Shohei Ohtani has officially been selected to be on the cover for MLB The Show 22, as there was realistically no competition for the LA Angels' two-way superstar.
If there was any year for ShoTime to be on the cover, it had to be this year. Leading baseball with 8.1 fWAR, Ohtani also was so dominant that he was both the All-Star Game starter on the mound as well as the starter at DH. Also playing seven games in the outfield and being named the fastest baserunner in the American League by his peers, Ohtani truly did have the greatest season in sports history.
Ohtani is a true cheat code in the MLB. I can't even imagine what kind of problem he'd be in an actual video game.
Shohei Ohtani just won the most deserving MLB The Show cover in history.
Think about just how nasty Shohei Ohtani must be for your LA Angels in the game. The ratings on him have to be absolutely nuts considering he not only just hit 46 home runs and drove in 100, but also posted a 3.18 ERA and a 1.090 WHIP. The Angels must be unstoppable in The Show 22.
To be able to have the two best players in the game, including a player who has both a 158 OPS+ and 141 ERA+ must be unstoppable. Start Ohtani on the mound every time.
And if he's not hitting it out of the yard every time, he'll at least be getting on. When he does, steal a couple bases, have Anthony Rendon drive him in, and then go strike out the side on defense. It'll be just like how the Angels season is going to go when Ohtani starts on the bump.
The game comes out on April 5th, and you can pre-order it now. It's coming out on all consoles, and if Ohtani wasn't already a true global sensation, he certainly will be by the time we all fire this game up in the spring.