Paul Skenes to appear on cover of MLB The Show

Whether the field be dirt and grass, or 4k pixels, Paul Skenes is throwing heat!

MLB The Show 25 has officially hit the shelves and online stores of Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles, with several new gameplay features as players try to take over the baseball metaverse across various game modes. Featured on this year’s cover are three dynamic athletes; the Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson, the Red’s Elly De La Cruz, and of course the Pirates’ very own Paul Skenes all take center stage on the franchise’s newest installment.

The three up-and-coming stars were chosen to grace this year’s cover, as the futures of baseball while paying homage to the stars and games of the past. Twenty years ago, David Ortiz was the first cover athlete of the series, and now Cruz, Henderson, and Skenes represent the next generation of baseball greats, taking over both the game and pop culture.

This is the first time in the history of the game that three players will be featured as the cover athletes, and deservedly so. All three are widely regarded as some of the most exciting players in the game today

“With the unprecedented young talent coming into the league, we wanted to represent the changing current climate of baseball and showcase it on our cover. 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,” said MLB The Show global marketing group manager Todd Liss.

Skenes finds himself in good company, as the second Pirate to ever be featured as the cover athlete. Andrew McCutchen graced the cover of MLB The Show 13, more than a decade ago. McCutchen’s 2013 season was one to be remembered, as he was an All-Star, a Silver Slugger, and was named the NL’s MVP… oh and the Pirates won 94 games and beat Cincinnati in the playoffs. If Skenes’ 2025 is anything like McCutchen’s 2013, being named the cover athlete for MLB The Show will just sweeten the deal even more.

Funnily enough, Skenes said he will likely not be playing a lot of the game, and prefers to stick to pitching in real life. He is set to debut in the game with a 93 overall rating.

“I’ll probably go in, log in, get my card and log back out,” Skenes said. “I’m not a video game guy.”

He has the skill to throw a multitude of pitches, but isn’t too keen on his abilities on the sticks. Nonetheless, being a featured athlete on the cover for MLB The Show 25 is just another accomplishment for the 22-year old pitcher, who is set to have a monster year on the diamond, both virtually and realistically.