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Baltimore Orioles Superstar Teases He Could Be 'MLB: The Show 25' Cover Athlete

A Baltimore Orioles superstar just teased that he could be on the cover of "MLB: The Show 25."

Dylan Sanders

Sep 27, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) throws out Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa (4) in the sixth inning at Target Field.
Sep 27, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) throws out Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa (4) in the sixth inning at Target Field. / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
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The rollout for MLB: The Show 25 has begun, and a Baltimore Orioles superstar is squarely in the running to be the video game's next cover athlete.

It is now the end of January, which is about the time the cover gets revealed each year.

It is looking like it could potentially be the first time in the game's history that there will be multiple players on it at the same time.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz set the game's fanbase aflame when he announced he alone would grace the cover on his Instagram story. That's when Orioles star Gunnar Henderson posted that he believed he would the one on it. Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes did the same just a short while later.

The most likely outcome is that all three will end up receiving the honor this year.

Henderson is certainly deserving as one of the sport's top young stars. He is coming off of the best performance of his young career. The shortstop posted a .281/.364/.529 slash line with 37 home runs and 21 stolen bases while earning his first All-Star nod.

Some fans might be wary of the 23-year-old getting the honor, as there is some superstition around "cover curses" with sports video games. Baseball is a superstitious sport, but this one doesn't seem to carry much credence.

These are the last five players who have graced the cover of the top baseball game on the market:

2024: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
2023: Jazz Chisholm Jr.
2022: Shohei Ohtani
2021: Fernando Tatis Jr.
2020: Javier Báez

The only player on that list that could be considered '"cursed" during the year that he appeared on the cover would be Báez. To be fair to him, though, most of the world would consider themselves to have had a bad year in 2020.

Once an elite shortstop, he is now one of the worst contracts in recent sports history with the Detroit Tigers, and that decline started the year he graced the cover. He did bounce back in 2021 before forgetting how to swing a bat, so even that barely counts.

It is safe to say that there is no "cover curse," and Henderson being considered as the next athlete should be seen as an all-around great thing for the young megastar.

His growing brand is only further solidifying the fact that the Orioles will be smashing their franchise record for the biggest contract once it comes time for Henderson to be extended.

That is, at least, is assuming Baltimore will finally be ready to fully open their pocket books and secure their young core for the long term.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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