Major League Baseball

MLB The Show 25 cover stars revealed, features three players for first time ever

Published Jan. 28, 2025 3:36 p.m. ET

For the first time in its history, MLB The Show will have multiple players on its cover.

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz and Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson will appear on the cover of MLB The Show 25, it was announced Tuesday.

The decision to name Skenes, De La Cruz and Henderson the cover athletes follows a recent trend by San Diego Studio, the game's developer, to place rising stars on the cover of MLB The Show. Its decision to focus on young stars in this year's edition of the game was intentional.

"Historically, we've chosen a single cover athlete for MLB The Show, someone who is at the pinnacle of the sport," The Show global marketing group manager Todd Liss told MLB.com. "However, with the unprecedented young talent coming into the league, we wanted to represent the changing current climate of baseball and showcase it on our cover. These three players are changing what's possible in baseball, and we're changing how many players can be on the cover of The Show."

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vlad Guerrero Jr. was on the cover of last season's game while then Miami Marlins star Jazz Chisholm appeared on MLB The Show 23, with each making their cover debut relatively early in their careers.

Skenes, De La Cruz and Henderson seem like logical successors to be cover athletes based on the starts of their careers. Skenes lived up to the hype as one of the top pitching prospects in recent memory after getting called up in May 2024. The 22-year-old won National League Rookie of the Year and finished third in NL Cy Young voting after going 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA, 170 strikeouts and a 0.947 WHIP.

De La Cruz has arguably become one of the league's most electrifying players in recent memory. He became the fifth player since 1901 to have at least 20 home runs and 60 stolen bases in a single season last year, recording 25 homers to go with his MLB-high 67 stolen bases. That came after he recorded 13 homers, seven triples and 35 stolen bases in 98 games as a rookie in 2023.

Finally, Henderson has been one of the keys to the Orioles' back-to-back playoff appearances over the last two years. The 23-year-old was one of the best hitters in the American League last season, hitting .281 with 37 homers, 92 RBIs and a .893 OPS. He also had 21 stolen bases after winning AL Rookie of the Year in 2023.

Unlike its NFL counterpart, there hasn't been much of a curse associated with being on the cover of MLB The Show. Last season, Guerrero actually had a bounceback year after appearing on the cover, hitting .323 with 30 homers and a .940 OPS. Chisholm missed some time due to injury in 2023, but he still hit a career-high 19 homers that year. Shohei Ohtani also had another stellar two-way season after appearing on the cover in 2022, finishing second in AL MVP voting.

MLB The Show 25 will mark the 20th edition of the game. Former Boston Red Sox star and Hall of Famer David Ortiz appeared on the first cover of the game in 2006, hitting a career-high 54 homers that season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.