MLB The Show 18 Release Date Announced, Cover Athlete Is Aaron Judge

For sports fans, being the cover athlete of a game is a big deal, and Sony knows it as it has announced the MLB The Show 18 release date and cover athlete today! For the cover, it’s none other than Aaron Judge!

Announced over on the PlayStation Blog,  Aaron Judge will be joined by Marcus Stroman for the MLB The Show 18 Canadian cover. You can see both box cover below along with accomplishments by both athletes.

Making his MLB debut with the New York Yankees in 2016, Aaron Judge hit a home run during his career’s first at bat, but this was only the beginning. Judge went on to have a record-breaking rookie season in 2017, was named an All-Star, and won the Home Run Derby, overcoming a brutal 22 homer first-round and hitting a total of 47 throughout the derby. 16 of those with exit velocities of 115 mph or harder and a few 500+ foot blasts.

To add to his already massive resume, Judge has hit 52 home runs as a rookie, breaking legendary Mark McGwire’s MLB rookie record of 49; and also hit 33 home runs at Yankee Stadium, breaking the record of 32 set by legend Babe Ruth in 1921. This rookie is the living, breathing example of Road to the Show – create a player with massive stats and trek on to becoming a legend – which is why we are proud to announce him as the cover athlete for The Show 18.

Stroman was drafted in the 1st round in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays and made his Major League debut on May 6, 2014 and made his first Major League start on May 31, 2014, pitching six innings and surrendered only one earned run on five hits, striking out six and issuing no walks to earn the win over the Kansas City Royals.

A fan favorite, he is known for his grit and determination. He has dedicated his life to overcoming obstacles and showing people that greatness isn’t measured in what others think of you; what’s important is who you think you are and working hard to achieve your goals.

Sony has also announced the MLB The Show release date to be March 27, 2018! The Standard Edition will cost $60, and people who pre-order can receive 10 additional Standard Packs, a Legend card for the baseball sim either in physical or digital formats. The full chart for pre-order items can be seen below.

Retailer Pre-order Items
PS Store Early Access starting March 23
10 Standard Packs
1 Legend Card
5,000 Stubs
Instant Reward | Aaron Judge Rookie Flashback Card for MLB The Show 17
GameStop/EB Games Early Access starting March 23
10 Standard Packs
+ additional 5 Standard Packs
1 Legend Card
All other retailers 10 Standard Packs
1 Legend Card

Finally, there’s an “All Rise Edition” and a “Digital Deluxe Edition” and an “MLB The Show 18 VIP Edition,” too! 

All Rise Edition (GameStop/EB Games Exclusive)

How about something shiny and new? With rookie Phenom, Aaron Judge gracing the cover this year we wanted to create a collector’s edition worthy of The Judge. To do so, we partnered with New Era once again to create a limited All Rise 9FIFTY snap back cap to commemorate Aaron being on the cover this year. Pre-order now because quantities are extremely limited! The All Rise Edition is $99.99 USD/$129.99 CAD (MSRP), an approximate value of $205 USD.

All Rise Edition includes:

  • Full Game
  • Exclusive New Era All Rise Edition 9FIFTY Hat
  • Limited Edition MVP Edition Steel Book
  • In-game contents include:
  • Digital Diamond Dynasty New Era All Rise Edition 9FIFTY Hat for use in game
  • Diamond Mission Starter for a Diamond player
  • Gold Mission Starter for a Gold player
  • 11,000 Stubs
  • 1 Sponsor Pack
  • 10 Standard Packs
  • 1 Classic Stadium
  • 30 MLB PS4 Themes (one for each MLB team)

Digital Deluxe Edition (PS Store Exclusive)

For our top tier Diamond Dynasty and Road To The Show fans, we are bringing back The Digital Deluxe Edition for ’18 exclusive to the PlayStation Store. The Digital Deluxe Edition has an approximate $200 USD value in digital goods for only $99.99 USD/$129.99 CAD. For those of you that need packs on packs on packs, this is the edition for you.

Digital Deluxe Edition includes:

  • Full Game
  • Mission Starter for a Diamond Player
  • Mission Starter for a Gold Player
  • Digital Deluxe Lead Off Pack
  • 11,000 Stubs
  • 1 Sponsor Pack
  • 1 Classic Stadium
  • 20 Standard Packs
  • 30 MLB PS4 Themes

MLB The Show 18 MVP Edition

The gamers’ favorite MVP Edition is back for another year! With an approximate $130 USD in added content – this 69.99 USD/89.99 CAD (MSRP) edition not only includes a ton of digital goods but also the limited edition Steel Book (physical version only). It’s available for pre-order now at retail and at PlayStation Store.

MVP Edition includes:

  • Full Game
  • Limited Edition Steel Book*
  • In-game contents include:
  • Mission Starter for a Gold Player
  • 5,000 Stubs
  • 1 Sponsor Pack
  • 1 Classic Stadium
  • 10 Standard Packs
  • 30 MLB PS4 Themes

Got all of that? Good. Once we get proper gameplay and other details, we’ll pitch them out for baseball fans.

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