The wild ride to MLB The Show 24 has officially begun.

In an extended video reveal, Hall of Famer and former cover athlete David Ortiz helped usher in the next cover athlete:

Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

MLB The Show 24 Cover Athlete Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Consoles

I made some very specific predictions for the cover athlete, release date and consoles that MLB The Show 24 would land on. I whiffed on the cover boy and release date but guessed right that MLB The Show 24 would again grace PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch along with the current generation of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. A potentially interesting note is that there are two separate “versions” described on the pre-order page.

PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions are labeled as “Last Gen” while PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S are labeled as “Current Gen.” Last year, the game was essentially released on all platforms without separate versions. It appears that might be different this year which could imply some serious upgrades for Current Gen versions. Adding to this theory is that Last Gen versions are digital only, while physical copies can be purchased for Current Gen. Following suit from last year, Last Gen versions will run players $59.99 while the Current Gen versions will be priced at $69.99. Current Gen owners will also get a sweetened pot in terms of basic pre-order bonuses.

Release Date

I predicted a March 26 release date as the game had been releasing on the last Tuesday of March during the normal release window. Surprisingly, we’re getting the game even earlier this year with a March 19 release date. There’s no word on early access yet, but I would expect that information to come when the Collector’s Edition details are announced on February 6.

Pre-Release Schedule

We don’t have to wonder what’s coming next. SDS also unveiled the full pre-release schedule alongside the official cover art reveal. From the Collector’s Edition announcement all the way up to release, we can carve out time in our calendars for all things MLB The Show 24.

The Closer

There was certainly a crowd of disappointed gamers with the reveal. Cover athlete is a very cool honor and a fun way to kick off hype season, but in no way is it a representation of anything about the game. I personally think that Vlad Jr. is a solid option for cover athlete. He’s a budding young superstar, second-generation player and a popular Diamond Dynasty card. The man even plays Diamond Dynasty himself so – what more could you ask for?

On top of that, he gets to follow in Vlad Sr.’s shoes yet again as Vladimir Guerrero donned the cover of MLB 2006 back in the day. That was the final game released by 989 Studios before the current run of games released by SDS.

What are your thoughts on Vlad Jr. as the cover athlete? Have you pre-ordered already or are you waiting for the Collector’s Edition to be revealed? Let us know in the comments!