Which player should grace the cover of MLB: The Show 2018?
By Kyle Cardoza
Giancarlo Stanton
Fans hadn’t seen a season like this since the end of the steroid era in baseball and neither will MLB: The Show.
The monstrous home-run hitter clocked 59 dingers this year, along with 132 RBIs. His OPS was higher than 1.000 for goodness sakes.
If he earned the honor of being on the cover of 2018’s version of The Show, he would be the only player that tallied 59 homers in a single season. Yes, that includes Ken Griffey Jr.
And nowadays, fans love the young guns. Stanton is still just 27 years old, and he could be on his way out of Miami as well. Nevertheless, when he’s been healthy, he’s been a problem for opposing pitchers.
The right-handed slugger has already posted two complete seasons with a slugging percentage higher than .600. It should have been three, had he not injured his hamate bone in 2015. Through 74 games, he already crushed 27 homers with 12 doubles as well. His slugging percentage that year was a solid .606.
If the Marlins posted a winning record this year, Stanton could have been a major contender for this year’s NL MVP vote. He still could be, even though the last player to win the NL MVP from a losing team was Andrew Dawson in 1987 when his Chicago Cubs finished nine games below .500.
Stanton eclipsed Dawson’s stellar season from that year – 49 bombs and 127 RBIs – and should still be considered in the MVP race. Furthermore, he should be in the running for The Show’s cover because he made 2017 an exceptional year with his plethora of great moonshots.