Catchers too slow to pounce on blocked balls in dirt

[ty5oke]

Re: Catchers too slow to pounce on blocked balls in dirt

Been like this for a while in the game. I always hate the weird spring motion on things like foul balls, small pop outs behind the plate.

[Jr.]

Re: Catchers too slow to pounce on blocked balls in dirt

Been like this for a while in the game. I always hate the weird spring motion on things like foul balls, small pop outs behind the plate.

Those issues are still present, but this year the blocking transition animations are exacerbated by either being slower, or having more aggressive baserunners.

[lil frier]

Re: Catchers too slow to pounce on blocked balls in dirt

Yep, it's bad. In all honesty, defense as a whole is a total mess in the game. Catchers never get after balls in the dirt with any urgency. Infielders have absurd range, throwing accuracy, and acrobatic throwing abilities. Outfielders dive all the time. It's all pretty darned rough.

[knich]

Re: Catchers too slow to pounce on blocked balls in dirt

Yep, it's bad. In all honesty, defense as a whole is a total mess in the game. Catchers never get after balls in the dirt with any urgency. Infielders have absurd range, throwing accuracy, and acrobatic throwing abilities. Outfielders dive all the time. It's all pretty darned rough.

Sliders fix 95% of your problems. But they can't fix the slow catcher reactions. I am to the point when there is runner on base I am afraid to throw a ball in dirt even with Molina catching because it almost always results in wild pitch and runner advance.

[lil frier]

Re: Catchers too slow to pounce on blocked balls in dirt

Sliders fix 95% of your problems. But they can't fix the slow catcher reactions. I am to the point when there is runner on base I am afraid to throw a ball in dirt even with Molina catching because it almost always results in wild pitch and runner advance.

Sliders fix nothing in Conquest, where you have to choose present difficulties. They don't get Matt Carpenter to stop dropping routine popups (which he did in back-to-back games). The don't stop the constant sliding catches in the OF or jump throws from infielders when the game requires you to play with broken mechanics.

[knich]

Re: Catchers too slow to pounce on blocked balls in dirt

Sliders fix nothing in Conquest, where you have to choose present difficulties. They don't get Matt Carpenter to stop dropping routine popups (which he did in back-to-back games). The don't stop the constant sliding catches in the OF or jump throws from infielders when the game requires you to play with broken mechanics.

Don't play Conquest sorry was referring to Franchise

[lil frier]

Re: Catchers too slow to pounce on blocked balls in dirt

Don't play Conquest sorry was referring to Franchise

Yeah, I'm waiting on the forum rosters before I do Franchise. Sliders might fix atrocious stock play there, but they don't fix the mess that is contracts and minors!

[esdot404]

Re: Catchers too slow to pounce on blocked balls in dirt

Wish I recorded the video of last nights game, Cubs (me) vs. Brewers (CPU).

Runner on third for Brewers and I threw a low curve trying to get the batter to chase the pitch in the dirt for the third strike to get out of the inning. Batter let's it go, catcher blocks it and deflects to first base dug-out. I don't recall who the runner was, but speed was about mid 60's. The ball did not even make it past the dirt circle around home plate (didn't reach grass). The runner made it home before the catcher could stand up, get to the ball, and throw to pitcher covering home. I understand if this was a speedy runner and ball got a good bounce off the catcher block, but, it was only 4-5 steps away and not even close at the plate.

I hope they do look into this and adjust some of it. Maybe it has to do with catcher ratings, but, I'm thinking its mostly gameplay issue. I could be wrong though. (I am using OSFM rosters as well).

[sfpxgalaxy]

Re: Catchers too slow to pounce on blocked balls in dirt

I'm playing with auto-baserunning and my runners advance on wild pitches at least 3 times every game.

I think that the problem is the unrealistic reaction time of the runners.

[Azamien]

Re: Catchers too slow to pounce on blocked balls in dirt

I think that the problem is the unrealistic reaction time of the runners.

That's certainly half of the problem, but the way the catcher reacts is the other half.

As an example, today I had a ball stay within arm's reach of the catcher. But instead of just picking it up from his knees, he popped up, shed his mask, reached down for the ball, then did the infuriating fist pound into his glove before throwing. The combination of the runner going on a ball that no real-life runner moves on and the terrible catcher reaction allowed the runner to take 3rd.

[RockPowderDownLoL]

Re: Catchers too slow to pounce on blocked balls in dirt

I have been having a problem where i can react quickly with my catcher but he ALWAYS lobs the throw to third if he has a chance to get the runner out and the runner is always safe because of the lobbed throw.

[capa]

Re: Catchers too slow to pounce on blocked balls in dirt

This is an area where they really dropped the ball this year...no pun intended.

The catcher botches too many pitches...his reaction time is so so...and too often his throws to try to nail the advancing runner are lobbed or very under powered.

They need to patch this...again. Pitchers with big breaking balls wind up throwing 3-5 WPs per game sometimes because of the current logic and animations. Runners are advancing way too often and with ease most of the time.

Much work is needed to be done here. I do hope they have this on their radar...for THIS year.

C

[nomo17k]

Re: Catchers too slow to pounce on blocked balls in dirt

The developers are aware of the issue and have said that they are looking into it in a post-patch thread (1.05 or 1.06 I believe)... to what extend they will go to tone this down, it remains to be seen.

As far as I can tell, I don't think things around wild pitches have improved with the most recent patch (1.07). On average, I still see about 2 - 3 times more wild pitches in CPU vs. CPU games than the MLB average per game.

[mikelecrenski]

Re: Catchers too slow to pounce on blocked balls in dirt

This has come close to ruining the game for me. I can't throw a breaking ball in the dirt with a runner on base.

It is funny too, because if the bases are empty and you throw breaking balls the catcher will also catch it but as soon as you have that runner on base they will drop the ball.

[nomo17k]

Re: Catchers too slow to pounce on blocked balls in dirt

This has come close to ruining the game for me. I can't throw a breaking ball in the dirt with a runner on base.

It is funny too, because if the bases are empty and you throw breaking balls the catcher will also catch it but as soon as you have that runner on base they will drop the ball.

Yeah, I think this is how a lot of pitches in the dirt were handled in MLB 16... by not dropping them at all... catchers in MLB 16 were able to do this more often with runners on base. That's one of the bigger differences I could see between catchers in MLB 16 and 17.

That's why I'm wondering why it cannot be reverted in that direction a little bit (but not too much). That's no way the most satisfying solution over a longer term (fielding urgency and base running aggression are both issues), but at least it can help with reducing the inflation in the current game.