Shohei Ohtani selected as cover athlete for 'MLB The Show 22'
The argument for Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani as the new face of baseball got a major lift Monday. Following his MVP season, Ohtani will grace the cover of "MLB The Show 22."
The game announced the news Monday. "The Show" is available for preorder and will be released on April 5.
It's Ohtani time. Pre-order #MLBTheShow 22. Available 4/5 on PS5, PS4, Xbox X|S, Xbox One, and for the first time ever, Nintendo Switch.
Pre-order: https://t.co/LCivWAsdi4 pic.twitter.com/xekdg9fuhE— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) January 31, 2022
The game will be available on multiple systems, including various versions of PlayStation and Xbox hardware. For the first time ever, "The Show" will also be available on the Nintendo Switch.
With the move, Ohtani will be the first Asian athlete to grace the cover of a "video game dedicated to one of the four major sports in the U.S.," per The Athletic.
Ohtani spoke about the decision, saying he's going to channel the extra attention and use it as motivation to continue playing well, according to The Athletic.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the spotlight,” Ohtani told The Athletic through his interpreter. “But as a professional baseball player, I think it’s better to have more attention on you than not. I’ll try to take that in a positive way, and use that in my motivation going forward.”
It will be tough to top what Ohtani did last season. Ohtani hit .257/.372/.592, with 46 home runs, in 639 plate appearances. He stole 26 bases and led the league in triples. He was also one of the best pitchers in the league, posting a 3.18 ERA over 130 1/3 innings. Ohtani struck out 156 batters.
That performance earned Ohtani his first All-Star game appearance, a Silver Slugger award and a unanimous MVP.
Will there be an MLB season in 2022?
The presence of "The Show" guarantees there will be baseball in some form in 2022. The players and owners are currently engaged in a lockout. The 2022 season is in jeopardy unless both sides can come together on a new labor deal.
The two sides have talked a few times during the offseason, but no deal materialized. Ohtani did not answer questions about the lockout when speaking with The Athletic.
The players and owners have to come to a deal soon if they want the 2022 season to begin on time. Players typically report to spring training in early February. Spring training normally begins at the end of February or early March.
If there's no deal by the time players usually report, the start of the 2022 regular season could be delayed. At least baseball fans will have "The Show 22" to pass the time.
