MLB fans split on which player should grace the cover of MLB The Show 23: "That’s easy. J-ROD!" "Aaron Judge he had a historic season"

Every year, one lucky MLB superstar gets to grace the cover of MLB The Show. For the 2023 version, the cover athlete hasn't been announced, but recent years had Shohei Ohtani, Fernando Tatis Jr., Javier Baez, Aaron Judge and others on the cover.

Ahead of that release, fans were asked who they believe should be the next cover athlete.

There were a wide variety of responses, including a few historic players from the 2022 season and a ton of superstars.

There are a ton of excellent options this year for an MLB The Show 23 cover athlete. Aaron Judge had a historic campaign, smashing the American League and New York Yankees' franchise record for home runs in a single season.

Julio Rodriguez burst onto the scene during his rookie year and is probably the early favorite to be on the cover.

Miguel Cabrera is entering his final season in the MLB, so the future Hall of Famer could easily be chosen. The same could be said for Albert Pujols, who just retired after hitting 700 career home runs.

His St. Louis Cardinals counterpart Yadier Molina also retired and could be a good choice.

Bryce Harper had a postseason for the ages as he carried the Philadelphia Phillies on an unexpected run to the World Series. Paul Goldschmidt won NL MVP and would be an excellent cover athlete, too.

Sony has plenty of options to choose from. Since Judge has already graced the cover once and Pujols retired, it's hard to see anyone but Seattle Mariners phenom Julio Rodriguez getting on the cover this time.

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When does MLB The Show 23 release?

MLB The Show 23 is a game based around baseball, so it largely coincides with the season. The same is true for all sports games- they're at their most popular during their sports' seasons, so they release around then to maximize the audience attention.

Could Aaron Judge return as cover athlete?

As a result, MLB The Show 23 will more than likely be released in March or April, perhaps right before the MLB season begins. Until then, fans will wait patiently for an announcement of whose face will be on the game's cover.