In MLB The Show 26, building a strong squad early is all about efficiency. One of the best value cards available is the 96 OVR Ketel Marte at second base. He stands out due to elite hitting stats, MLB The Show 26 Stubs, and strong positional flexibility, making him usable in nearly every lineup.

The good news is that you don’t need massive stub spending or pack luck to unlock him. With smart grinding and efficient marketplace management, you can complete the collection for around 100K stubs or less in a no money spent (NMS) approach.

This guide breaks down the fastest path to unlock him while minimizing wasted time and currency.

1. Core Requirement: 27 Collection Cards

To unlock Ketel Marte, you must collect 27 program-related cards.

18 cards can be earned for free

9 cards must be bought or pulled from packs

The entire strategy revolves around maximizing free cards first, then minimizing marketplace spending for the final push.

2. Program Missions (Foundation of Free Progress)

Program missions are the most important starting point because they overlap with nearly every game mode.

Common objectives include:

47 total bases

18 strikeouts (pitching)

31 hits with program players

Efficiency Tip:

Do NOT grind these separately. Instead, stack them inside:

Conquest

Diamond Quest

Mini Seasons

This ensures every game contributes to multiple objectives at once.

Rewards include:

XP progression (unlocking additional packs)

5 free program players

1 deluxe pack

Bonus reward players

Even lower-tier rewards still reduce your stub requirements later.

3. Events (Fast XP and Bonus Rewards)

Events are one of the most efficient short-session modes.

At around 10 stars, you typically earn:

10,000 XP

A free player reward

A deluxe pack

Why Events Matter:

Fast gameplay loops

Easy to combine with parallel XP grinding

Tradeable rewards can generate stubs

Even limited play in events can remove the need to buy 1–2 collection cards.

4. Diamond Quest (High-Value Free Cards)

Diamond Quest is one of the best NMS-friendly modes.

Recommended approach:

Play on the highest difficulty you can reliably win

Skip unnecessary map clearing

Focus on strongholds and fast clears

Why it’s important:

Grants 2 high-tier players

Provides valuable packs for collection progress

Much faster than full Conquest clears

This mode is one of the fastest ways to build your early collection base.

5. Conquest (Passive Progress Engine)

Conquest is slower but extremely valuable for multitasking.

While playing Conquest, you can:

Complete program missions

Earn parallel XP

Unlock hidden packs

Progress toward free cards

Key idea:

Conquest is not about speed—it’s about stacking progress across multiple systems.

Rewards often include:

Deluxe packs

Choice packs

High-value players

Even duplicates can be converted into stubs.

6. Mini Seasons (Long-Term Reward Engine)

Mini Seasons acts as your background progression system.

You can earn:

XP milestones tied to vintage or special series players

Large program progression rewards

Additional pack tiers

Example rewards:

10,000 XP milestone → deluxe pack

22,000 XP total → major rewards

This mode runs alongside everything else and steadily builds free value over time.

7. Reaching the 18 Free Cards Mark

By combining all offline modes, your free card progression typically looks like this:

Program missions: ~5 cards

Diamond Quest: ~2 cards

Conquest: ~2–3 cards

Mini Seasons: ~3–4 cards

Events: ~1–2 cards

Misc. milestones: ~2–3 cards

Total: ~18 free cards

This is the key milestone that makes Ketel Marte affordable.

8. Marketplace Strategy (Final 9 Cards)

Once you reach 18 cards, you only need 9 more.

Market reality:

Most required cards cost:

4K–6K stubs each

Best buying strategy:

Always buy lowest listings first

Avoid overpaying for rare names

Don’t rush purchases early

Estimated cost:

Best case: 36K–50K stubs

Worst case: up to ~100K stubs (inflated market)

This is why the full unlock remains around 100K max.

9. Stub Management Tips (NMS Efficiency Rules)

To stay efficient:

1. Sell duplicates immediately

Any duplicate pack pull should be sold unless directly required.

2. Avoid holding unused cards

Stubs early game are more valuable than potential future use.

3. Flip when needed

If short on stubs:

Sell high-value pulls

Flip mid-tier cards

Reinvest into missing collection pieces

4. Don’t overbuy early

Always finish free grinding before spending heavily.

10. Optimal Grind Order

To maximize efficiency, follow this sequence:

Program missions (while multitasking)

Diamond Quest (fast rewards)

Conquest (XP stacking)

Mini Seasons (background progress)

Events (optional/stub boosting)

Marketplace completion (final step)

This ensures all progress overlaps instead of being isolated.

11. Why Ketel Marte Is Worth It

Ketel Marte is considered one of the best early-to-mid game investments because he offers:

Switch-hitting advantage (huge matchup flexibility)

Balanced contact and power

Reliable defense at second base

Strong lineup versatility

He performs like a near-endgame card in early cycles and can anchor your lineup for a long time.

12. Final Takeaway

The entire strategy works because of one principle:

Stack every mode instead of grinding separately.

By combining Program Missions, Diamond Quest, Conquest, Mini Seasons, and Events, you generate multiple reward streams simultaneously buy MLB The Show 26 Stubs. This is what makes the 18 free cards possible without heavy spending.

After that, a controlled marketplace approach keeps total cost near 100K stubs or lower.

In the end, you don’t just unlock a 96 OVR Ketel Marte—you also build a repeatable system for future collections, making every new program easier and more efficient to complete.