Highlights

  • MLB The Show 24 should feature two cover athletes to celebrate the deep talent pool in the MLB and generate more hype for the game.
  • Ronald Acuña Jr. and Shohei Ohtani are strong candidates for MLB The Show 24's cover athletes based on their outstanding performances in the 2023 season.
  • Having high-profile cover athletes like Acuña and Ohtani would reinforce MLB The Show's tradition of highlighting the best parts of America's pastime and meet the expectations for the game.

The sports genre has come a long way since it started with pixelated recreations of tennis and baseball. From MLB The Show to Madden NFL, sports games have become simulation experiences that give gamers the next best thing to taking the field themselves. One of the genre's longest traditions is deciding who will be the cover athlete of each yearly installment, and for MLB The Show 24 that announcement is drawing closer and closer. The 2024 season is only a couple of months away, and that should mean MLB The Show 24 isn't far behind.

MLB The Show's cover athletes have featured some of the most well-known names in the sport. From David Ortiz to Bryce Harper, the series has taken every opportunity to celebrate baseball's deep well of talent. The 2023 MLB season demonstrated just how deep that well is, with players like Ronald Acuña Jr. having record-breaking years in multiple categories. Even in the offseason, The Show 22 cover athlete Shohei Ohtani broke records by signing the largest contract in North American sports. With so many high-profile names to choose from, The Show 24 may want to break its tradition of featuring just one cover athlete.

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MLB The Show 24 Has A Strong Case For Two Cover Athletes

With all the talent coming from MLB at the moment, developer San Diego Studio could be wise to broaden its horizons and give two players the spotlight with MLB The Show 24. When a cover athlete is announced, some fans believe other players were snubbed, or in the case of The Show 23 cover athlete Jazz Chisholm, didn't deserve to be featured in the first place. Two cover athletes wouldn't exactly solve this problem, but by highlighting those who lit the sport on fire in 2023, MLB The Show 24 could gather a considerable amount of hype before the game even releases.

Ronald Acuña Jr. & Shohei Ohtani Are Cover Athlete Material

2023 saw a lot of MLB players have one of the best seasons of their careers, and for Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr., 2023 was monumental. Acuña became MLB's first player with 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases in a single season, a feat SDS celebrated with one of the best cards in MLB The Show 23's Diamond Dynasty mode. Acuña has been a face of the sport for some time now, but his 40/70 season makes him one of the strongest candidates for The Show 24's cover athlete based on performance alone.

Shohei Ohtani is no stranger to MLB The Show covers, as the two-way player was just recently featured on the front of MLB The Show 22. Ohtani's ability to pitch and hit at an elite level creates a strong case for him to be The Show's cover athlete until he retires, but his recent signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers is particularly noteworthy.

After reaching free agency for the first time since he signed with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani signed a staggering $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers that absolutely rocked the baseball world. His first season with the team is sure to draw a lot of eyes to it, and getting Ohtani on the cover of The Show 24 in a Dodgers jersey, alongside Acuña, could get a similar number of eyes on the game.

MLB The Show has always been about highlighting the best parts of America's pastime, and The Show 24 has an opportunity to reinforce that by expanding to two cover athletes. While there's truly no telling who will grace the cover of The Show 24 as of right now, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Shohei Ohtani make perhaps the most compelling cases out of every MLB player. There are likely to be many expectations for The Show 24, and a high-profile cover athlete will only be a part of them.