Put Kiké Hernández on the Cover of MLB The Show ‘23

Jan 27, 2023 - 1:55 PM

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Major League Baseball is in good hands when it comes to the faces of its product.

Following years of hand-wringing from skeptics and comments predicting the demise of the game (just Google the phrase “Baseball is dying” if you don’t believe me; it isn’t—and never was—but that doesn’t change the fact that the opinion has been thrown out there), MLB is now flooded with vibrant and talented personalities that make the highest level of the sport that much more enjoyable to consume.

Bryce Harper. Shohei Ohtani. Ronald Acuña Jr. Juan Soto. That’s only the tip of this iceberg, folks.

The Boston Red Sox have been lucky enough to have some of those players under their umbrella in recent times. Guys like Mookie Betts and Rafael Devers are just a few examples of franchise backbones who can also provide a larger market appeal to specific ballclubs and the league as a whole.

Enter San Diego Studios and their marquee video game franchise: MLB The Show. For years, “The Show” has been lauded as the best baseball simulation on the console market; Metacritic shows the game consistently grades out to about an 80% annually, if not higher.

In a time when gaming and streaming have exploded in popularity, a franchise like “The Show” is an important marketing tool for MLB. An anecdote on this point: I’m close to enough people who have begun to follow the league more closely after diving into “The Show.” I think anyone who’s been a fan of baseball can appreciate that tidbit.

Just like how the league has a plethora of faces to choose from to showcase the sport, so do the developers of “The Show” when choosing the main man for their product every 12 months.

San Diego Studios has an important announcement coming on Monday, January 30: they’ll be revealing the cover star for “MLB The Show 23.”

Since that news dropped Thursday morning, rumors and speculation about who will be on the cover have been swirling about. 2022 AL Rookie of the Year and wonderkid Julio Rodríguez of the Seattle Mariners feels like he’d be a good fit. Miami Marlins second baseman (and now centerfielder, I guess?) Jazz Chisholm is a guy everybody seems to like; he could work on the cover.

Yet I come to you with a different course, one for the more bold at heart. The course for those who aren’t afraid to let their freak flag fly in a sport that’s already pretty damn weird.

I am here to stump for a beloved Red Sox goof: Kiké Hernández should be on the cover of “MLB The Show 23.”

Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images

I have taken it upon myself to make this Over The Monster’s official stance on the matter. I can’t imagine my colleagues will put up a fight. If they do, though, I’m tuning the noise out. This should be an open-and-shut case; it’s an easy endorsement for our brand.

Since signing with the Sox back in early 2021, Kiké has quickly established himself as a fan favorite in Boston—that’s what happens when a beaming and outgoing guy provides some memorable moments in a deep postseason run during his first campaign with the team.

Players don’t have to be a perennial All-Stars or surefire Hall-of-Famers to cement a place for themselves in Red Sox Nation’s collective heart. Hernández’s passion for the game and knack for goofiness both on and off the field have endeared himself to the fan base. Even if his Boston career doesn’t extend beyond his current contract, which is set to run out after the 2023 season, I feel like Kiké’s already at the “Won’t Have To Buy A Beer In Boston Ever Again” level of appreciation.

While fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers are already familiar with his antics, the plea for Kiké on the cover might sound strange to other baseball fans. After all, Hernández has yet to even make a single All-Star roster in his career. I can practically hear the doubters and naysayers ask themselves why he should be considered to be the face of the sport’s premier video game.

But those skeptics aren’t getting the point here. Kiké’s appeal isn’t about how his stats compare to a Mike Trout or a Fernando Tatís Jr. on a year-to-year basis.

No, Kiké’s appeal is...well...Kiké himself. He’s baseball answer to “The World’s Most Interesting Man.” That interest is gonna sell, baby.

Imagine you’re at your local video game spot, or you’re shopping for titles online.

You’re scrolling past your typically bland entries—”Madden NFL 23” is on sale, whoop-de-freakin’-doo. You already know that it’s just a re-skin of “Madden NFL 15.” It’s a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy.

“NBA 2K23,” same deal. You also don’t feel like spending an additional $400 on top of the original price tag just to make sure your MyPlayer character gets to a 75 overall rating. If you don’t commit to securing that extra VC, you’ll be incapable of completing even the simplest of crossovers.

This situation is becoming bleak.

You then lock eyes with this Hernández fella. Look at that man. Look deep into his soul. Focus.

You don’t quite know why, but you’re curious. This cover stands out from all the rest. What are those eyes hiding? His demeanor is like the angelic voice of the sirens of the sea. It’s provocative. It gets the people going. You cannot look away.

After finally snapping out of a trance, you realize that this adonis of a man is representing the latest installment of “MLB The Show.” What else is there to discover with this game? You are simply unable to restrain yourself from finding out more. Before you know it, you’ve purchased the $100 deluxe edition of “The Show” for yourself along with dozens of your closest friends and family members. They need to experience this for themselves.

That’s how you win this gaming cycle, San Diego Studios. You win by taking this big dive into the wonderful world of Kiké Hernández. It’s a stange gambit, I can recognize that. But as the adage goes: scared money don’t make money.

Kiké Hernández is the goof that we, the baseball and gaming community, need—whether or not we know it.