The All-Star Collection is one of the biggest early 99 grinds in MLB The Show 26. You need 43 eligible All-Star cards to unlock 99 Yordan Alvarez, but you do not need to buy every expensive card on day one.

The clean route is simple: grind the free programs first, farm repeatable packs, skip overpriced cards, and only spend stubs after you know exactly what you're missing.

• MLB The Show 26 All-Star Collection Requirements
• Collection Milestone Rewards
• Is 99 Yordan Alvarez Worth It?
• Best Grind Order for the All-Star Collection
• AL and NL All-Star Programs: Start Here
• Best Program Reward to Use
• XP Path All-Star Cards
• Ohtani or Trout?
• All-Star Packs: Open Free Packs, Don't Chase
• Mini Seasons Is the Best Repeatable Farm
• Mini Seasons vs Conquest
• Event Program: Grab Yandy Diaz If You Can
• Weekend Classic Cards: Strong, Expensive, Skippable
• Byron Buxton Chase Card and My Legacy Program
• Best Cards to Skip for 99 Yordan
• Best Stub Strategy by Budget
• Lineup Impact: Best All-Star Cards to Actually Use
• Practical Lineup Advice
• Pitching Upgrades from the All-Star Drop
• Fastest Path to 99 Yordan Alvarez
• FAQ
• How many cards do you need for 99 Yordan Alvarez?
• Can you finish the All-Star Collection without buying every card?
• What is the best mode to grind All-Star packs?
• Is 99 Yordan Alvarez good?
• Which All-Star cards should budget players skip?
• Summary

↖ MLB The Show 26 All-Star Collection Requirements

You need 43 All-Star cards for 99 Yordan Alvarez.

At launch, there are around 47 eligible cards, not counting Yordan. That means you can skip about 4 cards.

That matters because the most expensive cards are also the easiest ones to avoid.

↖ Collection Milestone Rewards

These cards help you on the way to Yordan and can be locked back into the same collection.

↖ Is 99 Yordan Alvarez Worth It?

Yes, but use him correctly.

Yordan is a DH first. His bat is elite. His defense is not.

He has poor outfield value because of low speed, weak fielding, and bad reaction. If you put him in left field, expect bad routes and extra bases allowed.

His offensive upside is the reason to finish the collection. With boosts and parallels, he gets close to maxed-out hitting in several major categories. That means middle-of-the-order damage every game.

If you need a clean answer: Yordan is worth it if you can hide him at DH.

↖ Best Grind Order for the All-Star Collection

Do not start by buying cards.

Start with guaranteed rewards. Then use packs. Then use the marketplace.

This path saves stubs because you force the game to give you cards before you pay for them.

↖ AL and NL All-Star Programs: Start Here

The AL and NL All-Star Programs are the backbone of the collection.

Each program gives 10 cards. Together, that is 20 total cards toward Yordan.

You can progress through several modes:

• Multiplayer missions
• Player PXP missions
• AL/NL player missions
• Mini Seasons missions
• Showdown
• Conquest

Why this matters: you are not locked into one grind. If you hate online, play offline. If you hit well, knock out Showdown early.

↖ Best Program Reward to Use

The NL reward Juan Soto is very usable.

He is slow, but the bat is excellent. Put him in a corner outfield spot or DH until Yordan arrives.

↖ XP Path All-Star Cards

The inning XP path includes cards like Drake Baldwin, Aaron Judge, and boss choices such as Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout.

You can earn multiple All-Star cards here, but you cannot grab every boss at once.

↖ Ohtani or Trout?

Neither feels like the final endgame version. Pick based on your roster need, not the name.

↖ All-Star Packs: Open Free Packs, Don't Chase

The All-Star pack has 15 cards, mostly in the 95–97 overall range.

Open free packs. Be careful buying packs with stubs.

Pack luck is not a plan. Guaranteed rewards are a plan.

If prices are inflated, wait. More All-Star content means more supply.

↖ Mini Seasons Is the Best Repeatable Farm

Mini Seasons is the most reliable grind for All-Star Collection progress.

You get XP, repeatable packs, and PXP rewards without dealing with Conquest map simulation.

One season gives 30,000 XP before gameplay XP. That also pushes you toward XP path cards.

↖ Mini Seasons vs Conquest

If you want efficiency, run Mini Seasons. If you want variety, mix in Conquest.

↖ Event Program: Grab Yandy Diaz If You Can

The Event Program gives Yandy Diaz and extra packs.

If you are decent online, play the event. If not, this can be one of the cards you skip later.

↖ Weekend Classic Cards: Strong, Expensive, Skippable

The Weekend Classic cards are good. They are also stub traps if your only goal is Yordan.

If you earn these cards, great. If you have to buy them, think twice.

For a budget Yordan path, these are prime skip candidates.

↖ Byron Buxton Chase Card and My Legacy Program

Byron Buxton is the Chase Pack card, but you can grind a free non-sellable version through My Legacy.

This grind is long. Very long.

But a free Chase card is rare. If you are patient, Buxton can replace one expensive collection buy.

↖ Best Cards to Skip for 99 Yordan

Since you can skip around 4 cards, skip the cards that cost the most or take the longest.

This is how you finish the collection without lighting stubs on fire.

↖ Best Stub Strategy by Budget

The key rule: never buy before grinding the 20 free program cards.

↖ Lineup Impact: Best All-Star Cards to Actually Use

Some cards are just collection pieces. Others can play right now.

↖ Practical Lineup Advice

If your defense is weak, stop forcing bad defenders into the outfield.

Use:

• Yordan at DH
• Bobby Witt Jr. at SS, 3B, or CF
• Buxton in CF if you unlock him
• Soto in a corner only if you can live with the speed

Offense wins innings. Defense saves games. You need both.

↖ Pitching Upgrades from the All-Star Drop

The biggest practical pitching win is Mason Miller.

He is not just collection filler. He can replace older right-handed bullpen arms immediately.

If you are still using outdated bullpen cards, prioritize Mason Miller before chasing luxury bats.

↖ Fastest Path to 99 Yordan Alvarez

Follow this order.

That route gets you Yordan with the least waste.

↖ FAQ

↖ How many cards do you need for 99 Yordan Alvarez?

You need 43 eligible All-Star cards to unlock 99 Yordan Alvarez in MLB The Show 26.

↖ Can you finish the All-Star Collection without buying every card?

Yes. Early on, there are around 47 eligible cards, so you can skip about 4 cards. More All-Star cards should make the collection easier.

↖ What is the best mode to grind All-Star packs?

Mini Seasons is the best repeatable farm because it gives XP, PXP missions, and repeatable Deluxe All-Star packs.

↖ Is 99 Yordan Alvarez good?

Yes. His bat is elite. Use him at DH. Do not rely on him as an outfielder unless you accept the defensive risk.

↖ Which All-Star cards should budget players skip?

Budget players should consider skipping Byron Buxton, Aroldis Chapman, Ozzie Albies, Jacob Misiorowski, or any overpriced rare pack card.

↖ Summary

The fastest smart path to 99 Yordan Alvarez is not spending first. It is grinding first.

Get the 20 cards from the AL and NL All-Star Programs. Use Showdown to speed that up. Farm Mini Seasons for XP and repeatable packs. Add XP path rewards, Event rewards, and free pack pulls. Then buy only the cheapest missing pieces.

Yordan is worth it because his bat is one of the best in MLB The Show 26. Just keep him at DH, protect your outfield defense, and do not overpay for cards that more All-Star content may replace within days.