MLB the Show 23 Cover Athlete Reveal Date Announced
The wait is almost over as Sony San Diego has now officially announced the upcoming MLB The Show 23 cover athlete reveal date. There’s likely to be plenty of fanfare around that reveal, and there are several top candidates to get the honor including a few that may have been hinted at in the announcement.
After confirmation of the MLB The Show 23 cover athlete arrives via the reveal stream, additional details are expected to be announced within the following 24 hours. With the game as little as two months away from launch, the MLB The Show 23 cover athlete reveal will finally open the floodgates for this year’s installment.
In this article you will learn:
- When and how to watch the MLB The Show 23 cover athlete reveal
- What other details should be announced soon after
- Which players are most likely to be selected as cover athlete
MLB The Show 23 cover athlete reveal date confirmed with teaser
The end of January often brings annual announcements from developer Sony San Diego, and this year is no different as they’ve now confirmed when MLB The Show 23 reveals will begin. Things start on Monday, January 30, 2023 at 12pm PT (3pm ET, 2pm CT) with a live stream on the Sony San Diego Studio Twitch channel not unlike their reveals last year for Shohei Ohtani.
If you’re planning to play MLB The Show 23 when it arrives, it’s a good idea to ensure you have a Twitch account set up ahead of time so you can link for free packs in-game when Twitch Drops finally start this year. Announcing the cover athlete will simultaneously reveal the official box art for MLB The Show 23, and that tends to be quickly followed by the launch of pre-orders through various retailers.
As a result, Sony San Diego will likely follow the MLB The Show 23 cover athlete reveal by confirming major details like the title’s release date, editions, platforms, and pre-order rewards that fans will be able to collect. They could include early teasers for gameplay and game modes, but those may be saved for a future reveal in the coming weeks.
MLB The Show 23 cover athlete favorites
As for which players will be on deck to grace the MLB The Show 23 cover this year, there are some definite favorites when looking back at how last season wrapped up. However, stats aren’t the only factor as Sony San Diego has shown in recent years they’re also willing to go with a young rising star as the face of the game, like was done with Fernando Tatis, Jr. for MLB The Show 21.
Last year, there really wasn’t any other choice as Shohei Ohtani had both proven himself to be the biggest international star in baseball and put down an absolutely historic 2021 season – which he followed up with yet another historic 2022 season. There are seven strong contenders with a case for the cover, but one has quickly been identified by eagle-eyed Twitter users when considering the clues laid out by Sony San Diego.
1. Jazz Chisholm, Jr. – Center Field, Miami Marlins
Coming into only his fourth year in the league, there’s no denying that Jazz Chisholm, Jr. has been a major factor in the establishment of the Miami Marlins as a true contender. They secured a wild card berth in 2020, thanks in part to the arrival of Chisholm. However, the most crucial detail is actually a color similarity noticed by one fan on Twitter.
As seen in the tweet above, the purple patterned color scheme seen in the brand new profile photo for the MLB The Show account on Twitter looks strikingly similar to a pair of shoes worn by Chisholm. If chosen, it would be the first cover for the Miami Marlins as even 2017 MVP Giancarlo Stanton couldn’t snag the cover of MLB The Show 18 over 2017 Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge (more on him later).
2. Sandy Alcántara – Starting Pitcher, Miami Marlins
The odds are looking good right now for the Miami Marlins as there’s a second strong contender in 2022 National League Cy Young Award Winner Sandy Alcántara. He may not have been able to single-handedly take his team to the postseason last year, but Alcántara put together the most effective and calculated season of his career, punctuated by his nasty circle changeup.
With an ERA of 2.28 after 228.2 innings pitched throughout the season, Alcántara was unanimously chosen with 30 first-place votes cast to make him the 2022 Cy Young Award Winner in the National League. At just 27-years-old, the Dominican Republic native could also secure Miami’s first cover.
3. Aaron Judge – Right Field, New York Yankees
Repeat cover athletes aren’t common in MLB The Show series history, but it’s happened once before with Joe Mauer snagging covers for both MLB 10: The Show and MLB 11: The Show. Aaron Judge might be next in line for that repeat honor five full years after he was chosen to be the face of MLB The Show 18.
“All Rise” continued to be a rallying cry last season for Yankees fans as Judge went on to have the best year of his already prolific career managing an American League record 62 home runs (breaking fellow Yankee Roger Maris’ record), 131 RBIs, and a truly astronomical 1.111 OPS through a season with 696 plate appearances. Judge led the AL in RBIs and home runs en route to the AL Hank Aaron Award, his third Silver Slugger, and being named American League MVP.
4. Paul Goldschmidt – First Base, St. Louis Cardinals
The final strong contender for MLB The Show 23 cover athlete has to be the counterpart MVP in the National League, which happened to be veteran Paul Goldschmidt. Making his first mark as part of the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier in his career, Goldschmidt finally found his groove in St. Louis with a season that snagged him the NL Hank Aaron Award in addition to being named National League MVP.
His 115 RBIs and 35 home runs were nothing to sneeze at, but most of all, Goldschmidt’s .578 slugging and .981 OPS were the best of his career. He’s a bit older than some of the recent selections, but there’s no denying “Goldy” has the numbers to earn this honor.
Other candidates for MLB The Show 23 cover athlete
The four players already discussed may sit near the top, but there are plenty of other names across the league that have the potential to be chosen. Here are a few other players who might be revealed as MLB The Show 23 cover athlete (a 2022 award is in parentheses):
- Bryce Harper – RF, Philadelphia Phillies (NLCS MVP)
- Max Scherzer – SP, New York Mets
- Justin Verlander – SP, New York Mets (AL Cy Young Award)
- Trea Turner – Shortstop, Washington Nationals (Silver Slugger Award)
- Juan Soto – RF, San Diego Padres (Silver Slugger Award)
- Julio Rodríguez – CF, Seattle Mariners (Silver Slugger Award)
With impressive seasons of their own throughout the league, these six additional players shouldn’t be counted out when it comes to being MLB The Show 23 cover athlete.
Tune in on January 30 on the Sony San Diego Twitch stream to find out who becomes the MLB The Show 23 cover athlete.
