Defensive Positioning & Gameplay

[Greencollarbaseball]

Defensive Positioning & Gameplay

Yeah shifts in the game could be streamlined more.



I don't like the shifts that the CPU chooses for me most of the time, since the Tendency Chart in the game doesnt accurately reflect how often they pull the ball. (Even when i pitch inside to try to force them to pull).



This is why i have gone into Settings and chosen 'Manual' shifts, last year and this year. This way, YOU can choose WHEN to shift.



Then, the first thing i do before i throw one pitch in the game, is go to Defensive Alignments (D-Pad Down) . I don't adjust it by "Batting Lineup". I hit the 'Right' button and adjust for individual players in the opposing lineup. That way, every time "x" player comes up, my defense automatically shifts for him. (You could also do this for each player as they come up to bat instead, the first time through the order. This might help if you don't know their attributes well. Just check, then adjust.)



My shifts usually are much simpler than CPU shifts, because defensive shifts usually don't need to be nearly that dramatic in The Show. (The argument could be made that they're not even necessary.) I mostly just set my outfielders to "Deep" for power hitters. Or i might set my 3B to cover bunts for certain players (move him back with 2 strikes). Other than that, i might shift certain fielders left/right deep/normal etc. Then leave it. I may only adjust defense for one or two guys in some lineups.



After that, i am set for the game. Now, if i want adjust situationally, say double play depth, i can choose Double Play Depth for 'One Batter' or from - q 'Quick Shifts'. (However - this will reset all other positions for that one batter... so for power hitters, etc i dont use Quick Shifts. The best thing to do is adjust SS, 3B, 2B INDIVIDUALLY to Double Play Depth to make sure 1B is still "Holding @ 1st" and outfielders stay deep.



My first baseman has poor reaction and a lot of balls get by his left side for doubles. So i move him over closer to the line. I do this for each individual opposing batter before i ever throw one pitch in the game. I would rather him miss a few more singles to his right than more doubles to his left. My 3B on the other hand has a ton of range, so i can actually move him away from the line occasionally. (The beauty of 2/2 fielder sliders is you can really see a wide range of player abilities)



I know this sounds like a lot but it's not. I do this so second nature by now, that it only takes a minute before the game to set my positioning for their whole lineup. And then for situational adjustments i am in and out of menus very fast. Once you learn your way around the Positioning menu its a matter of a couple of seconds.



- tip - Don't forget set no doubles defense (OF Deep/IF Guard Lines) late in close games. Or - maybe pull the IF halfway in, instead of all the way in - if the runner on 3rd is slow. There are all kinds of things to think about that can help save runs or help add a few extra wins throughout the season.



To me, defensive strategy is a huge part of the game. If you aren't thinking of what needs to be adjusted throughout the game, you're missing an important part of baseball. And a whole lot of the fun. And don't trust the CPU to do it for you. Half the time they don't know what they're doing, and it could even help the other team.

I probably should have mentioned that I don’t use auto shift, the pull hitters going the other way too often was something that has annoyed me for years, but my 3b (Chapman) still doesn’t play balls down the line like he does in real life. I know I could set my defense on a per batter scenario, and I really should, but I just get going and sometimes forget about it until it’s too late and I’ve already been burned. But I appreciate the info nonetheless.


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[NolanRyansSnowmonkey]

Re: Defensive Positioning & Gameplay

I probably should have mentioned that I don’t use auto shift, the pull hitters going the other way too often was something that has annoyed me for years, but my 3b (Chapman) still doesn’t play balls down the line like he does in real life. I know I could set my defense on a per batter scenario, and I really should, but I just get going and sometimes forget about it until it’s too late and I’ve already been burned. But I appreciate the info nonetheless.


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Yeah i was burned a lot from forgetting too lol. I had to force myself to develop the habit.

[tessl]

Re: Defensive Positioning & Gameplay

Let me start this thread with stating I love the way the outfield and players appear in MLB The Show 19. It's the most realistic interpretation I've seen of the space. However, I'd love to offer a few thoughts on what seems to be just a little off.

I've not done scientific analysis on any of these points, this i just after playing about 60 games of Franchise Mode.

1. Default outfielder positioning seems too shallow
2. Outfielders get to too many balls smoked down the line before they reach the corner
3. Too many hits down into the corners that should be easy doubles result in close plays or outs at second base. Even the slowest guys (I'm looking at you Yadier Molina) can walk into second base on a ball hit down into the corner.
4. CPU pitchers make WAY more plays on balls hit back up the middle than they should and than mine do. This might be a by product of needing to control BABIP, but it feels really cheap.

Here's an example of a hit from an actual MLB game last night, that's basically an out every time in MLB The Show 19.



Something about either the outfielders speed, jump and/or positioning allows them to essentially run up directly behind the infielders going back on balls. And I'm not talking about long hangtime popups. This happens on little flares like the one above.

The positioning problem is especially true of sluggers. I know Gallo is an extreme example, but it was an easy thing to do an image search for. Sluggers are usually within 20 feet of the warning track in the pull field. This is simply not the case in MLB The Show and it results in a lot of balls being caught that I feel should fall in.



Here's the Yadier Molina example from last night's game as well. I promise this ball is either stopped before the wall in The Show, or the OF picks it up and throws out Molina (and his zero speed rating) before he gets to 2b in the show more often than not.



In summary, it feels like the outfielder positioning depth needs some tweaking (and perhaps that means more balls need to get hit further to keep the balance with hits and outs), and balls hit down into the corner need some work. Either it's outfielder speed or positioning or some combination of both.

I'd love to hear others thoughts on the topic. Again, love the game, this is just one aspect where it could use a bit more realism.

In the first example the center fielder was playing too deep and it's Dexter Fowler who at this stage of his career is a below average center fielder. I do see balls like that drop in mlbts 19 although unless the outfielder is set to deep it sometimes is caught especially if the outfielder has good speed.

[stealyerface]

Re: Defensive Positioning & Gameplay

And this is with fielder speed and reaction at 2/2?

Because I am seeing lots of these fall in. Especially on deep threat guys, where the CPU has their outfield playing deep, and I’ve had a lot of hits off the end of the bat fall in between the IF and OF

~syf


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[Blzer]

Re: Defensive Positioning & Gameplay

I think I play with both at 2 as well. Baserunner speed also at 4.

[jmel07]

Re: Defensive Positioning & Gameplay

There's some balance needed between ball physics (specifically exit velo on flares, liners and short poppers, and defensive outfield positioning.

I don't care who the CF is, he's not going to field a soft line drive single on three hops 60 ft behind second base. He's going to jog in toward the ball, watch it bounce 3 or 4 times, roll, and then bend down and pick it up.

There's basically nothing you can do in the Show with sliders to combat this because it's where he's picking the ball up that causes the issue for going 1st to 3rd, or 2nd to home on soft liners. It's such a short throw, when in reality outfielders are fielding these 50-80 ft back further in the outfield on a roll.

2/2 for speed and reaction is a necessity. I can't imagine playing without those settings. You'd never see a ball hit down the line rattle around in the corner for a stand-up double. Balls actually get into the gaps as well, and over the outfielders heads.

But nothing combats the short distance problem, and what's most troubling is that the AI has no issue scoring on these types of hits with their players who have worse speed than mine. It's like they either get an omnipotent secondary lead, or reaction time/speed for outfielders is different for AI vs. Human. I can't tell which it is, but it's one of those things.

Not only could I not agree more, but I've been bringing this up for years, and mention it at the beginning of every cycle when we start getting gameplay videos (including this year). By that, I'm referring to the default outfield positioning. Too shallow, too close to the lines.

The Show needs to work more on its ball physics, getting to the outfield faster especially in the CF area and line drives over the head. Outfielders also need to be able to go in, left and right on balls faster than they can back on balls. Also, outfielder shouldn't be able to sprint to grounders coming at them, especially coming from any angle, without any sort of consequence. These will all help with the issue.

[jmel07]

Re: Defensive Positioning & Gameplay

In the first example the center fielder was playing too deep and it's Dexter Fowler who at this stage of his career is a below average center fielder. I do see balls like that drop in mlbts 19 although unless the outfielder is set to deep it sometimes is caught especially if the outfielder has good speed.

Well, I mean, I could pick any flare back up the middle. Default 5/5 for reaction and speed meant they get to that hit every time because the CF is basically positioned right where that ball drops, depth wise.

I already elaborated a little more, so I won't be redundant, but 2/2 for reaction and speed is 100% necessary and the default positioning is still way too shallow.