Action Figure News

http://www.sportsactionfigure.com/images/news-tmpmlb18-rivchase02.jpg McFarlane Toys has released photos of MLB 19, an expanded lineup featuring a trio of young stars, two veteran aces, the leader of the world champions, and a salute to the home fans:

Albert Pujols 3 -- The five-time All-Star continued his meteoric ascent in only his sixth pro season, leading the Cardinals to a World Series Championship while delivering career-highs in homers, RBI and batting average.

Jonathan Papelbon -- When injury claimed established closer Keith Foulke, Boston handed the job to rookie Jonathan Papelbon and the rest of the American League was immediately sorry. Papelbon didn't give up an earned run until his 15th appearance, and finished the season with 35 saves and a 0.92 ERA. The Red Sox plan to return him to their starting rotation in 2007, where he seems certain to become a top-flight starter for many years to come.

Johnny Damon 2 -- Johnny Damon only needed a plane ticket and a visit to a barbershop to arrive as the new center fielder for the New York Yankees. Damon handled the pressure of the Big Apple just fine, delivering steady defense and a strong leadoff presence while setting a career high for home runs in his first pinstriped season.

Scott Kazmir -- The Devil Rays have flown pretty much under the radar since their debut in 1998, but young fireballer Scott Kazmir has people taking notice. In just his second season, Kazmir delivered 10 wins for last-place Tampa while striking out 168 batters in just 145 innings.

Pedro Martinez 2 -- One of the finest pitchers of his generation, Pedro Martinez has garnered three Cy Young awards and 206 victories in his (almost assuredly) Hall of Fame career. After lifting a curse in Boston, Pedro moved on to the Mets where he hopes to deliver their first title in 21 years. Shoulder and calf injuries sidelined Pedro at the end of the 2006 season, but he'll be a big part of the Mets playoff push in 2007.

Prince Fielder -- Those who saw it won't soon forget. In the sixth inning of the Mets/Brewers game on Friday, May 12, Jose Lima lofted a not-so-fastball over the heart of the plate and rookie first baseman Prince Fielder absolutely annihilated it. His massive swing wrapped both arms around his head, and his eyes were just barely visible over his thick shoulder as the abused baseball screamed over the wall and ricocheted off the Road Runner banner some 473 feet away. It was a moonshot that his father (longtime Detroit slugger Cecil Fielder) would have been proud of. Fielder finished the season with 28 homers and 81 RBI and is one of many reasons Milwaukee is excited for the 2007 season.

Andy Pettitte -- The left-handed ace made his mark as a member of four championship teams in New York, pitching nine years in the Bronx before signing with the Astros after the 2003 season. After three years with Houston, Pettitte opted to return to the Yankees, signing a free-agent contract late last December.

MLB 19 is scheduled to arrive on shelves in early July.

TMP has also made a change to the base for their upcoming Mariano Rivera 2 figure in the MLB 18 lineup. The elaborate bullpen door base has proven to be too expensive to mass produce at standard 6-inch Sports Picks price point. To fit within TMP's cost parameters, the base will be scaled down and released as part of the wall. The new Mariano Rivera 2 figure will now look something like this:

Todd McFarlane was disappointed the entire wall couldn't fit within their cost structure, and he considered several options. He didn't want to pull the figure, or put it on an entirely grass outfield base. He felt that offering the full base as a Collector's Edition figure would be cheesy - almost like a bait-and-switch. In the end, he chose to sign off on the figure with the smaller base, but only if TMP made the full base version in the lineup as a chase figure.

You'll still find the full bullpen door version of Mariano Rivera 2 in the MLB 18 lineup, you'll just have to hunt for it a little bit. MLB 18 is scheduled to arrive on pegs in late May.

>> MLB BASEBALL SERIES 19