Who Will Be on the Cover of MLB The Show 23? Release Date, Potential Candidates and History of Cover Athletes

There's no denying that the MLB offseason is long. Fortunately, the offseason is made eventful by notable events on the baseball calendar such as free agent signings, trades, the start of Spring Training and (in some years) the World Baseball Classic.

Diehard baseball fans also use this time to build anticipation for the best MLB video game on the market: MLB The Show. MLB The Show 23 will be released in mid-March, but we don't yet know the official cover athlete for this year's version.

Similar to the Madden franchise, gracing the cover of MLB The Show is a distinct honor with stars like Shohei Ohtani, Miguel Cabrera and David Ortiz having the honors in previous years.

Here's everything you need to know about MLB The Show 23's cover release.

When Will MLB The Show 23 Release Cover Athlete?

Produced by San Diego Studio and PlayStation Studios, MLB The Show 23 will announce their cover athlete reveal live on Twitch at 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT) on Monday, Jan. 30.

The video game will be dropped sometime in mid-March or early April, right around the official beginning of the league's 2023 regular season.

For now, the cover athlete has not yet been released but The Duel has a few predictions for who may grace the cover.

MLB The Show 23 Cover Athlete Predictions

1. Justin Verlander, New York Mets

At age 39, Justin Verlander put together the most dominant performance of his lengthy career. He dazzled hitters with a 1.75 ERA en route to a Cy Young Award and World Series trophy. He then proceeded to sign a massive contract with the New York Mets. Blockbuster on and off the field? Seems like a perfect fit.

2. Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros

It's hard not to put a single member of the World Series champion Houston Astros on the list, and with Verlander's departure, Yordan Alvarez is the next best option. He finished third in the AL MVP voting and is one of the best hitters in the game.

3. Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners

There once was a young center fielder with speed and pop who played for the Seattle Mariners. His name was Ken Griffey Jr. and he dominated baseball video games during his peak in the 1990s. Now, the Mariners have Julio Rodriguez, who's coming off one of the best rookie seasons ever and is already drawing comparisons to Griffey.

4. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

While it's unlikely for a player to grace MLB The Show's cover twice in the span of just six years, Aaron Judge just may do it. He won the AL MVP on the heels of a historic home run campaign, re-signed with his New York Yankees, was named captain and remains King of New York. That puts him in the conversation, at least.

5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays

Sticking with the AL East, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. just had his second straight All-Star campaign while topping 30 homers and winning his first Gold Glove to boot. The Blue Jays are loaded heading into the 2023 regular season. Not to mention, he's the son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, who once graced the cover of MLB 2006 -- the final video game produced by 989 Sports (predecessors of MLB The Show).

History of MLB The Show 23 Cover Athletes

Below is a full list of all MLB athletes to land the cover of MLB The Show. We started the list in 2006, the first edition of this video game franchise. As mentioned above, 989 Sports released nine video games that predate the first-ever MLB The Show.

MLB 06: The Show - David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
MLB 07: The Show - David Wright, New York Mets
MLB 08: The Show - Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies
MLB 09: The Show - Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox
MLB 10: The Show - Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
MLB 11: The Show - Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
MLB 12: The Show - Adrian Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox
MLB 13: The Show - Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB 14: The Show - Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
MLB 15: The Show - Yasiel Puig, Los Angles Dodgers
MLB The Show 16 - Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays
MLB The Show 17 - Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle Mariners
MLB The Show 18 - Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
MLB The Show 19 - Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
MLB The Show 20 - Javier Baez, Chicago Cubs
MLB The Show 21 - Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres
MLB The Show 22 - Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
MLB The Show 23 - TBD

Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.