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MLB The Show 24 is already receiving the hype it deserves. After San Diego Studios released their 2023 version of the popular baseball video game, fans are already hungry for more.
Each year, the developers choose one player to grace the front of the game. In all, sixteen players have had their likeness presented on the front cover since 2006, with Miami Marlins star Jazz Chisholm Jr. being named the cover athlete in 2022.
Now, fans are already wondering you they will see on the cover of MLB The Show 24, scheduled to be released next March. It may be some distance into the future, but we thought we might have as well have some fun with it.
Top 3 contenders for MLB The Show 24 cover athlete
3 Julio Rodriguez
The Seattle Mariners center fielder has a lot of swagger. After winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award on account of his 28 home runs and 75 RBIs last year, the 22-year old is showing no signs of slowing down.
"JULIO RODRIGUEZ WITH A RECORD BREAKING 41 HOME RUNS IN ROUND 1. At home. In front of his Seattle Mariners fans. MOST EVER." - Sami on Tap
Although his batting average is slightly down, his 14 home runs and 51 RBIs put him on pace to best his season last year. Additionally, the young stud has served as an ambassador for Seattle as they hosted the 93rd All-Star Game and Home Run Derby earlier this month. Rodriguez on the cover of MLB The Show 24 is a very real possibility.
2. Ronald Acuna Jr.
There's electric, and then there's Ronald Acuna Jr. After tearing his ACL in 2021, many Atlanta Braves fans wondered if that was it for Ronnie. Boy were they wrong.
"Ronald Acuna Jr. brings the @Braves within one in the 9th." - MLB
Another former Rookie of the Year, Acuna has hit .296/.377/.488 since returining from his career-threatening injury last April. Additionally, Ronnie's 46 stolen bases lead the league, and he stands a very real chance of becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 30 home runs and swipe 60 bases.
1 Elly De La Cruz
If the Cincinnati Reds infielder still seems like a long shot to grace the cover of MLB The Show 24, it's only because nobody had ever heard of him two months ago. De La Cruz' rise to MLB prominence is among the most meteroic ever seen.
"Elly De La Cruz's first leadoff home run was a moment" - Draft Kings
The 21-year old was promoted to the big leagues on June 6, hit his first home run on June 7, and hit for the cycle on June 23. Already shattering infield throwing records, De La Cruz' 40 games have yielded 5 home runs 17 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases, including home. If there were ever numbers befitting an MLB The Show 24 cover athlete, there they are.
