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Padres: Fernando Tatis Jr. is the MLB The Show: 21 cover athlete

Jake Misener
Jake Misener

Friars On Base

(Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images)

This. Is. A. Mood.

"“I’ve been asked to apologize for changing the game. Apparently I’ve been breaking the unwritten rules of baseball. I’m sorry if things got too exciting and this isn’t the game that you remember. But here’s the thing: we’re never going back.”"

Inject this directly into my veins. San Diego Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. was unveiled at this year’s MLB The Show cover athlete and in a hype video that’s running wild all over social media, El Niño turned it up to 100 on the hype factor.

If you hadn’t noticed, baseball is dying – and Tatis is here to save it. The Padres shortstop isn’t here to play by the rules of the old guard or beg for forgiveness. He’s here to bring energy, excitement and passion back to the diamond. He’s going to do it through bat flips, highlight-reel plays up the middle and an burning passion to bring a title back to San Diego.

During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Tatis didn’t skip a beat. Playing in empty stadiums, he brought the energy for his club, en route to a Silver Slugger and a fourth-place finish in the NL MVP race. He drove balls out of the yard at a terrifying rate and it’s pretty wild to think about what he might have accomplished over the course of a full campaign.

All this culminated in the Padres returning to the postseason for the first time in more than a decade. Of course, now that he’s helped the team check that box – his eyes are set on something more: bringing a World Series championship to San Diego.

Set for an April 20 release, MLB The Show 21 has long reigned as the best baseball video game out there. This year, it expands beyond Playstation 4, and will be featured on the next-gen Playstation 5, as well as the Xbox One and Xbox Series X. Get ready.

Jake Misener

Jake Misener

For more than a decade, Jake has been a staple in FanSided MLB - leading the Cubbies Crib team for most of that time.When he's not in the bleachers at Wrigley Field, he can be found covering all things Cubs - including the latest hot stove rumors, roster breakdowns and statistical analyses. Inducted into the FanSided Hall of Fame in 2018, Jake has 15+ years of sports journalism and blogging experience - and is now focused on teaching his daughter the ways of Cubs fandom.