All MLB The Show cover athletes through the years: Legends who graced MLB The Show covers

MLB The Show, produced and created by the San Diego Studios, is a Major League Baseball video game series that debuted in 2006 as a baseball simulation game. Over the past decades, it has showcased several professional athletes on its cover; it is a prestigious honour to appear on it, and most of MLB The Show cover athletes have been positively affected by it in various ways.

Ranging from Hall of Famers to seasoned stars, MLB The Show has featured a broader spectrum of players on its cover. However, some players who have appeared on it, such as Peyton Hillis and Vince Young, went through a downturn in their careers since it has become apparent that the honour might be accompanied by a "curse".

All MLB The Show cover athletes through the years

Since 2006, a new release has been made annually for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable to enter the market. According to various online sources, here is a list of all MLB The Show cover athletes as of 2023.

18. David Ortiz - MLB 06

David went down in history as one of the greatest Red Sox athletes of all time due to his incredible performance during the 2006 season. He hit a career-high of 54 homers in just 137 runs with an overall OPS of 1.049.

17. David Wright - MLB 07

With David Wright on the cover, MLB 07 went down in history as the first game to make its first appearance on the PS3. The New York Mets legend won numerous awards during his time, and it is only fair that he got selected to take the spot.

Aside from being among the best players the Mets have ever had, David was an outstanding leader on the field with pure star power.

16. Ryan Howard - MLB 08

Ryan became a natural choice for the years' cover since he had won the 2006 Most Valuable Player and the 2005 Rookie of the Year awards. Although his peak did not last long, he recorded some of the best numbers in the Major League Baseball franchise.

15. Dustin Pedroia - MLB 09

Many PlayStation fans agreed that the 2009 release was better than the game's previous versions. And since it was the best, it was only fitting that Dustin, the then Boston Red Sox star take the front line.

14. Joe Mauer - MLB 10

Joe Mauer was a legend who defied the odds with his legendary skills, and with him on the 2010 cover, the video game sold over 200,000 copies even though the PS2 console was almost ten years old.

13. Joe Mauer - MLB 10

Joe did not only stop on the 2010 MLB The Show cover but also went ahead to take the 2011 spot since he was next to none in terms of performance. With him being on the cover twice, he sealed his name on the history books and recorded the last time Sony published for PS2.

12. Adrián González - MLB 12

Gonzalez is one of the past MLB The Show cover athletes that played for the Bolton Red Sox. He was selected for the 2012 cover with Jose Bautista as an alternate since he had a record of 27 home runs and 117 runs in the previous season.

At this point, the PSP game version entries continued to give room for the new PS Vita, which was more advanced.

11. Andrew McCutchen - MLB 13

Although Andrew took the mantle, the year had two alternate athletes, Jose Bautista from Canada and Wei-Yin Chen from Taiwan. The renowned legend took home an MVP award in 2013, and at the same time, the Home Run Derby was added to the PS3 version.

10. Miguel Cabrera - MLB 14

Miguel is one of the MLB The Show cover athletes in history who received two MVP honours consecutively due to his performance on the pitch. The Detroit Tigers legend became the first player to be used as a cover in the first entry of the PS4.

9. Yasiel Puig - MLB 15

During one of his appearances in 2013, Yasiel became the first Los Angeles Dodger to take home a multi-homer game. And even though he was a legend, he sealed his starts when he hit a grand slam, and his data was transferred from his previous titles.

8. Josh Donaldson - MLB 16

The name changed in the MLB 16 entries from MLB 16: The Show to MLB The Show. At the same time, the PS Vita versions were done away with despite some baseball fans being disappointed by the decision.

7. Ken Griffey Jr - MLB 17

Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Red legend Ken Griffey are among MLB The Show cover athletes of all time. He was top ranked not only due to his performance but also through the massive fan base that he garnered through the years.

6. Aaron Judge - MLB 18

On the MLB 18 cover, Aaron took the day. He was a star in the making, and with incredible performance, he took home the Rookie of the Year award, and later he became New York Yankees' home run leader and was thus a fit selection for the show.

5. Bryce Harper - MLB 19

When ranking MLB the show cover athletes in order, Harper comes fifth with the legendary skills that saw him selected to be on the 2019's cover. Although the renowned Philadelphia legend was new to the team, he had the honours to take the spot.

4. Javier Báez - MLB 20

Javier, a Chicago Cubs rising star, is among the last 10 MLB The Show cover athletes who was an outfielder from Minor League Baseball.

It was not normal for a Minor League player to take the spot, but since the renowned star had received his second All-Star award, an exception was made. His likeness was the first in history to do so.

3. Fernando Tatís Jr - MLB 21

Fernando was an icon in 2021 after appearing on the cover of one of the most famous video games on the planet. Aside from that, the Show also had its first multi-platform across Xbox consoles, Xbox Game Pass, and PlayStations.

2. Shohei Ohtani - MLB 22

While maintaining the previous year's multiplatform technical know-how, the Show expanded, and the Nintendo Switch made its first appearance. At the time, Shohei, the Los Angeles Angels two-way legend, rose to the occasion, and no one was suited for the mantle than him.

1. Jazz Chisholm Jr - MLB 23

On the list of all MLB the show cover athletes, the latest one to take the spot is Jazz Chisholm. He is the most recent entry in the series and one of the rising stars in the baseball arena, with a lot expected from him in the coming years.

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Who is on the cover of MLB 17?

Ken Griffey is among MLB The Show cover athletes of all time and the legend behind MLB cover 17. He was top ranked not only due to his performance but also through the massive fan base that he garnered through the years.

Although MLB The Show cover athletes face stiff competition and the best is selected as the year's cover star to define the upcoming season, some have not lived up to their potential. However, with the superstition associated with MLB The Show, it is still unclear whether the curse is real or has an opposite effect since the results differ for various baseball players.

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