MLB The Show 16 is now out just in time for the end of spring training and the upcoming start of the MLB regular season next week. There are many different facets to the game, including pitching and fielding, but the most difficult of all is easily hitting.
Rather than being more of an arcade-like approach that other developers have gone with where hitting is much easier, you really have to work for it in MLB The Show 16. That’s why we thought we’d help with some useful tips that could help you improve your hitting in the game, though obviously they will not be guaranteed.
First of all, one of the first things you will need to do is learn what the different pitches do, whether they are more about velocity or break, which is something that any baseball fan should know pretty well already. However, each pitcher will be a little bit different based on their stats, so it may take you a few at bats to get settled in. Also, keep an eye on the pitches they have available and how highly rated they are at the time, which very well could help you figure out what type of pitch they may be about to throw in that situation.
Secondly, learn to take great advantage of the Guess Pitch mechanic that has been around for years. Guess Pitch allows you to predict not just the type of pitch they are going to throw, but also the location. If you guess right, you will have a much better shot at a big hit by knowing exactly the area they are throwing to and the type of pitch they are using.
You don’t always have to be right to get help from Guess Pitch though, as it can also be used as a way to help wait for the right pitch. If you want to consistently guess for the 4-seam fastball, you can wait until you get the one you want. There are often pitchers that mostly have pitches with high velocity, but also may have a curveball or changeup that you can choose and know that if you are waiting for a pitch in a particular part of the zone, it won’t be that type of pitch if it does not indicate it as so.
If you do get the pitch type and location right, you will almost always want to swing if it’s within the strike zone. This more often than not will give you a positive play, as long as you time it right based on the type of pitch and make solid contact.
For those playing in RTTS mode, you also have the option to use ShowTime to better see where the ball is going before your meter runs out, but there isn’t too much more to say about that other than you can choose to use it if you want.
One other little tip that can be helpful for people that are trying to actually have longer at bats and draw walks is to up the difficulty. Yes, actually upping the difficulty can help you sometimes. On the easiest of difficulties, a majority of the pitches are in the strike zone, which may cause you to swing and ground out or fly out really quickly. The higher difficulties mix up the pitch location a lot more, so if you get good at identifying pitch location, you may get more men on base and overall better pitches in intense situations, such as a 3-2 count with the bases loaded.
Overall, getting better at hitting in MLB The Show 16 is really all about practice and using some of the techniques listed above to improve your plate discipline. As with baseball, even swinging at a perfect pitch may result in a simple ground out due to timing and the type of swing, so just keep trying and before long you may just be stringing hits together one after the other.
