KC Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr. snubbed by MLB The Show 25

For the first time in the video game's history, this year's version of MLB The Show will feature three cover stars — and none of them are named Bobby Witt Jr. Despite his history-making 2024 campaign, the Kansas City Royals shortstop was snubbed for this year's cover, which has previously featured Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and a slew of other MLB superstars.

On January 28, The Athletic's Jason Jones reported that Pittsburgh Pirates starter Paul Skenes, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, and Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz will be the cover stars of MLB The Show 25, which is slated to be released on March 18.

“With the unprecedented young talent coming into the league, we wanted to represent the changing current climate of baseball and showcase it on our cover,” said Todd Liss, the global marketing group manager of MLB The Show. “These three players are changing what’s possible in baseball, and we’re changing how many players can be on the cover of The Show.”

Bobby Witt Jr. snubbed by MLB The Show 25

There's no denying that Skenes, Henderson, and De La Cruz are deserving cover stars. Skenes was named 2024 NL Rookie of the Year after going 11-3 with a stunning 1.96 ERA in 133.0 innings, and De La Cruz was the youngest Reds player since 1970 to be selected as an All-Star. Henderson — who won AL Rookie of the Year in 2023 — finished last season with a .281/.364/.529 line and 34 home runs in 719 plate appearances.

Still, the glaring omission of Witt is odd, especially since he — like Skenes, Henderson, and De La Cruz — is under the age of 25 and very much represents the future of MLB.

In 2024, Witt hit a career-best .332/.389/.588 with 32 home runs, 109 RBI, and 31 stolen bases in 709 plate appearances, leading the majors in both batting average and hits (211), ranking 2nd in doubles (45), 3rd in both runs (125) and triples (11), 4th in OPS (.977), and 6th in on-base percentage. His stunning 10.4 fWAR set a new franchise record — surpassing the 9.1 fWAR posted by former-Royal George Brett in 1980 — and he became the shortstop in MLB history to achieve two 30–30 seasons (30 home runs and 30 stolen bases), having also done so in 2023.

For his incredible performance, Witt won both a Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award, and was selected to his first All-Star Game and All-MLB First Team. He finished second in AL MVP voting, was a finalist for Player of the Year in the 2024 Players Choice Awards, was named the overall winner of the MLBPAA Heart and Hustle Award, the first player in Royals history to take home the honor.

Witt's 2024 campaign was so show-stopping that it may have even been the best single season in Royals history — and it was just the first year of his contract extension. The superstar signed an 11-year, $288.7 million deal last winter, marking the richest deal in franchise history and likely keeping Witt in Kansas City for the rest of his career.

Going into 2025, there's no question that Witt has firmly established himself as a superstar. Will another history-making season earn him the cover of MLB The Show? Only time will tell.