Every gamer that has played MLB The Show 23 has had the unfortunate experience of getting a hit and then watching a runner get tossed out on the basepaths doing something they shouldn't have even tried. This is the kind of thing that loses tight games.
There is a way for players to take control and force the baserunners to make the right decision with the settings. But this can be tedious with the wrong settings as players will tag on a hit that will clearly drop without being told otherwise. Everyone who plays MLB The Show 23 will have a preference that works out for them.
Analog Select
- Recommended for players that prefer to use the thumbstick
- Requires a high baseball IQ
In all three settings, one button will advance all runners (L1 on all console controllers) and one will make all runners retreat (R1 on all console controllers). To make a specific runner advance or retreat, the analog select will highlight the runner and the player can give them a specific command.
This is handy when hitting a single with the runner on second. The best teams will want to have that runner advance two bases while the hitter only advances one base. Highlight the runner on second with the thumbstick and give them the command to advance.
Button Select
- Recommended for players that prefer to use buttons
- Requires a high baseball IQ
Button select and analog select are functionally identical, the only difference is if players would like to select the runner with the thumbstick or the button of their base. Players that don't like the usual buttons can also use the buttons on the D-Pad.
Gamers that know their team well might send a player with the best equipment for speed to advance while the computer might hold them up. As with the analog setting, it does require a good about of baseball knowledge to understand the situation.
Auto Baserunning
- Recommended for most players
- Requires no baseball IQ
Auto baserunning will be the way to go for most players, even the experts and veterans. Players on the basepaths will do the right thing automatically most of the time, meaning their reactions will be instantaneous while the other settings will have the runners wait around needlessly until players give them commands.
This game is meticulous. Losing out on these precious seconds is like failing to use a perfectly customized batting stance; it might work out most of the time, but on close outs, gamers will know they could have avoided to the problem. If runners look like they're going to make a bad decision, players are still able to select them and tell them what to do, bringing the best of what the other two input options have to the table.
MLB The Show 23 is available now for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.