Pirates Star Named Cover Athlete For MLB The Show 25
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One day after Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes teased that he'd be on the cover for MLB The Show 25, the news is now official.
Skenes will be one of three players to be on the cover for MLB The Show 25. He'll be joined by Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson and Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz on the cover. The game can be pre-ordered on Feb. 4 and becomes available on March 18.
The stars of today and tomorrow:
— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) January 28, 2025
Elly De la Cruz ⚡
Paul Skenes 🔥
Gunnar Henderson 💪
Your #MLBTheShow25 Cover Athletes! 😤⚾#ForgeYourJourney and pre-order on February 4th.
Available on March 18.
Learn more at https://t.co/baliy5VGpN pic.twitter.com/5npCRnCTv9
Skenes is the first Pirates player to be on the cover since Andrew McCutchen, who was the cover athlete for MLB The Show 13.
De La Cruz was the first player to say he'd be on the cover on Monday before Henderson chimed in, saying that he would be the cover athlete for the game. Later that day, Skenes joined in on the fun, stating that he was going to be on the cover rather than De La Cruz and Henderson.
"Gunnar, Elly, I heard you guys are claiming the cover of the show, and I just want to let you know that the cover is mine," Skenes said in an Instagram post. "So, let's settle this before the cover drops."
As it turns out, all three were correct.
Skenes being one of the cover athletes after his historic rookie season shouldn't draw much surprise. The Pirates right-hander won the National League Rookie of the Year and finished third in the NL Cy Young vote. Skenes was the fifth pitcher in MLB history to finish top three for both awards and the first since Jose Fernandez in 2013.
Skenes went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts in 2024 and set a Pirates franchise record for a rookie with 170 strikeouts over 133 innings pitched. The Pirates right-hander was also the first pitcher in MLB history to have an ERA below 2.20, over 150 strikeouts in their first 21 games and the second pitcher since 1913 to have an ERA below 2.00 through their first 22 appearances.
