Adrian Gonzalez on cover of “MLB 2012 The Show”

On a team fully loaded with super stars, it is fair to say that Adrian Gonzalez, the All-Star first-baseman for the Boston Red Sox, is not the face of the franchise. But one thing A-Gone can lay claim to is being crowned the cover boy for “MLB 12 The Show.”

The announcement that Gonzalez would make his cover debut for the critically acclaimed sports video game was made last November, while the cover for “MLB 12 The Show” was revealed earlier this year.

It was also reported that there will be a separate cover for Canadian buyers, with Toronto Blue Jays right fielder/third baseman Jose Bautista featured.

The official video game of Major League Baseball is set to be released on March 6 exclusively for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita platforms.

I am ecstatic to see a former Padre on the cover of one of the highest-rated sports video games. It is just too bad that A-Gone couldn’t pull of this feat as a Padre.

So this had me thinking, if Gonzalez was still a Padre would he still be featured on the cover? Or was Gonzalez a lucky victim of East Coast biased? By that I mean did the mainly East Coast-based American media- or at least the sports video game industry- really notice how good Gonzalez really is only when he moved to that side of the country.

Having said that, the game was developed by Sony San Diego, so maybe Gonzalez would have still been featured on the cover if he were donning a Padres uniform.

But then again, maybe Gonzalez wouldn’t have graced the cover as a Friar, because since 2006 when the “MLB The Show,” video game series was born, there has never been a player from a West Coast team featured on the cover. In contrast, Gonzalez is the third Boston Red Sox player to appear on the cover since the inception of “MLB The Show.”

Here is a complete list of all the baseball players who had the luxury to appear on the cover of the video game.

MLB 06: The Show

David Ortiz (Boston Red Sox)

MLB 07: The Show

David Wright (New York Mets)

MLB 08: The Show

Ryan Howard (Philadelphia Phillies)

MLB 09: The Show

Dustin Pedroia (Boston Redsox)

MLB 10: The Show

Joe Mauer (Minnesota Twins)

MLB 11: The Show

Joe Mauer (Minnesota Twins)

MLB 12: The Show

Adrian Gonzalez (Boston Red Sox)

Luckily for all of them, this isn’t Madden or they would be cursed.

I know “MLB 2013 The Show,” is a ways away, but after the Padres shock the world and win the World Series this year, there is no reason to not have a Padres player on the cover. Which Friar would you like to see on the cover next year? Let us know on the comment box below. Personally, I think Cameron Maybin would make for a great cover.