Last year, the developers at San Diego Studio introduced a new historical mode into MLB The Show 23. Storylines: Negro Leagues Season 1 let players dive back into the careers of players like Satchel Paige, John Donaldson, and Martin Dihigo. It was an opportunity for MLB The Show players to learn about some of the lesser-known players from the sport’s history in a way that was as fun as it was educational. Recently, San Diego Studio officially revealed that Storylines is coming back for a second season and announced the first four players whose stories will be available in MLB The Show 24. One of them is the first woman to consistently play major-level baseball.ย
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MLB The Show 24 Storylines: Negro League Season 2 Roster
The first four players revealed for Storylines: Negro Leagues Season 2 will all be available on launch day. Several more players will follow in subsequent content drops, keeping the mode at the forefront of players’ minds throughout the year. The four players available at launch are Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, Hank Aaron, and Toni Stone.
Stone played for the Indianapolis Clowns in 1953, becoming the first woman to regularly play major-level pro baseball. Supposedly, she even hit a Satchel Paige fastball during an exhibition game. She also signed with the Kansas City Monarchs in 1954, where Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, Hilton Smith, and Buck O’Neil famously spent time. Sadly, she wouldn’t get much playing time there, and she retired following the season.
Most baseball fans will know Hammerin’ Hank Aaron. The long-time Braves right fielder retired as a 25-time All-Star and all-time home run champ but started his career with the Indianapolis Clowns in the Negro Leagues. He only played there for a few years before moving to the MLB where his historic career took off.ย
The other two players both spent significant time with the Homestead Grays. Leonard is widely known as one of the best fastball hitters in baseball history, winning 3 Negro World Series and making the All-Star team 11 times. His teammate Josh Gibson was even better and is often called one of the greatest power hitters in baseball history. While his numbers are impossible to verify, claims have been made that Gibson knocked in around 800 homers during his career, which would comfortably make him the record holder if that number is accurate.
San Diego Studio will drop the next set of three Negro League players as part of a content drop in early April. Then, three more players will be dropped at the end of May as we head into the thick of the MLB schedule. That will give the mode nine different careers to play through, which is one more than last year. Hopefully, we’ll get players like Oscar Charleston, Cool Papa Bell, and Willie Wells to round out this year’s batch. We’ll also need at least one pitcher from the group, making Smokey Joe Williams and Leon Day intriguing options.
MLB The Show 24 Release Date
MLB The Show 24 is set to release on March 19th for PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox platforms. However, if want to get in a few days, you can get four days early access by purchasing one of the premium editions. That includes the Negro Leagues Edition, which also gives players a limited-edition hat and steelbook case.
