On Monday, Marlins infielder (soon to be outfielder) Jazz Chisholm was selected as the next cover athlete for the long-running, critically acclaimed baseball video game series. Chisholm became the 17th player to grace the box art, and the first Miami (or Florida) Marlin to make it to the front:
Being picked as the cover athlete for a sports game is, unequivocally, one of the coolest honors that can be bestowed upon a pro athlete, whether it’s “The Show,” “Madden” or otherwise. Consider this a massive win for Chisholm — but some baseball fans weren’t too pleased with the coronation.
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Some compared the selection to one-year wonder, Browns running back Peyton Hillis, earning the cover nod for “Madden ‘12.” Others felt that he was the “least deserving” player to land on the cover of a sports game:
Needless to say, there are a few issues with the complaints.
Chisholm did play in just 60 games last season, as he was sidelined with a back injury that kept him out the entirety of the second half. Before the injury, though, Chisholm was on pace for a roughly ~6 bWAR season, which would have been his best, most productive year in his young career.
Chisholm belted 14 home runs in 60 games, with his career high 18 over 120 games the season before, along with a 139 OPS+. That mark was also a career high.
That said, Chisholm doesn’t have a particularly long track record of success, or the single-season impact that other recent cover stars like Fernando Tatis Jr. (on the cover in 2021) or Shohei Ohtani (2022) which have had. That might be the case, but it’s clear that “The Show” people want a player who plays with gusto, flash and showcases personality in a big, big way. In that facet, Chisholm is the right guy — and a perfect face for the franchise and for baseball moving forward.
He might not have the lengthy resume, but the breakout is coming, and the folks over at “MLB: The Show” are calling their shot.
List of ‘MLB: The Show’ cover athletes
With Chisholm entering the fray, there have been 17 different cover athletes to make it onto the front of the long-running baseball video game series.
Here they are:
