How do you guys hit without Guess Pitch?

[plak89]

I've tried hitting without it using directional hitting and it's a no-go for me. I've always played with guess pitch on in past years and am thinking about doing it again (playing on Legend btw). I just can't react that quick unless I guess the pitch right. How do you guys do it?

[KBLover]

I guess...just in my head.

For example, if I think fastball is coming, I'll gear myself up for it and if it's straight-ish and looks fast, I'll swing fast.

Of course, if it's a change-up...well...yeah. lol

But, if it is a change and I do recognize it, I'm not auto-penalized because it's not the pitch I guessed with the mechanic. Instead, I adjust like hitters can do. Depending on how well I adjusted, that's my result - just like baseball.

So, what I would do is every time you want to guess with the mechanic, guess in your head and trust your eyes and your hands. Play in Exhibition mode to get the hang of it first.

[takki]

You won't want to hear this answer, but....it comes down to practice.

Set the difficulty to the online default (all star I think?) and head to the batting cage. Pick a pitcher who can throw heat and do the batting control drill. Make sure to choose a batter who the opposite handedness as the pitcher you chose (it's much harder to hit a pitcher who is same handedness as your batter and you simply want to practice).

In that drill, the CPU will always throw strikes. So ignore the objective and just practice hitting.

Yes, at first, those 97mph fastballs and 70mph change ups will make you look silly. But after doing the drill a couple dozen times, adjusting your batting camera to something that allows you to see the ball better, and more...you'll consistently get hits.

Guess pitch is a crutch. There's no shame in using it but if you actually want to improve your hitting, setting it to either no feedback or off is the way to go.

[AJRC323]

Quote: Originally Posted by takki

it comes down to practice.

Yep. I was like you Play89, I used guess pitch (on the easiest difficulty on top of that) every season, but this year I wanted to get into Diamond Dynasty, so I had to learn to not only hit on higher difficulties, but without guess pitch. Takki is correct that the online difficulty is All Star by the way. Also, having an idea of what pitchers will throw on certain counts will make the transition easier. I've noticed that the game tends to follow real life trends in what will be thrown on certain counts. However, if the CPU gets you on a certain pitch a few times in a row, it will tend to start throwing that pitch almost exclusively.


Oh, and starting on Legend is almost narcissistic. =P

[jfen31]

Hate guess pitch. I find it distracting, and become overly-jumpy when I know an off-speed pitch is coming.

[rjackson]

Quote: Originally Posted by plak89

I've tried hitting without it using directional hitting and it's a no-go for me. I've always played with guess pitch on in past years and am thinking about doing it again (playing on Legend btw). I just can't react that quick unless I guess the pitch right. How do you guys do it?

My first suggestion is to stop playing on legend difficulty when batting.

Second, realize how big it is to not get penalized when you recognize a hanging change/curve.

Third, you can still use guess pitch but sparingly. Like, when they only have one pitch they are throwing for strikes. Just like a real hitter, if you can't elimate something, you can't sit on something.

Hope this helps.

[plak89]

Guess I'll just keep practicing without it...Do you guys recommend zone or directional hitting?

[KBLover]

Quote: Originally Posted by plak89

Guess I'll just keep practicing without it...Do you guys recommend zone or directional hitting?

Ultimately, do what's best and most fun for you.

However, starting off, I would say Directional and without using the influencing.

The main reason is I think this lets you just focus on thinking about your approach and seeing pitches and adjusting your timing if need be.