Aaron Judge joins Twins’ Joe Mauer in MLB The Show video game cover history

We all know Aaron Judge is on his way to the Hall of Fame. The three-time American League MVP is the best hitter in the game and fans across the MLB can appreciate his greatness.

To add to his stardom, Judge was named as MLB The Show’s cover athlete for their 2026 edition. It will be the second time he has appeared on the cover of the baseball video game, after also being on the front lines in 2018.

Judge joins Minnesota Twins legend Joe Mauer as the only players in history to be on the cover of MLB The Show twice, joining an inner circle of legends reserved for one person for the past 15 years.

Aaron Judge joins Twins’ Joe Mauer as the only players to ever beat MLB The Show twice

A first-ballot Hall of Famer, Mauer was on the cover of MLB The Show 10 and MLB The Show 11 during the height of his career. Mauer was first mentioned on the cover after winning AL MVP in 2009, then returned to the cover after hitting .327 in 2010. Mauer generated a 13.7 bWAR across those two seasons, winning the Silver Slugger Award and the Gold Glove Award both times.

You could argue that the fact that Judge is on the cover twice is more important to Mauer’s status than to Judge himself. Yes, Mauer is a Hall of Famer, but is he internationally (or even nationally) praised by fans like Judge? The answer is no.

But Mauer doesn’t necessarily need this connection with Judge to cement his legacy as one of the best players of this century. True fans already knew that, but the fact that he is in the same company as Judge is yet another step in his name. It’s pretty cool, and we’re sure Mauer would agree.

Other recent MLB The Show cover athletes include:

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 2024

• Elly De La Cruz, Gennar Henderson, Paul Skenes, 2025