MLB 12 The Show - All Hitting Tips

[h4mbon3s]

Re: MLB 12 The Show - All Hitting Tips

Wait, are you on analog swinging? Because if you are, how are you swinging while aiming?

yeah i'm using zone analog. i usually do it while i'm guessing the pitch and i'm waiting for the pitcher to start his wind up. which makes it easier, cuz you're holding down R2 to guess the pitch anyways..

you don't have to hold it down the whole time if that's what you're thinking, just hold R2, move the right stick and voila. if you're using a dualshock controller you'll feel it vibrate. try it on a hit and run sometime, it works wonders

[xKaoTicxLegEndx]

Re: MLB 12 The Show - All Hitting Tips

yeah i'm using zone analog. i usually do it while i'm guessing the pitch and i'm waiting for the pitcher to start his wind up. which makes it easier, cuz you're holding down R2 to guess the pitch anyways..

you don't have to hold it down the whole time if that's what you're thinking, just hold R2, move the right stick and voila. if you're using a dualshock controller you'll feel it vibrate. try it on a hit and run sometime, it works wonders

Do you mean the left stick? If you're using analog hitting, the right stick is your "swing" stick so to speak.

[gond13]

Re: MLB 12 The Show - All Hitting Tips

It all happens "before" the pitch. I just discovered it this weekend by actually looking in the menu that says Controls. So what you need to do is hold down R2 and then either press up/down/left/right on the right analog and then release the R2. You will notice the controller vibrate just like it does when you use guess pitch. At first i thought i was going to need 3 hands but it's very easy since you are most likely already holding down R2 to guess a pitch.

[N51_rob]

Re: MLB 12 The Show - All Hitting Tips

Don't be afraid to strike out looking, would be my tip. Especially with Variable Umps on, the strike zone changes. A good way to see more pitches and sometimes use the info learned to draw more walks, see more pitches, see the same pitch in a similar location is to take pitches.

I still strike out a lot, but I am getting a lot deeper into counts in MLB 12, than I did in anyother version of the show I have played, been playing since 09. I currently still haven't put it all together, but I am getting deeper into opposing teams bullpens and driving up pitch counts. Eventually I will get the results, but taking that 2-2, 3-2 pitch if it is close and going down looking ins't always a bad thing IMO.

[ptbnl]

Re: MLB 12 The Show - All Hitting Tips

yeah i'm using zone analog. i usually do it while i'm guessing the pitch and i'm waiting for the pitcher to start his wind up. which makes it easier, cuz you're holding down R2 to guess the pitch anyways..

you don't have to hold it down the whole time if that's what you're thinking, just hold R2, move the right stick and voila. if you're using a dualshock controller you'll feel it vibrate. try it on a hit and run sometime, it works wonders

OK, will give that a try. Never heard of that.

[drsonoma]

Re: MLB 12 The Show - All Hitting Tips

1. It doesnt really vary. What I mean is to wait for your pitch that you can do something with. It can be that hanging slider or change up that just floats into the middle of the zone. Try to avoid the "pitchers pitch". By that I mean the fast ball low and away on the corner or high and up in the zone. You won't do anything but hit a weak grounder or pop it up. Normally, you will get one good pitch to do something with in any given at-bat. Foul off the pitchers pitch when you have two strikes on you. Settle for the walk instead of being too aggressive and getting yourself out. That's how I manage to do pretty well. I had to adjust this year because the strike zone is so big but I managed.

2. No, not really. RttS has some things that are different when it comes to the batter/pitcher interface. The DISC and VIS helps with getting more balls but the main thing is not swinging at all close pitches. I think people are just impatient in the other modes (Franchise, exhibition, etc) and don't want to just wait for a good pitch to hit. They see the ball that looks like a strike and swing away, thereby getting themselves out. Just because it's a strike doesn't mean you have to swing at it unless you have two strikes on it. If you swing just late (but not too late) you can foul it off and get something else to try to hit. In last years game, I had a year with my RttS player where I had something like 120 walks. Last night, I had a game where I walked 4 times. It's all about patient and not swinging at the pitchers pitch.

I am always dead last in the league in drawing walks and first in strikeouts. Slowly but surely I am getting better however. For example, I am 32 games into my current season with the Marlins and I am last in walks but only by a couple. Trust me, that is progress. I actually drew 5 walks in 2 straight games the other night . Also, I rank around 20th in strikeouts. A huge improvement. I am only hitting .243 and very much want to improve on that number.

I do really well at driving up pitch counts. Now, I just need to get better in 2-2 and 3-2 counts. Most recently, I've gotten really ok with fouling off a ball in a 3-2 count. Before, I would kick myself for missing out on a walk. Now I see it as another opportunity for the pitcher to throw me a mistake that I can crush or another ball for the walk.

[titan23]

Re: MLB 12 The Show - All Hitting Tips

These are great tips guys! Keep them coming! I will be updating the first post with all of your guys' input.

[Sinner618]

Re: MLB 12 The Show - All Hitting Tips

Watch the confidence meter located next to each pitchers pitch. If he's given up a few hits lately on a changeup, the confidence bar for changeup is probably lower then say his fastball. Once in a while, try guessing the lowest confidence pitch he has, cause if you guess right, you can gollywhomp that sucka.

If a pitcher builds his confidence for a certain pitch all the way up, he's more likely to use that one more often, giving you great looks at its movement, and once you nail the timing down, you can string together a few hits on that same pitch without even using "guess pitch"... then with a couple guys on now, press R2, guess that same pitch, and also press right-analog up for fly ball.. the past few games I've been able to come back from a defecit quickly with 2 and 3 run homers using this exact method.. who you've got coming up in your lineup is important too.. if you get your 7th and 8th spot guys on, with 1 out, then either you might be compelled to pull your pitcher earlier than you wanted, or end up with the pitcher having to give himself up on a bunt or even double playing yourself out of the rally... if you've got the top of the lineup coming up, perhaps its 5th or 6th inning, and the opposing pitchers energy bar is starting to be half or lower, try going for that pitch he's been showing you all game. Try without using guesspitch at all the first guy, if he gets on, whatever pitch he smacked is probably a little lower confidence now.. use guess pitch with the next guy, but try not choosing a location, just the pitch, and even let a few pitches go by looking for it. The pitcher may be so nervous of that pitch now, he may walk you while you wait for it instead of offering that pitch...or if he delivers it, time it right and you'll be set up at 1st and 2nd, or even 2nd and 3rd.. now you've got your #3 hitter at the plate, guess pitch, set location to whatever you like, set hit influence to fly ball (R2 + right stick up) and sit on that pitch, even a strikeout is ok, but chasing other pitches at the corners or on the outside could result in a K or grouding yourself into a DP.. and you still have the #4 hitter, possibly #5 hitter coming up with opportunites at smashing that low confidence pitch...

And after saying all that, watch the confidence of your own pitches too, don't hang a curve if is got low confidence at that moment.. I like to try and wait for the pitcher to be at bat and give him my low confidence stuff to try and build it back up.. either he whiffs at them, which builds it back up faster, or he fould them off, which is a strike and build it up still, or a groundout or easy pop-up, which gets an out from that pitch, which still builds it up... if you got 2 strikes on someone, but say, a low confidence fastball, they may be sitting and looking for that fastball.. try a fastball well outside the zone... well, not WELL outside, but something that would definitely be a ball if not swung at.. a high low-confidence fastball above the zone has gotten me a swinging K lots of time...

So that's my hitting and pitching tip: watch the confidence meter of each pitch

[Proff56]

@sinner, that was awesome man. Going to give it a try tonight...

[Avarice]

Re: MLB 12 The Show - All Hitting Tips

It won't be relevant unless you're using zone analog, but something that helps me is beginning the AB w/ the left stick pressed 3/4 up. My brain must have some disconnect that does not allow it to hit pitches thrown high in the zone. My thumb always wants to jerk down (probably residual neuro-damage from striking out so many times on bottom zone fastballs in earlier Show iterations).

So starting 3/4 up allows me the leeway to recognize that high fastball that I would never reach had I started in the neutral position...and my reaction time to low balls is still good enough to get to the low fastballs.

My advice (for those using zones and especially if you're having consistent issues hitting a certain zone) is to experiment with initial left stick positions. One of the biggest benefits of starting with tension on the stick is that the spring mechanism returns you to neutral very quickly and precisely whereas beginning from neutral doesn't afford you any mechanical advantage or additional zone coverage.

[OSfan093]

Re: MLB 12 The Show - All Hitting Tips

Hambones - You can hold R2 and move the right analog to influence the ball to a certain direction. up is fly ball, you can pull the ball or go oppo, or you can aim down for a ground ball.



Has anyone else verified this? i've never heard this about analog and i didn't see it in the manual or controls or anything.

[phant030]

Re: MLB 12 The Show - All Hitting Tips

Hambones - You can hold R2 and move the right analog to influence the ball to a certain direction. up is fly ball, you can pull the ball or go oppo, or you can aim down for a ground ball.



Has anyone else verified this? i've never heard this about analog and i didn't see it in the manual or controls or anything.

Yea, it's called swing influence. If you're late on pitches, you can use the pull ball to help you get around on pitches, too.

[titan23]

Re: MLB 12 The Show - All Hitting Tips

Great tips guys, if you don't mind, do you think you guys could categorize your tips when you post them? It'll help me on my original post so people can go right to the type of hitting tips they need. Thanks! Keep them coming, this thread will be very helpful if you guys keep adding on!

[Proff56]

Re: MLB 12 The Show - All Hitting Tips

Yea, it's called swing influence. If you're late on pitches, you can use the pull ball to help you get around on pitches, too.

Hmmm.. This is a interesting way to look at it. My problem is that I am early alot of the time. Maybe I should just influence to the opposite side to see if I can sneak in some hits

[boblight24]

Re: MLB 12 The Show - All Hitting Tips

Am I missing something?

I use Timing, with Guess Pitch 1/4 and for a guy like McCann I'll guess Fastball/High and that's what the pitch is and I swing and it's a grounder to the 2B, I look at the Swing Information after the pitch and it says Perfect/Wheelhouse. To me that means it should be out in the right field stands, not a little nubber to the 2B. Is there something else I need to be doing when I swing?

FYI - I'm hitting on Veteran using CON/PWR/SOL of 4/5/6.