I need more walks! Help, Please!

[Funtabi]

I ending my second week of my franchise and I'm really really lacking in walks.

Most teams are in the 40ish range and I only have 7.

I am playing on All-Star with the 5th version of Knight and Jim's rosters that include everything except for whatever was included in the recent addition to the roster download thread. (Pitch edits etc)

Also, I have all sliders set to default. (recommended by Knight and Jim)

I will admit I like to go aggressive and swing on most first pitches that I think are in the zone, but how can I increase walks?

Are there house rules to consider? maybe not using guess pitch/location? how about adjusting the sliders? which ones to adjust?

So far all my stats are realistic except for base on balls.

Help, please!

[BleacherCreature]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

I will admit I like to go aggressive and swing on most first pitches that I think are in the zone, but how can I increase walks?

Don't do that.

[Funtabi]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

Don't do that.

I've tried taking them too but the computer always has strikeouts in the teens, and now I've kinda given up and just worried about the rest of the stats.

I seem to be able to keep up with All the pitching and batting stats when I go aggressive, but walks is the only thing I can't get

Anyone wanna recommend any slider adjustments?


I even strikeout with Fukudome and I 'homer'ed him up with tons of patience(over what the roster had), and still
I strikeout.

[j27s]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

I've tried taking them too but the computer always has strikeouts in the teens, and now I've kinda given up and just worried about the rest of the stats.

I seem to be able to keep up with All the pitching and batting stats when I go aggressive, but walks is the only thing I can't get

Anyone wanna recommend any slider adjustments?


I even strikeout with Fukudome and I 'homer'ed him up with tons of patience(over what the roster had), and still
I strikeout.

Try nemesis' sliders and highheats house rules.

[BleacherCreature]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

The thing I've noticed about this game is if you want to draw walks you have to be willing to deal with striking out looking a bit.
I myself would rather swing at a 2-0 fastball right down the middle but that's just me. So my walk totals are very low. I'm last in the league and there's a huge difference between me and the team ahead of me.

[Chef Matt]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

The thing I've noticed about this game is if you want to draw walks you have to be willing to deal with striking out looking a bit.
I myself would rather swing at a 2-0 fastball right down the middle but that's just me. So my walk totals are very low. I'm last in the league and there's a huge difference between me and the team ahead of me.

That is the problem. Whenever the cpu gets down 2-0 the almost always groove a heater down the middle. If you start taking those pitches you should see your walk totals increase. I go to almost every at bat looking for the walk so as a house rule I take the grooved heaters and have found my walks have increased.

[ltw0303cavs]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

anybody try turning pitch confidence off ??

[BleacherCreature]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

I have it off, makes no difference.

[gotigers15]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

I play default HOF and lowered CPU pitcher aggressiveness by 4 clicks.

It seems to work, as I'm leading the league in walks with 21 through 3 games. No guess pitch, either.

[spitoon]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

I find it hard to draw walks as well, but I'm always getting better. I averaging about 3 per game now, which is pretty close to the MLB average IIRC.

Some things that I do are:

1) Don't swing until the CPU throws at least one strike. This means that you NEVER swing at the first pitch, but on the flip side, you will end up with several 2-0 and 3-0 or 3-1 counts. I might make exceptions to this rule late in a game if I'm way up, or way down, mostly to make the game end faster

2) I use Guess Pitch "Classic" so that (when you guess right) you can see that a pitch is out of the zone. You end up with a few 'freebie' walks this way because it takes the temptation away from swinging at that 3-1 or 3-2 pitch if you know it's out of the zone.

3) Depending on the situation, don't swing at the 3-0 or 3-1 pitch even if it's right down the middle. You'll end up with a few walks on the next pitch as a result.

[pberardi]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

That is the problem. Whenever the cpu gets down 2-0 the almost always groove a heater down the middle. If you start taking those pitches you should see your walk totals increase. I go to almost every at bat looking for the walk so as a house rule I take the grooved heaters and have found my walks have increased.

This is very true. You have to take some strikes even ones you can groove to work the count and draw walks. Rarely, does a pitcher throw 3 balls in a row unless he's purposely working around the hitter. Have your cleanup hitter hit a HR and you'll see him walk the next at bat.

However, If I have men on base in scoring position, if I'm losing the game and need runs I'll swing away on 2-0, only if it's down the middle.

The cpu does quite often throw his pitch on 2-0 that is on the corner.

I'm a strong believer in tweaking sliders to get walk opportunites but I also believe you need to play with some disciplined rules of your own to get good boxscores. But because its baseball there are times when you have to deviate and make adjustments. For example:

1. How many times does the cpu throw a low fastball strike for strike one and after the 5 or 6th time you say "F*** it, if he throws another one like that I'm swinging for the fences!" I get some nice HR's with that deviation.

2. What do you do when you get the cpu simply pounding the zone with 0-2 counts. You start swinging more aggressively and the heck with working the count. All it takes is a base knock to get him to start throwing more balls.

3. If I see the cpu throwing too many strikes down the middle on 2-0, I do take a good hack now and then. Believe it or not, it starts nibbling more on 2-0 counts if you attack the 2-0.

4. Also, a good HR or string of hits will lower the cpu's confidence level. The probability of drawing walks greatly increases when the cpu's confidence is low or lower. You will see more pitches well off the plate, you will see close pitches called for balls and you will sometimes get 2 walks in a row.

5. Point is, sometimes you have to hit the cpu hard in order to shake its confidence to draw walks.

6.That's the beauty of the game. Each game, each pitcher requires a different balance of discipline, aggressiveness and approach to hitting. When you get that balance correct, you win. When you don't you lose.

[pberardi]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

The thing I've noticed about this game is if you want to draw walks you have to be willing to deal with striking out looking a bit.
I myself would rather swing at a 2-0 fastball right down the middle but that's just me. So my walk totals are very low. I'm last in the league and there's a huge difference between me and the team ahead of me.

BC,

I don't think being aggressive on 2-0 denies you more or less walks. You have to play with certain rules to draw walks as CYANKEE just stated but you cannot be too strict with those rules.

For example, if you're facing a pitcher who after 2 or 3 innings on 2-0 counts always goes 2-2, then it would be foolish not to swing on 2-0. The cpu is simply reacting to your passive or overly patient approach and taking you for granted.

Take a good hack on 2-0 and you will see how quickly the AI changes its approach when behind in the count. Instead of 2-0, you maybe facing 3-0 next time?

[takerbob614]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

I've been playing with Nemesis' sliders in my franchise and I've been getting a walk a game if that.

I bumped up Pitch Count to +7 (17 total clicks from the far left) and what do you know, the next game I get 5 BB and probably play the best "all-around" game I've ever had. Won 7-5 with only 8 hits due to the fact the pitcher didn't throw fastballs straight down the middle the whole game.

Obviously it could have been a fluke, but I suggest at least trying the Pitch Count around +7.

[mlblover15]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

first off use what the game gives you...

1. use guess pitch
2. select one pitch and stick with it
3. select one zone and stick with it (1/6)
4. dont swing AT ANYTHING, that doesnt show as an icon in zone zone

i get anywhere from 1-7 walks per game depending on the pitcher your facing. some pitchers are wild some pitchers are throwing mostly in the zone some are a mixture of both or as the saying goes "effectively wild" but you have to work the count.

hey im not saying im perfect by any means but i use this feature as a Patience aid more than anything. without it i would be strikin out 20 times a game and never scorng any runs...

[rspencer86]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

first off use what the game gives you...

1. use guess pitch
2. select one pitch and stick with it
3. select one zone and stick with it (1/6)
4. dont swing AT ANYTHING, that doesnt show as an icon in zone zone

i get anywhere from 1-7 walks per game depending on the pitcher your facing. some pitchers are wild some pitchers are throwing mostly in the zone some are a mixture of both or as the saying goes "effectively wild" but you have to work the count.

hey im not saying im perfect by any means but i use this feature as a Patience aid more than anything. without it i would be strikin out 20 times a game and never scorng any runs...

I was playing a game tonight and had struck out 8 times and walked none after just four innings. Frustrated, I paused the game and decided to take the above advice. I turned on Guess Pitch (1/6, I had it on No Feedback previously). My CPU pitching sliders I left at CPU Strike % at -10, Aggressiveness at -10, Control at +10, and Pitch Count at +10.

Over the next five innings, I walked eight times! I was absolutely shocked. Tied my record for most walks in a game in any MLB: The Show game (tied my 8-walk performance off Wakefield in MLB 06).

I ended up beating the Angels 9-2, finishing with a 5-run ninth. Only had 10 hits, six of which came in the four innings I played before I switched Guess Pitch modes.

I'm pretty excited, as I had given up on drawing walks in this game. Walks were really the only major issue I had with the gameplay... everything else has been looking spot-on. I'll play a few more games like this and see how it goes.