Paul Skenes, Elly De La Cruz Don Minor League Uniforms in Latest MLB The Show Promo

Alright, so the virtual versions of the players donned the uniforms of the Indianapolis Indians and Louisville Bats, but it's still a cool moment for Minor League Baseball.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) throws to first base in the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field in 2024. | David Richard-Imagn Images

On Tuesday, the latest MLB The Show 25 trailer was dropped, and in a nice twist, it featured some love for the minor leagues!

Recently Elly De La Cruz (Cincinnati Reds), Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh Pirates) and Gunnar Henderson (Baltimore Orioles) were named as cover athletes for this year's version of the popular video game franchise, and they were shown in their minor league uniforms as part of the "Road to the Show" game mode.

"Road to the Show" is one of the more successful features of the game, in which a user can take a created player on every part of his journey, from high school to college to the minors to the majors. It gives a user a chance to see what the grind is like behind the scenes and the amount of time it takes to get to - and stay in - the majors.

At about the 40 second mark of the trailer, you can see Henderson (Norfolk Tides), De La Cruz (Louisville Bats) and Skenes (Indianapolis Indians) in their minor league uniforms.

The game has evolved.
Forge all-new journeys in Road To The Show, Franchise, and much more, powered by ShowTech™.

The evolution is real. Pre-order at https://t.co/wAEusKNL9J
Available on March 18#MLBTheShow pic.twitter.com/bCghKUTLoM

— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) February 4, 2025

Skenes finished his rookie season (2024) at 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA. He struck out 170 batters in just 133.0 innings and looked every bit the part of an ace moving into 2025. The former No. 1 pick in the draft (2023), Skenes made his major league debut in early May after just a handful of minor league starts. With Skenes and Jared Jones, the Pirates and their fans finally look to have some optimism moving forward.

Armed with an upper-90s fastball and his power "splinker," Skenes also earned the start for the National League in the All-Star Game. In addition to winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award, Skenes was also already a finalist for the National League Cy Young. He was just given the best odds in the NL to win the Cy Young this year.

As for De La Cruz, he led baseball in steals in 2024 with 67, and for a while, he was on pace to steal 100 bases. In addition to his baserunning prowess, he also hit 25 homers and hit .259, showing his ability to make hard contact. The Reds finished fourth in the National League Central last season.

Henderson hit .281 with 37 homers and 92 RBI as the Orioles got back to the playoffs for the second straight year.

MLB The Show comes out on March 18.

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