Aaron Judge named cover athlete for MLB The Show 26

"Unlike his first appearance, this year's artwork reflects multiple chapters of Judge's baseball career. Like the 2018 edition, Judge is shown in the New York Yankees' iconic pinstripes, but this time a Team USA jersey is also featured behind him ahead of his first World Baseball Classic appearance in March. The location of Judge's high school is highlighted on a map of California with his baseball jersey at Fresno State included too."

"When Judge went back home to California last Thanksgiving, he began going through his closet. The Yankees star stumbled upon sealed copies of MLB The Show 18, the video game whose cover boasts Judge in Yankee pinstripes, while holding a bat and mean-mugging. There are about 50 unopened copies of the game at his parents' house. Some are in New York and his Florida home, too."

""The cover they have for this year is going to be pretty special," he told ESPN. "Kind of has a lot of different ties to different parts of my life. I think fans are going to enjoy it and I think even gamers that don't watch much baseball [that] play the game will really enjoy it as well.""

Aaron Judge is the cover athlete for MLB The Show 26, with the game launching March 17 and early access on March 13. Judge becomes the second player to appear on the game's cover twice, joining Joe Mauer. The new artwork incorporates multiple chapters of Judge's career, including Yankees pinstripes, a Team USA jersey for the World Baseball Classic, a map marking his high school, and his Fresno State jersey. Judge reacted emotionally, calling the cover special and noting its personal ties. He found unopened copies of MLB The Show 18 at home and said seeing the cover gave him goosebumps.

Read at ESPN.com