Cant hit with lower pitch speeds?

[Smallville102001]

I am just wondering if I am the only one that can not hit at all with lower pitch speeds? The reason I ask this is because a few years back I think like 4 years back the made the pitch speed slower in this game. Once they did that I found if I played with pitch speed at default of lower that I couldn't hit worth crap. Like this year for a while I was playing on fastball speed of 5 and off-speed pitch speed at 6. With those settings I was like never striking out yet I was almost never getting hits and runs because I was early on ever thing. I find that with pitch speed around default the ball looks very float to me and I just cant time things. I cant tell a changeup at all and am early like way early on off-speed stuff and even like 98 MPH fastballs I am early.


Now I have been playing with fastball speed at 7 and off-speed at 8 and I am hitting much better. I can get more realistic amount of hits and runs and I am not chasing changeups and breaking balls as much and I can time them up better. I am not early on ever off-speed pitch and I am not early on fastballs all the time and a 98 MPH fastball feels more like a fastball now. Any one else like that?

[KBLover]

Re: Cant hit with lower pitch speeds?

Yep, I'm like you. If there wasn't the possible issue with steal success being too low on high pitch speeds, I'd be sitting on something like 10/10 or 8/10.

Ever since MLB13, low pitch speeds have been far harder for me than higher. I was having this problem on MLB14, but when I maxed the pitch speed, I was golden. MLB15, I switched to behind-the-pitcher and that made pitches "seem faster" to a degree so I could back off a bit, but still prefer over 5 than 5-or-less.

Like you said, pitches define themselves better while at the same time having to gear up for the heat still leaves you susceptible to the change in speed as well as harder breaking stuff like power sliders and curves or hard cutters.

I also have the same "early on hard fastballs" thing you do.

[Smallville102001]

Re: Cant hit with lower pitch speeds?

Yep, I'm like you. If there wasn't the possible issue with steal success being too low on high pitch speeds, I'd be sitting on something like 10/10 or 8/10.

Ever since MLB13, low pitch speeds have been far harder for me than higher. I was having this problem on MLB14, but when I maxed the pitch speed, I was golden. MLB15, I switched to behind-the-pitcher and that made pitches "seem faster" to a degree so I could back off a bit, but still prefer over 5 than 5-or-less.

Like you said, pitches define themselves better while at the same time having to gear up for the heat still leaves you susceptible to the change in speed as well as harder breaking stuff like power sliders and curves or hard cutters.

I also have the same "early on hard fastballs" thing you do.

I am using like the same sliders I was using before only with the pitch speed higher and the difference is night and day. I think the two pitch speed slider settings are like the most important sliders to get locked in before you try to mess with sliders. I love that we have a fastball and off-speed pitch speed sliders this year. Having the off-speed slider up 1 higher then fastball pitch speed slider makes it easier to tell a changeup this year. In the past it was way to hard to tell a changeup. I still have a little to much trouble with that but much better then in the past. With the fastball setting at 7 and off-speed at 8 I am not really seeing much of a issue with stealing bases. I am not sure if pitch speed effects that or not. I have not seen enough to make me say it does. I think it may but only slightly. Have you tried to up the stealing base success slider thing to see if you can get good stolen base success with higher pitch speeds?

[KBLover]

Re: Cant hit with lower pitch speeds?

I am not sure if pitch speed effects that or not. I have not seen enough to make me say it does. I think it may but only slightly. Have you tried to up the stealing base success slider thing to see if you can get good stolen base success with higher pitch speeds?

Yes, it's been on 10 ever since I started...and probably ever since MLB13 lol.

Nomo found the same thing. The only way he could get steal rate decent (decent, still not up to MLB average), was to put pitch speeds a 4/4. Everything else he tried had minimal/no effect.

Even if I go to 4/6, I suddenly see a drop in steal success rate. It seems the impact comes from the total time it takes from delivery, pitch reaching the plate, catcher-to-second time. On high pitch speeds, that "pitch reaching the plate" time speeds up dramatically.

Ever since I put my speeds on 4/4, my steal rate as a team has been strong. I can run with guys like Jorge Mateo as successfully as his 90's SPD and 80's STA indicates, and lesser guys can succeed if they pick their spots.

Before - pretty much anyone short of Billy Hamilton level was an out (on both sides) and steal success was around 30-40%.

On 4/4, it opened back up for both sides.

One of the sliders I wish for is a catcher throw strength slider. Then, we can strike the balance how we would like.

[Smallville102001]

Re: Cant hit with lower pitch speeds?

Yes, it's been on 10 ever since I started...and probably ever since MLB13 lol.

Nomo found the same thing. The only way he could get steal rate decent (decent, still not up to MLB average), was to put pitch speeds a 4/4. Everything else he tried had minimal/no effect.

Even if I go to 4/6, I suddenly see a drop in steal success rate. It seems the impact comes from the total time it takes from delivery, pitch reaching the plate, catcher-to-second time. On high pitch speeds, that "pitch reaching the plate" time speeds up dramatically.

Ever since I put my speeds on 4/4, my steal rate as a team has been strong. I can run with guys like Jorge Mateo as successfully as his 90's SPD and 80's STA indicates, and lesser guys can succeed if they pick their spots.

Before - pretty much anyone short of Billy Hamilton level was an out (on both sides) and steal success was around 30-40%.

On 4/4, it opened back up for both sides.

One of the sliders I wish for is a catcher throw strength slider. Then, we can strike the balance how we would like.

Interesting I don't know what the success rate is for me and the CPU on stealing its kind of a hard thing to keep track of, but I do know that I am safe over half the time and the same with the CPU. So I know that both me and the CPU success is above 30-40% for sure. When it comes to hitting I think maybe part of why I hit better with a higher pitch speed his that maybe on a lower pitch speed I think to much and don't just react or something.

[KBLover]

Re: Cant hit with lower pitch speeds?

Interesting I don't know what the success rate is for me and the CPU on stealing its kind of a hard thing to keep track of, but I do know that I am safe over half the time and the same with the CPU. So I know that both me and the CPU success is above 30-40% for sure. When it comes to hitting I think maybe part of why I hit better with a higher pitch speed his that maybe on a lower pitch speed I think to much and don't just react or something.

Not too hard - use a spreadsheet (or something) to track just SB/CS for both you and CPU. You can use the box score after the game if you wanted (it's what I do to track mine), so you don't have to stop the action to put anything. Just play and note afterwards - heck do it once a game week even, the box scores stick around