As Major League Baseball teams gear up for spring training, sports gamers inevitably are equally excited about the latest release of iconic baseball simulation, MLB The Show 23. The title is an annual rite of passage for gamers, which renders in stunningly accurate detail the latest MLB stadiums, teams, and players. Unfortunately, like many sports video game series, MLB The Show is sometimes criticized for not introducing enough new game modes and features. It's an undeniable fact that some sports game releases end up offering little more than roster updates and a new cover. This year, however, there are plenty of innovative MLB The Show new features that warrant its price tag.
Offering a realistic representation of baseball, gamers demand that as Major League Baseball changes, MLB The Show evolves as a simulation accordingly. In a series of recent announcements, developers did not disappoint fans of the game revealing some truly groundbreaking additions. Whether it's new stadiums, historical tributes, or rule changes, MLB The Show 23 will satisfy all baseball fans with a bevy of gameplay changes and new game modes highlighted below.
10 Throwing Meter
For years, MLB The Show has offered a throwing meter when fielding to make the process of throwing to bases more interesting than just pressing one button. Unfortunately, it doesn't take most players long to master the timing of the throwing meter and human errors are rare.
As we approach the MLB The Show 23 release date, the developers have responded by making the ideal green portion of the throwing meter move while a play unfolds. In addition, if players hit the yellow part of the throwing meter, they will have to rely on the 1st baseman's ability to block or dig out a low throw.
9 New Quirks
Quirks have always caused some confusion among MLB The Show players who wonder what they are actually for. Active quirks are special abilities beyond Diamond Dynasty card stats some players have which allow them to excel in certain game situations.
One of the most anticipated MLB The Show features are new quirks for offense, including bad ball hitters which come into play when a pitcher insists on throwing pitches outside the strike zone. There are new quirks for pitching and defense as well, such as Pick Off Artist and Break Outlier. Also, the developers have removed passive quirks, which really were nothing more than badges of honor.
8 Competitive Gameplay Style
One frustration MLB The Show players have had in online multiplayer is with the enormous amount of foul balls. Good pitchers pitching well would struggle to strike out mediocre hitters who could endlessly keep ABs alive, not ideal for multiplayer games that otherwise move along swiftly.
Fortunately, developers have adjusted multiplayer gameplay to reward effective pitching with strikeouts while batters need to make solid contact to accumulate hits. Hopefully, the new competitive gameplay style will encourage more traditional offline players to branch out from single-player MLB The Show modes into multiplayer Diamond Dynasty.
7 New Stadiums
During the run-up to the MLB The Show 23 release date, many players have wondered what new stadiums would make it into this year's game, if any at all. Developers recently revealed that 6 new stadiums would debut in MLB The Show 23, mostly to complement the historic Negro League mode.
Highlights among the 6 new stadiums are Old Comiskey Park which existed from 1911 to 1951 and also was the home field of the Chicago American Giants, one of the original members of the Negro National League. The other 5 new historic stadiums are:
- Forbes Field (1922-39)
- Muehlebach Field (1923-48)
- South Side Park (1929-32)
- Hilldale Park (1929-32)
- Bush Stadium (1922-39)
6 Custom Practice Mode Enhancements
Hitting is one of the most challenging things to do well in professional sports, so it's wise for beginners and veterans to spend time in Custom Practice, one of the most overlooked MLB The Show game modes. Developers have made several enhancements to the mode for MLB The Show 23, including an ability to specify incoming pitch types and locations.
Players in MLB The Show often have trouble with certain pitches, like sliders on the outer halves of the plate. Now they can practice facing them for as long as necessary to avoid humiliation when playing online.
5 New Legends
Another highly anticipated event for each edition of MLB The Show is learning which legends will make their way into the game. It's no surprise that most of the legends announced so far were Negro League stars with Hall of Famers Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige leading the way.
In some cases, the choices of players seem questionable, such as Ian Kinsler who was recently confirmed as a more modern legend leading up to the MLB The Show release date. However, there is no doubting the talent and significance to the history of baseball of these 8 players:
- Jackie Robinson
- Satchel Paige
- Buck O’Neil
- Martin Dihigo
- Hilton Smith
- Rube Foster
- John Donaldson
- Hank Thompson
4 Ranked Co-Op
One of the new MLB The Show game modes introduced last season was Co-Op, where friends from around the country or world could team up in online multiplayer. Unfortunately, the functionality was rather bare bones, with only random opponents available as competition instead of teams comprised of other friends. Once Co-Op games start, friends assume different roles, such as batter, pitcher, or fielder.
Developers in MLB The Show 23 promised to improve the mode and added ranked Co-Op, so friends can pursue season-long goals instead of occasionally teaming up for casual matchups online.
3 MLB Rule Changes
Over the years, MLB The Show has done an admirable job keeping up with rule changes in Major League Baseball. MLB The Show 23 will be no exception with the universal DH rule as one of the MLB The Show's new features, resulting in pitchers no longer hitting in the AL or NL.
Fans of Shohei Ohtani will appreciate that the functionality of 2-way players is more realistic than ever, with changes to the rating system to accommodate these versatile MLB talents. Other rule changes like bans on extreme shifts are also in MLB The Show 23, although larger bases will have to wait for future updates.
2 PCI Changes & Swing Feedback
Hitting in MLB The Show 23 has always relied on timing above all other factors, but the significance of the Plate Coverage Indicator (PCI) is not as clear-cut. This year, developers have removed the indicators for fly balls and ground balls to simplify the batting cursor. Also, to make the PCI indicator less intimidating, there is an option to have a bat icon appear in the strike zone indicating where perfect contact is possible.
The after-pitch swing feedback for PCI placement and timing that appears in an on-screen graphic has also undergone some dramatic enhancements, taking some of the mystery away from what results in an ideal swing.
1 The Negro National League
By far, the addition of Negro League Storylines has garnered the most attention out of all the MLB The Show's new features. The developers of the game have worked for years to include this vital historic baseball era in the most comprehensive way possible.
Many Negro National League stars who played in the 1920s to 1940s when segregation was commonplace, are available in the new Storylines narrative, which will take place across various game modes. Essentially, players view a short clip highlighting the achievements of a legend before teleporting into a playable historical scenario featuring stars like Jackie Robinson and Buck O'Neil. The Negro National League in MLB The Show 23 is here to stay as well, with more teams and players scheduled for future releases of the game.
The MLB The Show 23 release date is set for March 28, 2023 and will be available on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.