MLB The Show 18

[rangerssharks414]

Without knowing where you’re struggling, the 2 best tips I can give are wait for more pitches to come when batting, and use analog pitching

Thanks. I'm so impatient when I bat. I've always used the meter pitching, so maybe I'll give the analog pitching a shot, although I usually don't have any issues with pitching. My pitching is usually really really good. I don't know what happened that game.

Use guess pitch(it might be turned off in your settings by default, turn that on. ) I think quadrant is the easiest to use. If you guess the pitch and location correctly the quadrant will light up, your controller will vibrate, and you’ll get a ratings boost for that pitch. Not only that, but you’ll know what pitch is coming so timing it will be easier. I always start by guessing high fastball and I take pitches until I have two strikes or I get a high fastball in my zone. This leads to some walks too which are pretty tough to draw in this game, especially on lower difficulty when pitchers throw more strikes. You’ll get the hang of it soon enough. If you really want to make it easy on yourself, turn off the plate coverage indicator. Then all you need to do is time the pitch correctly to hit it hard.

For pitching use real baseball tactics. High fastball followed by low change up works wonders. High and inside fastball works well as a strikeout pitch against the computer. If they hit it they’ll break their bat or hit a weak fly ball. A cutter running in on a batter works well too, though I don’t have as much success with it running away from a hitter.

Thanks for suggesting guess pitch. Yeah, it has to be off by default since I don't think I ever used it in last year's game or this year's (I believe in an older game that it was on by default). I usually don't throw high fastballs out of the zone. I get a lot of my strikeouts on low and away changeups and fastballs up and in.

 

[TootooTrain]

Use guess pitch(it might be turned off in your settings by default, turn that on. ) I think quadrant is the easiest to use. If you guess the pitch and location correctly the quadrant will light up, your controller will vibrate, and you’ll get a ratings boost for that pitch. Not only that, but you’ll know what pitch is coming so timing it will be easier. I always start by guessing high fastball and I take pitches until I have two strikes or I get a high fastball in my zone. This leads to some walks too which are pretty tough to draw in this game, especially on lower difficulty when pitchers throw more strikes. You’ll get the hang of it soon enough. If you really want to make it easy on yourself, turn off the plate coverage indicator. Then all you need to do is time the pitch correctly to hit it hard.

I honestly perform better after going through the growing pains of not using guess pitch at all.
The mentality I have when batting is "don't bash it if you can't smash it". In english hah, it means taking strikes in the outer portion of the strikezone.
Also prioritize your concentration. 1st is timing. 2nd is location.
After doing that, I was knocking around doubles, drawing alot of walks.

 

[McDNicks17]

Taking the first pitch unless it's an absolute meatball right down the middle has made me way better at hitting. I think it kind of trained my brain to identify good/bad pitches.

Also play around with different views. I know a lot of people like Strike Zone. I use Strike Zone 2.

 

[McDNicks17]

I hate how every AI pitcher has the best quick pick-off move the MLB has ever seen haha.

 

[The Head Crusher]

Taking the first pitch unless it's an absolute meatball right down the middle has made me way better at hitting. I think it kind of trained my brain to identify good/bad pitches.

Also play around with different views. I know a lot of people like Strike Zone. I use Strike Zone 2.

I find the strike zone view is too close for me and I have trouble moving my pci around in time (I use MLB 15) But yea I do the same thing with the first pitch when I play online. But depending on how they are pitching I will wait until I get a strike before I start swinging. I got walked 3 times in 1 inning in the last game.

 

[The Head Crusher]

I hate how every AI pitcher has the best quick pick-off move the MLB has ever seen haha.

That annoys me to no end

 

[John Price]

I pretty much set hitting to rookie because anything higher than that, you'll actually hit the ball...but it'll just fly or ground out

Created a Japanese player and put him in the minors. Working his way through the Eastern League right now.

 

[McDNicks17]

I got benched because I told the coach I didn't want to play some games at 1B.

Coach, I'm a 5'11'' 90 speed Ballhawk LF with one career homerun(that was an in-the-parker). Surely you've got someone better suited for 1B.

 

[Smoke]

Winning AL Rookie of the Year means you get to spend the next season coming off the bench because a crappy player is 1 OVR point higher than you.

 

[Oogie Boogie]

So I know it's only been a few days, but what's the verdict so far on this one?
Buy, or pick up a previous version instead?
(Especially for someone who hasn't played any of the MLB games in a long time.)

 

[McDNicks17]

Loving how RTTS flows much better now, but the AI is still a little wonky.

The Orioles just traded me even though their next best 3B is a 61 overall with D potential.

Works for me though. Hitting in the 2 spot in front of Joey Votto now.

 

[TootooTrain]

^ Is there a way to limit the amount of trades teams do in RTTS? I understand buying and selling star players when needed, but it seems like every year of RTTS, another stud is playing somewhere else. Last year, after making my debut in my 2nd year, Arenado was in Washington, Harper was in NY, and Bogaerts was in Toronto.

 

[McDNicks17]

^ Is there a way to limit the amount of trades teams do in RTTS? I understand buying and selling star players when needed, but it seems like every year of RTTS, another stud is playing somewhere else. Last year, after making my debut in my 2nd year, Arenado was in Washington, Harper was in NY, and Bogaerts was in Toronto.

I think there's a slider for trade frequency, but not sure if that's just for your player or how well it works.

 

[The Head Crusher]

I think there's a slider for trade frequency, but not sure if that's just for your player or how well it works.

I think that slider is for the franchise mode.

 

[TootooTrain]

I think there's a slider for trade frequency, but not sure if that's just for your player or how well it works.

I found the slider. Was at the very bottom of the slider list hah. Just a single one that says something along the lines of trade frequency "around the league". All sliders have a default of 50%, I set it to 25%. Hopefully it knocks out some of the eye rollers.

On a separate note I've been treating this game as an excuse to try different approaches to the game. So I went from 'directional' hitting, to 'zone'. I was decent/okay at it, but my instinctual finger reactions weren't there hah. So I went back to directional. Stick with what works I guess.

 

[542365]

Just started my ball hawk CF. Hoping to lead the league in average and stolen bases.

 

[The Head Crusher]

Finished creating my teams logo (Stark Direwolf from Game of Thrones) last night. Took me about 4 hours but it is done. Unfortunately I can't play as I am out visiting my wife's family until Wednesday. If anyone wants to use it, it is available in the logo vault.

 

[Smash88]

Downloaded this last night, excited to start tonight. I think I'm just going to start a fresh new guy with all the changes they made.

Always been pretty bad at batting also, put there are some good tips here that I will try to implement. I thought they had removed guess pitch entirely? I'll have to re-add that if they do still have it.

 

[Hammettf2b]

Finally finished conquest yesterday, well kind of. Didn't do any of the hidden missions. don't feel like making those grinds. too concerned with the Griffey and Ruth programs. I just need to finish the stats with Williams and Doby and I can begin the Ruth and Girffey part of it.

As far as my DD team is concerned, its not that great. I bought the 150k stubs at 20% off. Bought 3 50 pack bundles and got about 2 golds if I remember correctly. Was able to sell and exchange enough silvers that turned into golds from those pack openings to buy another 3 50 pack bundles. Was also able to sell Jake Lamb and Dee Gordon for 6k lol. Prices like that made it easy to get your stubs back from pack openings. On my last bundles I pulled Corey Seager so I would say it was worth it.

 

[rangerssharks414]

Of course the servers are down now...

 

[rangerssharks414]

Is anyone else having server issues right now? I’m constantly losing connection after games in Diamond Dynasty.

 

[Raging Bull]

Is anyone else having server issues right now? I’m constantly losing connection after games in Diamond Dynasty.

The servers are down right now, they just released a patch and they are f***ed already. Par for the course with SDS this is the same shit year after year at launch.

 

[The Head Crusher]

I just installed a new update 1.05 about a half hour ago so hopefully that fixes something. I also hope they fix the errors. Jesus I have given up so many inside the park home runs because my outfielder who is lined up perfectly to get the ball runs right passed it.

 

[Hammettf2b]

Looks like they increased pitch speeds with the new patch. I don't mind this tbh. I just didn't feel like my 100 mph fastball was very effective online.

 

[rangerssharks414]

I just installed a new update 1.05 about a half hour ago so hopefully that fixes something. I also hope they fix the errors. Jesus I have given up so many inside the park home runs because my outfielder who is lined up perfectly to get the ball runs right passed it.

I’ve “only” given up two so far.