Tim Anderson Named Cover Athlete for R.B.I. Baseball 21
After helping to lead the Chicago White Sox into the Postseason in 2020, shortstop Tim Anderson has been selected as the cover athlete for R.B.I. Baseball 21, as announced by Major League Baseball today. Anderson is the first member of the Chicago White Sox to be featured on the cover of the popular baseball video game.
“Like a lot of kids, I grew up playing video games,” said Anderson. “When I couldn’t get outside to play ball or we had bad weather, that was a time to have fun with my friends and live out some fantasies. And it was always cool to see who was on the cover every year – those were guys I aspired to be. So now to see myself on the cover of R.B.I. 21 is really part of a dream come true. And I hope that kids will see my picture on the cover and realize they can do this, too. They just have to believe in themselves, follow their dreams and work at it.”
Anderson, the 2019 American League batting champion, finished the 2020 season among the AL leaders in several key offensive categories, including second in batting average (.322), tied for first in runs scored (45), fourth in hits (67), and 10th in total bases (110). The 27-year-old, who was selected by the White Sox in the first round of the 2013 Draft, also won his first Silver Slugger award as the best offensive player at his position as voted upon by the league’s managers and coaches, while finishing seventh overall in the 2020 AL MVP voting.
In celebration of Anderson’s selection as the R.B.I. Baseball 21 cover athlete, Topps, the Exclusive Trading Card of MLB, is creating an exclusive run of Tim Anderson Foil Cards which are available only to fans who pre-order the game online at Target and Walmart. R.B.I. 21 is also available for pre-order from Gamestop and goes on sale nationwide March 16. Pre-order information can be found here.
This is the eighth installment of the R.B.I. Baseball franchise developed by Major League Baseball. The new edition continues its legacy of offering arcade baseball entertainment with an increasing array of new features and enhancements, many of at the request of the R.B.I. Baseball player community.
This year, R.B.I. Baseball 21 – as developed by the MLB Games & VR team – offers new in-demand features including:
· Play-by-play commentary by MLB Network’s Fran Charles;
· Create-a-player mode in which a player builds the ultimate five-tool player;
· Individual Statcast data for every pitcher, modeling his real-life form and pitches, such as Dustin May’s sinker and Sixto Sanchez’ changeup;
· Progressive time of day scenarios, presenting realistic environmental factors, such as afternoon games transitioning to twilight and evening play;
· Increased customization options ranging from batting controls to camera angles;
· For Nintendo Switch players, R.B.I. Baseball 21 now features online play to match up head-to-head.
Anderson joins an All-Star roster of R.B.I. Baseball cover athletes since 2015, including Mookie Betts, Alex Bregman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Francisco Lindor, Anthony Rizzo, Corey Seager and last year’s cover athlete Christian Yelich.
The 21-song soundtrack for R.B.I. Baseball 21 includes hits from award-winning artists including Justin Bieber, The Chainsmokers, Diplo, Travis Scott and more. The complete soundtrack is listed below and available to stream on Spotify.
Even with its many new features, R.B.I. retains its casual pick-up-and-play style that makes it easy to use for fans of any age or ability level. R.B.I. Baseball 21 is officially licensed by MLB and MLBPA. It will be available for the Xbox family of devices (smart delivery), PS4, the Nintendo Switch system and mobile devices. Launch dates for each platform will be announced later this year. For more information visit www.RBIGame.com, follow @RBIGame on Twitter, @RBIGame on Instagram or on Facebook.
R.B.I. Baseball 21 Track Listing
All Time Low - Wake Up, Sunshine
American Authors - Brick By Brick
Cypress Hill - Champion Sound
Diplo ft. Thomas Rhett & Young Thug - Dance With Me
Seeb & Julie Bergan - Don't You Wanna Play?
The Knocks - Get Happy (NVDES Edit with Blu DeTiger)
Joel Corry - Head & Heart (feat. MNEK)
R3HAB (feat. A R I Z O N A) - I Can Feel Alive
blackbear - i feel bad
Paul Woolford & Diplo - Looking For Me (featuring Kareen Lomax)
Justin Bieber - Second Emotion (feat. Travis Scott)
Saint PHNX - Shake
Yez Yez ft. Daphne Willis - We're Back
Cold War Kids - Who's Gonna Love Me Now
Jasmine Thompson and Zedd - Funny
Marcus King - The Well
Gryffin & John Martin - Cry
Love Fame Tragedy - Riding A Wave
Patrick Martin - Stranger Nights
The Chainsmokers, Kygo - Family
Conan Gray - Maniac