The cover art for the 2021 edition of MLB The Show embraces one of the league’s brightest young talents, showboating and all.
MLB The Show knows its audience. That much is clear when you get your first look at the cover for the soon-to-be-released 2021 game.
If leaked photos are to be believed, the cover features Fernando Tatis Jr. flipping his bat.
Does that look familiar? It should.
That epic moment is sure to attract exactly the crowd that would be interested in a baseball video game in the first place. No need to waste time appealing to the bat-flip haters who find the practice to be unsportsmanlike.
MLB The Show’s 2021 cover star is set to be revealed officially on Feb. 1
For now, we only have a leaked photo with watermarks, but on Monday the official cover will be released. Complex will have an interview with the cover athlete, which should be Tatis unless this leak is totally off-base.
It makes sense for Fernando Tatis Jr. to be the guy. He was recently announced as Topps’ No. 1 card for the 2021 series.
The San Diego Padres star is popular for good reason. In just his second season in the league, the 22-year-old hit 17 home runs with a batting average of .277, an on-base percentage of .366 and a slugging percentage of .571. In the playoffs, he added two homers.
The numbers were good, but the way he compiled them was even better. He brought swagger and flair to the plate as a batter and the infield as a shortstop.
Tatis came fourth in NL MVP voting and earned his first All-MLB nod despite being one of the youngest players in the league.
Even if his style made him the subject of criticism at times, he is still among the most entertaining talents out there. Who better to promote the newest PlayStation Studios product?