‘MLB The Show 19’ Cover Athlete Still Teamless

With MLB spring training quickly approaching this week, some of the top high profile free agents are still unsigned. Two of the biggest unsigned names are Manny Machado and MLB The Show 19 cover athlete Bryce Harper. The game releases on March 26th, and many are wondering what team the freakishly talente Bryce Harper will be playing for in both real life and in the game.

Bryce Harper is a great choice for the cover of The Show. The guy puts up god-like numbers and will probably go down as one of the greatest players of all-time. With that being said, he can be arrogant and his personality can rub some the wrong way. Harper and agent, Scott Boras are looking to maximize their payday, but I find myself wondering if Sony and the developers from The Show are worried just a little bit about how long it is taking him to sign with a team.

I have no idea how they make game covers and what the process is like, but I imagine that the sooner you get that problem out of the way, the more you can worry about other important matters. I am curious if they already had a shoot with Harper wearing a bunch of different uniforms or if they are waiting for the shoot until he signs. If the latter is the case, the shoot has to be squeezed in during spring training or something, which can be hectic with Harper getting adjusted to his new team and focused on gearing up for the new season.

Another idea that Sony and San Diego Studios may have considered is taking a photo shoot and photoshopping the uniform on him. This seems like a fairly simple solution, but I’m glad I’m not the one having to make these decisions. At the end of the day, one of the most important parts of a video game is the cover. The cover has to appeal to the audience and the studio needs to be able to market the game. If Sony doesn’t have their cover finalized yet with just over a month before release, the product may not sell like they intended.

Ultimately, Bryce Harper is a great choice to represent the MLB The Show brand. He is an insanely gifted player who is recognizable to those who aren’t even fans of the sport. Harper is going to have a huge payday after he finally signs, but one has to think that Sony is worried just a little bit with how long it has taken him to sign. Their payday is on the line too after all.