 8, 2021

Cards

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• Frank Schwindel (95 overall)
• Ty France (95)
• Andrew Kittredge (96)
• Tyler Naquin (97)
• Devin Williams (97)
• Bobby Dalbec (97)
• Hunter Renfroe (98)
• Will Smith (98)
• Luis Robert (98)
• Robbie Ray (99)

Missions

• Tally 30 total bases with Topps Now players – 10 points
• Tally 7 XBH with players from Topps Now series – 10 points
• Tally 15 strikeouts with Topps Now players – 10 points
• Tally 10 total bases with Monthly Awards Frank Schwindel – 3 points
• Tally 10 total bases with Monthly Awards Ty France – 3 points
• Strike out 5 batters with Monthly Awards Andrew Kittredge – 3 points
• Tally 10 total bases with Monthly Awards Tyler Naquin – 3 points
• Strike out 5 batters with Monthly Awards Devin Williams – 3 points
• Hit 2 home runs with Monthly Awards Bobby Dalbec – 3 points
• Hit 2 home runs with Monthly Awards Hunter Renfroe – 3 points
• Tally 3 XBH with Monthly Awards Will Smith – 3 points
• Tally 3 XBH with Monthly Awards Luis Robert – 3 points

Moments

One moment is worth 5 points, the others are worth 3 points. There is a total of 32 points to be had here.

• Frank Sch-Win-Del – 3 games
  • Difficulty: Veteran
  • Tally 5 hits
  • Tally 2 XBH
• France Does His Dance
  • Difficulty: Veteran
  • Hit 1 home run
• You Can’t Hit Andrew Kitt
  • Difficulty: Veteran
  • Save 1 game
  • Strike out 2 batters
  • Do not walk 1 batter
  • Do not give up 1 run
• What’s Shakin’ Naquin?
  • Difficulty: Veteran
  • Tally 6 total bases
• The Phantom Changeup
  • Difficulty: Veteran
  • Save 1 game
  • Strike out 2 batters
  • Do not give up 1 hit
  • Do not walk 1 batter
  • Do not hit 1 batter
• Bobby Bombs Boosts Boston
  • Difficulty: Veteran
  • Tally 2 XBH
• HR: Home Run Hunter Renfroe
  • Difficulty: Veteran
  • Hit 1 home run
• Will Smith: Guaranteed Crusher
  • Difficulty: Veteran
  • Tally 6 total bases
• Return Of La Pantera
  • Difficulty: Veteran
  • Tally 2 hits
  • Tally 1 XBH
• Robbie Histo-Ray
  • Difficulty: Veteran
  • Strike out 10 batters

Collections

• Collect 33 August Monthly Awards and Topps Now players – 15 points

Rewards Track And Cards Discussion

• 5 points – August Monthly Awards Frank Schwindel

Always fun to see a 29-year-old player who has essentially been a career minor leaguer come up and go ham. Schwindel is exclusively a first baseman and thus has a tough time standing out right now. He has 125 contact vs. LHP and 115 power vs. LHP, so that’s great. His vision is 77 and he has silver defense to go with 41 speed. His quirks are also very sparse so there’s not much to go on here. He seems like he’ll be a nice pinch hit option or a player Cubs fans will obviously gravitate towards.

• 10 points – Topps Now August (7/26-8/1)
• 15 points – 2,000 stubs
• 20 points – August Monthly Awards Ty France

We have gotten a taste of Topps Now Ty France before, so you might have some experience here already. France has 2B and 3B eligibility on top of primary 1B. His 20 speed and gold defense probably means he won’t be great at either of those positions, but at least it’s an option. He has 125 contact vs. LHP and 87 vision. Overall, he’s slightly easier to get in your lineup than Schwindel, but Schwindel is a more lethal option against LHP.

• 25 points – Topps Now August (8/2-8/8)
• 30 points – August Monthly Awards Andrew Kittredge

In a more pitcher-heavy month than usual, Kittredge is the first reliever to scope out. He has a primary sinker that goes mid-90s to go with a 88 mph slider and changeup. He has 101 H/9 and 99 control of the sinker. He also has 97 control of the slider, so I do think this card should be viable overall. It’s worth trying just about every new top-end reliever who comes out because we’re always somewhat starved for variety here.

• 35 points – Topps Now August (8/9-8/15)
• 40 points – August Monthly Awards Tyler Naquin

Feel like we’ve seen a lot of Reds players here this year. Tyler Naquin can play all three outfield positions and has 125 contact vs. RHP to go with 115 power vs. RHP. He also has a 95 arm and 90 reaction, which should help make up for the 49 speed to some degree. He does seem more well suited for smaller outfields and the corner outfield spots, and also has the look of a platoon player. I would imagine he will look best coming on as a late sub or to pinch hit against a dominant RHP. Plus, he does have the pinch hitting quirk.

• 45 points – 2,000 stubs
• 50 points – August Monthly Awards Devin Williams

A lot of us were hoping (or dreading) that there might be a new Devin Williams and Emmanuel Clase this month, but we only got one here. Williams has his screwball, plus the changeup, cutter, and 2-seam fastball.There’s about 12 mph of difference between his 4-seam and changeup. He has 116 H/9, 99 control of the changeup, and 97 control of the 4-seam fastball. He also has 99 break on the changeup and screwball. This card looks quite good.

• 55 points – Topps Now August (8/16-8/22)
• 60 points – August Monthly Awards Bobby Dalbec

Dalbec is another player we have seen in Topps Now this year. With this version, he has 110 contact vs. RHP and 125 power vs. RHP. He has 52 vision and can play 3B as a secondary position. He might do a little better at the hot corner than France because he’s got a bit more speed with his gold fielding. All in all, he’s got a bit of a reverse platoon split going on here and should be one of many options at 1B/3B for you.

• 65 points – Topps Now August (8/23-8/29)
• 70 points – August Monthly Awards Hunter Renfroe

You know what you’re getting with Hunter Renfroe cards: max power and a cannon arm. He has maxed out power against RHP and LHP, and he has 92 arm strength in the OF. He has 69 vision and 54 speed, and Renfroe should be fun to use in your max power lineups.

• 75 points – August Monthly Awards Will Smith

Will Smith gets the catcher slot this month. He has 110 contact vs. LHP, 116 power vs. RHP, and 120 power vs. LHP. He also has diamond fielding and 79 vision. Will Smith can also rotate to 3B if need be, but he’s your catcher or nothing to me. He’s not quite a top-end defensive catcher, but this still looks like a solid card with the quick reflexes quirk.

• 80 points – August Monthly Awards Luis Robert

Luis Robert was a big card last year, and he’s rounding back into shape now this year. He has 121 contact vs. RHP, 100 contact vs. LHP and 105 power vs. RHP. He has 88 speed, 91 fielding, and 93 reaction. Finally, he has 75 vision. I might still like Renfroe more than this card, but this card obviously comes with the better speed.

• 85 points – The Show pack (x5)
• 90 points – Field of Dreams choice pack
• 95 points – Diamond bat skin
• 100 points – Lightning Robbie Ray

And the Lightning card for this month is Robbie Ray. He has 122 stamina and 120 H/9. He has a mid-90s fastball to go with a 2-seam fastball, slider, knuckle curve, and changeup. The changeup and fastball might not have enough MPH differential, and the pitch mix isn’t the most meta around. He has 99 control of the 4-seam, and 97 control of the slider. He also has 99 break on that slider. I’m not sure how great this card is at first glance, but I do really like Ray’s delivery. Even if this card ends up not being incredible, it’s nice to get another LHP to try out at the very least.