Gamers will go into MLB The Show 23 with a variety of things they want to do at the plate. Some may want to be drag bunt specialists who get infield hits on their way to tearing it up around the basepaths. Others will be looking for solid contact and high averages. Finally, there will be the home run title-chasing players.
No matter what kind of ballplayer is made in MLB The Show 23, there is a way to improve their hitting. The veterans of the game are consistently tweaking their character and the game settings to get the most out of their time at the plate.
The Best Batting Stance
Every player should check out a guide on how to make the perfect custom batting stance in Road to the Show. Contact and Power hitters will need to be careful. The stance impacts overall output even more than statistics provided by leveling and equipment.
For players in other modes, understanding a player's stance lets the gamer know how to swing and where their sweet spots are. Very few players use a "normal" stance and so it becomes vital to understand what each eccentricity means as is covered in the guide.
Use Zone Hitting
Although each kind of player should do what makes the successful, the ultimate goal after reviewing all of the hitting settings is to use zone hitting. It's the most accurate and allows the player to perfect tee off on the ball.
The primary issue with the other settings is that they do not hit the corners well and this is almost exclusively where pitchers aim for. It does require quick reflexes and a steady eye but the output is well worth the investment.
Know The Sweet Spots
There are three indicator reticles while using zone hitting, each signifying a different kind of hit. The top reticle is the perfect spot for a power swing, the middle one is perfect for a regular swing, and the bottom one is perfect for contact swings.
A power swing on a ball that hits the contact reticle will result in a weak grounder and a contact swing on a ball by the power reticle will be a weak pop fly. Choose a swing and then focus that particular reticle on the ball.
Equip For Success
Equipment is a huge part of the game and the development team has monetized the game to reflect this. Check out the equipment guide and prepare to eventually save up for the best items in each slot. This will profoundly boost the player's abilities.
Even casual gamers should be able to afford gold-rarity items in all slots within a few hours of play. There is a method to earn the most stubs that gamers should follow if they want to get the best gear without going broke.
Get Skills And Perks Right
In Road to the Show, players will be leveling up a skill with program points. It needs to be a goal to get this maxed out as soon as possible. Along this journey, gamers will also be able to unlock diamond-quality perks that will benefit their build.
Gamers that want to hit home runs consistently or hit for average will want to get this situated as soon as possible. By focusing on program points, this is achievable within the first season of playing and even sooner if players turn down the difficulty until maxing out these rewards.
Avoid Swinging At Junk
Both AI and human-controlled pitchers live on the outskirts of the zone. They know that it's easy to clobber a pitch down the middle, so they aim their pitches to ride the line. The thing is, even with maxed-out control skills, even the best starting pitchers often throw as many balls as strikes.
The reason pitcher strike counts tend to be higher is because batters swing at balls. Don't be one of these. Size up the ball and if it looks like it might miss the zone, don't swing unless the hitter has two strikes.
Look At The Pitches
One of the most underutilized abilities among new players to the franchise is the chance to look at the pitcher's arsenal of pitches and their corresponding speeds. Using the R2 trigger on all console controllers, gamers will see what potential pitches they'll have to be ready for.
Players will get called up in Road to the Show early if they can time out a pitch and know its trail. If a pitcher only has one off-speed pitch or one kind of fastball, it becomes simple to track its trajectory as soon as it leaves the pitcher's hand.
Swinging Early And Late On Purpose
There is a common grievance even among experts of the franchise that it's too easy to fly out meekly to center field while getting a "Perfect-Perfect" (perfect accuracy in the zone and perfect timing on the swing). Great big leaguers know when to intentionally swing a bit early or a bit late.
On inside pitches, swing just a bit early and then swing late on outside pitches. Hitting to center field is fine on pitches down the middle but it's wise for gamers to adjust their timing to take advantage of the shorter walls in right and left field.
Keep Contact High
Power hitters that completely abandon contact will find that hitting home runs is almost impossible. The zone for what would constitute a good hit shrinks to the size of a pinhead. Unless gamers size it up perfectly, they'll be striking out too often.
Try to keep both contact and power as high as possible and choose players that do both well. The best right fielders, like Aaron Judge, can clobber the ball well because he's got elite power and great contact.
Fouls Are Small Wins
Fouling off pitches is one way to drive opponents out of their minds. Almost every hitter has a weak spot. Pitchers know it and will target this weak spot. Instead of trying to make good contact in these zones, switch to contact hitting and then swing way too early or late, fouling the ball off.
Pitchers that keep aiming for this zone will have their pitch count go up, lowering their velocity and accuracy going forward. The best closers in baseball don't have great stamina, so a batter can single-handedly get them pulled out of the game after fouling off enough pitches.
The Power-Regular-Contact Rule
Generally speaking, pro ballplayers follow a specific formula. First, try a power swing and target a very specific area of the plate. If the pitch is there, then swing. If it is not, then let the ball go. Keep this mentality until accruing one strike.
After one strike, then prepare a regular swing and expand this ideal hitting area a bit. After taking two strikes, switch to contact hitting and swing at anything close to the zone. This formula will help players hit for better power and contact while cutting down on strikeouts.
MLB The Show 23 is available now for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.