Skip to main content

Cubs superstar Javier Báez nabs a spot on the MLB The Show 20 cover

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Chicago Cubs didn’t exactly have the most spectacular season this year, with manager Joe Maddon being let go after his team ended up in third place in the National League Central division. However, one player who did impress was infielder Javier Báez, and he has been rewarded for his excellent season with a spot on the MLB The Show 20 cover.

Báez is known just as much for his slick fielding skills as he is for his hitting, and his picture on the MLB The Show 20 cover shows him getting ready to throw a laser to first base. Another image of him celebrating a play is visible in the background.

“Javy Báez is a player I love watching because of his talent and flair for the game,” said MLB The Show 19 cover star Bryce Harper in the announcement. “Congrats to him on being named the new cover athlete.”

MLB The Show 20 - Announcement Trailer | PS4

Unlike the Madden franchise, where being put on the cover can be seen as a curse, Harper made the most of his 2019 season. He managed to hit 35 home runs and drive in over 100 runs in his first season with the Philadelphia Phillies, who missed the playoffs with a .500 record. His previous team, the Washington Nationals, will begin their first World Series against the Houston Astros on October 22.

Alongside the cover announcement, Sony also revealed that there will be an Early Access Weekend for the game available to anyone who pre-orders a collector’s edition. This includes the Digital Deluxe Edition, MVP Edition, and the GameStop-exclusive 15th Anniversary Edition. Access to the game will be granted to these players on March 13, 2020, while other players will be able to start playing on March 17.

Sony hasn’t revealed too much about what the game itself will contain, but you’ll get some content for the Diamond Dynasty mode for pre-ordering any version of the game. The Anniversary Edition includes a special hat, steelbook, and digital content for Diamond Dynasty, so you’ll be ready to take on your friends online in style.

MLB The Show 20 will launch exclusively for the PlayStation 4 on March 17, 2020. It may very well be the last entry in the series to release before it makes its way to the PlayStation 5 the following year.

Editors' Recommendations

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
How to get to Monkey Island in Sea of Thieves
An election poster for guybrush in Sea of Thieves.

Over the course of its many years of updates and expansions, Sea of Thieves has had a few notable crossovers with other pirate franchises. The Pirates of the Caribbean crossover let you team up with the legendary Jack Sparrow, but the Monkey Island content felt like it came out of nowhere. For those unaware, Monkey Island is a series of pirate point-and-click games that were as funny as the puzzles were obscure. Thankfully, you don't have to intuit that you need to combine a cat whisker with a mason jar to bypass a skeleton guard to get to this new content, but it is more challenging than you might think.

Read more
3 Xbox Game Pass games you need to play this weekend (May 3-5)
Senua in Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice.

Another weekend is upon us, and you're probably looking for some games to kill time with over the course of it. We're in a bit of a lull right now ahead of a flurry of releases starting next week, so it's a great time to dip back into the Xbox Game Pass catalog and check out some games that you may have missed. There are three games in particular that I think you should check out this weekend if you're looking for something to play.

One is an unsettling adventure that's getting an Xbox-exclusive sequel later this month. The next is a finely animated roguelike indie that recently made its way to Microsoft's gaming subscription service. Finally, there's a relaxing adventure that gives players a lot of freedom, yet is short enough to beat in a weekend. If you're having trouble deciding what to play this weekend, give one of these games a shot.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Read more
3 underrated PS Plus games you should play this weekend (May 3-5)
The main character of Tales of Kenzera: Zau stands with two elemental items.

PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra have been around for almost two years, and during that time the subscription service has established itself as an ample competitor to Xbox Game Pass. That means there is a wealth of great games for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 owners to check out if they're looking for something to play this weekend. I think PS Plus subscribers should be looking toward some of the more underrated games in the subscription service this weekend too.

I have three particular picks in mind. The first is an enjoyable Metroidvania that came to PS Plus' game catalog when it launched just a couple of weeks ago and deserves a lot more attention than it's getting. After that, there's an action-platformer that pays homage to series like Ninja Gaiden that you should check out before it leaves the catalog. Finally, there's a PS2-era Star Wars game that fills the niche a recently canceled game would have.
Tales of Kenzera: Zau

Read more