It’s hard to imagine having a better year than Paul Skenes had.
In recent years, the video game MLB The Show has usually had one young superstar player on the rise as its cover athlete. But for the 2025 season, there were too many good options.
With Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles shortstops Elly De La Cruz and Gunnar Henderson, Paul Skenes is part of a trio of the game’s most exciting young players on the cover of MLB The Show 25. Skenes joins Andrew McCutchen as the second Pirate to grace the cover, as McCutchen was the face of MLB The Show 13.
“Historically, we’ve chosen a single cover athlete for MLB The Show, someone who is at the pinnacle of the sport,” said MLB The Show global marketing group manager Todd Liss. “These three players are changing what’s possible in baseball, and we’re changing how many players can be on the cover of The Show.”
Skenes had a good enough season to be on the cover by himself. He came onto the scene last year as one of the highest-touted pitching prospects since Stephen Strausburg and did more than live up to the hype. In 23 starts, he had 170 strikeouts, a 1.96 ERA, and a 0.95 WHIP in 133 innings pitched, earning him a start in the All-Star game and the NL Rookie of the Year. Skenes already has the demeanor and controlled stuff of a veteran pitcher at just 22 years old, and with only one year under his belt, he still has room to improve his game.
Henderson and De La Cruz also join Skenes in the unicorn category of MLB. At just 23 years old, Gunnar Henderson led the young talent of the Baltimore Orioles to another playoff spot, hitting 37 home runs and finishing fourth in the AL MVP race. Elly De La Cruz’s freak athleticism was displayed in his first full big league season in 2024, hitting 25 home runs and stealing 67 bases in 160 games.
“It’s a cool thing, and a huge honor,” said Skenes, “especially sharing this with those guys. I met those guys at the All-Star Game last year, which was really cool, and then sharing this with them is great, and to have this connection with them early in our careers.”
More and more of MLB’s brightest stars are flying through the Minor Leagues and producing at the highest level at a young age, allowing the league to market more talent to its fans at a higher rate.