Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was featured as the cover star for “MLB The Show 24” on Sunday.
The 24-year-old joins Miami Marlins phenom Jazz Chisholm, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. as a recent MLB The Show cover contestant.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr is your 2024 @MLBTheShow cover star ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/WUJ7hDPDFA
— MLB (@MLB) January 30, 2024
Ramone Russell, Sony’s product developer, communications and brand expert, told MLB.com. MLB The Show went to Guerrero in December A documentary was filmed in his hometown in the Dominican Republic as a memorial his nomination as the MLB Cover Player 2024.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The home run king, winner of the Home Run Derby, and now the new face of MLB The Show.
He was an All-Star for three consecutive seasons, was the 2021 MLB home run winner, and won the 2023 Home Run Derby. MLB The Show 24 aired an exclusive feature on Vlad Jr.’s cover.
MLB The Show traveled to the city of Guerrero in the Dominican Republic in December to film a special documentary to commemorate his nomination as the 2024 Cover Athlete.
“It was easy to pick Vlad Jr.,” said Ramone Russell, product development, communications and brand strategy for Sony MLB The Show.
Most recent MLB The Show cover athletes
2024: Vlad Guerrero Jr. (following age-24 season)
2023: Jazz Chisholm Jr. (24)
2022: Shohei Ohtani (26)
2021: Fernando Tatis Jr. (21)
2020: Javier Báez (26)
2019: Bryce Harper (25)
2018: Aaron Judge (25)
Part of that story is Vlad Jr. following in the footsteps of his Hall of Famer father, Vladimir Guerrero. This is the story of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. In 2006 MLB game Vladimir Guerrero is on the cover. This year, they became the first father-son duo to serve as cover players in a major MLB game.
Take a ride with MLB The Show 24’s cover athlete to see what he unlocked on his road to the top.
Pre-order MLB The Show 24 Now: https://t.co/zXLmbi5Yrs#MLBTheShow #OwnTheShow #UnlockAnotherLevel pic.twitter.com/vSzA0Ic3vM
— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) January 30, 2024
The following year, the game became “MLB 06: The Show” and David Ortiz made the first cover. Mr. Vlad and Ortiz are in the Hall of Fame after becoming MLB video game cover players. Ortiz, a good friend of the Guerrero family, hosted MLB The Show 24’s “Ride to Reveal” cover announcement broadcast.
Like father, like son — 18 years later pic.twitter.com/B6T64LtBxA
— MLB (@MLB) January 30, 2024
“Vlad Jr. talked about the stadium where he not only played and honed his skills, but his father played in the same stadium as David Ortiz played in the same stadium,”
Russell said.
“Being on the cover of MLB The Show is a big deal,”
Guerrero, 24, said in a video call Tuesday after being revealed as the cover player for Sony’s 2024 MLB The Show video game.
“When I was a kid, I played a lot of video games… and I still play a lot of video games,”
Guerrero said with a laugh. His swing follows in the footsteps of fellow Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, who graced the cover of MLB 2006 – MLB The Show host.
An avid gamer, Guerrero has been playing The Show since its inception on the PlayStation 2. “But Bo is the best player,” Guerrero said of Bo Bichette.
In recent years, a Canada-only edition has been released featuring former Toronto players Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, Russell Martin, Brett Lawrie and Jose Bautista.
In a statement, the Sports Channel cited Guerrero’s athleticism and “dedication to his baseball family, love of the game and community service” in his selection this year, which was highlighted in the Ride documentary.
#MLBTheShow #RideToReveal pic.twitter.com/NUqerBKjSG
— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) January 30, 2024
😂😂😂 #MLBTheShow #RideToRevealhttps://t.co/vGJG5kjolU pic.twitter.com/BVIqth1z1h
— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) January 30, 2024
Full circle moment for Vladdy! 🥹
#MLBTheShow #RideToRevealhttps://t.co/vGJG5kjolU pic.twitter.com/o0fXhP7hGB— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) January 30, 2024
However, in the video game The Show, Guerreiro prefers Diamond Dynasty, a game mode that allows players to create their dream team.
“I play online with people I don’t know; I don’t know if it’s good or bad,”
Guerrero said.
He likes challenges and takes on players like himself when he knows he’s up against them. But while 2023 wasn’t a good year, Guerrero said his hopes for next year will remain the same after a disappointing fall postseason in which the Jays lost in the wild-card game to the Minnesota Twins.
“That’s the goal.” As Guerrero prepares for spring training in a few weeks and the biggest pay-per-view debate in Arizona next month, Guerrero spoke to Postmedia about his approach to the show and what he loved most about his time as a Blue Jay moment and gave his thoughts on the show. We are about them.
Fans reacted as follows:
vlad jr? he’s barely even a top 10 1B in baseball, who made this decision
— Brandon Austin (@bran_aust) January 30, 2024
Our Prince of #PLAKATA 💥
And KING of the Cover 👑 pic.twitter.com/qt9bTKDRwJ— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) January 30, 2024
You mean the dude that gets pushed to the stadium 162 times a year in a wheel chair
— Nosey (@CamineroStan) January 30, 2024
Rangers fans really think Corey Seager was the first player to ever win WS MVP
— Austin Swearingen (@A_Swear) January 30, 2024
There's literally no chance it would ever be Corey Seager. You use the cover athlete to build hype and bring in new fans. It's either Ohtani every year or Acuña jr.
— Colby Bowman (@d0dgecity) January 30, 2024
He wasn’t even a 30 home run guy last year. Sub .800 ops. This has to be a joke
— The Motown Mojo (@TheMotownMojo) January 30, 2024
Honestly jokes aside why is it still on PS4 we are closer to the next gen already and it’s the same engine and graphics as MLB 20 😭
— ZynCowboy (@zyncowboy) January 30, 2024
Dude had a terrible year and gets rewarded with the cover lmao
— RANGERSNATION (@MFFLLUKA77) January 30, 2024
