Baseball is a sport steeped in rich history, with a reverence for the past unrivaled in virtually every other major professional sport. This isn’t something lost on the makers of MLB The Show 22, who not only have legendary players from past MLB The Show iterations returning, but a whole host of new iconic players as well.
Launching in just a few days, San Diego Studio’s MLB The Show 22 is the next entry in the long-running MLB The Show baseball sim video game franchise. The first of the series to be released on next-gen consoles, the developers released a free MLB The Show 22‘s tech demo a few weeks ago, showing off the upcoming title’s new features and improved graphical fidelity.
In the run-up to its release date, MLB The Show 22‘s has released a video showcasing the new Legends coming to the game. The trailer begins with a shot of The Big Unit himself, Randy Johnson pitching to Phillies phenom Ryan Howard. The tempo then picks up a bit, showing Red Sox legend Kevin Youkilis at the plate, followed by a flurry of cuts showing Legend newcomers like Joe Mauer, Chase Utley, Jered Weaver and more. The trailer ends showing Kirk Gibson doing his famous fist pump, along with Marlins’ famous Dontrelle Willis throwing what appears to be a strikeout.
While the trailer shows off a handful of new Legends players coming to MLB The Show 22, there are currently 14 new ones confirmed according to the game’s website, which are:
- Ryan Howard
- Joe Mauer
- Justin Morneau
- Randy Johnson
- Ray Durham
- Kirk Gibson
- Dontrelle Willis
- Mike Napoli
- Kevin Youkilis
- Chase Utley
- Mike Mussina
- Brian Wilson
- JR Richard
- Jered Weaver
The new additions for MLB The Show 22 increases the game’s Legends roster to over 150; the most the franchise has ever had before. In addition to increasing its Legends roster, MLB The Show 22 is also bolstering its lineup for its Road to The Show mode. Legends roster member Joe Mauer is providing his voice and expertise for the mode’s narrative, as are MLB Network stars Jon Paul Morosi and Robert Flores. The in-game commentary is also recruiting new talent for play-by-play and color commentator roles, with Chris Singleton and Boog Sciambi joining MLB The Show 22‘s stacked lineup of off-field talent.
MLB The Show 22 also marks the first time the series is available on a Nintendo console, coming to Switch. Previously a PlayStation-exclusive franchise, the series made waves when MLB The Show 21 was announced to be coming to both Xbox and PlayStation last year. The series is now taking things a step further, finally looping in the often-excluded Nintendo Switch. Footage of MLB The Show 22 running on Switch was first revealed during February’s Nintendo Direct, introduced by the game’s cover star Shohei Ohtani. While still early in his career, the two-way phenom is bound to end up on the Legends roster himself one day.
MLB The Show 22 releases April 5 for PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
