I need more walks! Help, Please!

[Funtabi]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

After using brunnoce's pitching slider and psychos for everything else I am now averaging about 1.5 walks per game.

I tried Brian's reco for default and I was really reallylacking, now I'll probably try what spencer is suggesting.

Thanks guys for the tips.

[mlblover15]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

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.

What this also does is help YOU take a starting pitcher out early and get to the opp. team pen. not that, that is always a plus lol. currently im in a game (3rd inning) and have the starting pitcher of the other team over 50 pitches. ive currenly already waled 2 times in this game. and again everyone, it all depends on the level of pitcher your facing how many walks your going to get or not get every game.

facing Matusake vs the royals fifth pitcher are going to be different. patience is the key. for those of you with god given hand and and great depth perception i whorship you that dont have to use the feature. however, for people like myself that have eye issues and dont see well as some this is a blessed feature.

I personally still strike out chasing complete garbage on 2 strike counts when i get over anxiuos a great deal.

[rspencer86]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

What this also does is help YOU take a starting pitcher out early and get to the opp. team pen. not that, that is always a plus lol. currently im in a game (3rd inning) and have the starting pitcher of the other team over 50 pitches. ive currenly already waled 2 times in this game. and again everyone, it all depends on the level of pitcher your facing how many walks your going to get or not get every game.

facing Matusake vs the royals fifth pitcher are going to be different. patience is the key. for those of you with god given hand and and great depth perception i whorship you that dont have to use the feature. however, for people like myself that have eye issues and dont see well as some this is a blessed feature.

I personally still strike out chasing complete garbage on 2 strike counts when i get over anxiuos a great deal.

100% agree. I've played three games since the game I discussed above, and have walked 2, 2, and 4 times. It really hasn't increased my overall hit totals, either: The A's Justin Duchscherer took a two-hitter on me into the seventh before I scraped together a walk and a few hits to knock him out of the game. I'm still using the power swing only, as I have been getting great results with that.

It's nice to be able to lay off bad pitches. Yes, I'm using guess pitch as an aid, but who cares? I'm having more fun with the game than ever before.

[Zinger]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

I posted a while back to say how frustrated I was with low walk totals. At that time I had 43 walks in 32 games. Since then I have been trying to follow advice about being more disciplined at the plate, recognising pitcher tendencies etc and in my next 32 games I have had 59 walks. A reasonable, if not dramatic improvement. I know that I still make silly mistakes which cost me walks and I hope to improve further. I now enjoy the challenge of getting walks, which I know are there if I show enough skill. I have found pberardi's detailed posts on this subject consistently useful and I agree with what he says above about having disciplined rules but also being prepared to make exceptions at times. The cpu does remember our hitting trends, so ALWAYS leaving first pitches or 2-0 pitches, for instance, is not a good idea. Keep the cpu confused!

[bcruise]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

Wow...I know it worked, but I didn't think it would work this well...

It's been said already, but Raising pitcher control and lowering pitch aggression work wonders for walks. I'm currently watching a CPU game where Zambrano has walked 5 in 4 innings. The pitch control adjustment also seems to have a positive effect on the number of wild pitches - there aren't nearly as many.

Whoever made those suggestions....thanks!

[mlblover15]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

100% agree. I've played three games since the game I discussed above, and have walked 2, 2, and 4 times. It really hasn't increased my overall hit totals, either: The A's Justin Duchscherer took a two-hitter on me into the seventh before I scraped together a walk and a few hits to knock him out of the game. I'm still using the power swing only, as I have been getting great results with that.

It's nice to be able to lay off bad pitches. Yes, I'm using guess pitch as an aid, but who cares? I'm having more fun with the game than ever before.

As ive always said it isnt cheating if it is included in the game cause we all have diff skill levels etc etc. it is what it is AN AID for those less skilled players... and your right it makes the game much less frustrating and more enjoyable. with out the guess pitch feature this game would be completely unplayable for me.

[rspencer86]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

I just had another eight walk game, eight games (appropriately enough) after my previous one. I've gone from dead last in the league in walks to 26th... not a bad improvement in a little over a week (almost finished with April).

It's great, because I'm seeing a wider variety of walk totals, not just more. Between my eight-walk games I've had games of 2, 2, 4, 5, 1, 2, and 4. What's even better is my hit totals have stayed about the same. I'm currently hitting .273, which is good for 22nd in the league.

[mlblover15]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

Awesome news, great stuff

[Howie75]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

I am noticing that my walks have increased greatly using the guess pitch some as well.

It also seems like raising CPU pitch movement makes it harder for them to spot their pitches. (sometimes they miss badly outside the zone on breaking pitches, which is realistic)

LIke most of you guys, I have to force myself to be disciplined at the plate, and still chase sometimes

[pberardi]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

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.

Interesting, using +10 for cpu pitch control. I've concluded the cpu pitch control is another mislabeled slider. It has nothing to do with pitch control. I see balls well off the plate no matter where I set this. It does do something though, I just haven't figured it out. Perhaps you can elaborate on this.

[Alonzo]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

are u guys using the guess pitch feature (to draw walks) or just enable the feature?

[rspencer86]

Re: I need more walks! Help, Please!

Interesting, using +10 for cpu pitch control. I've concluded the cpu pitch control is another mislabeled slider. It has nothing to do with pitch control. I see balls well off the plate no matter where I set this. It does do something though, I just haven't figured it out. Perhaps you can elaborate on this.

There's a bit of a hint if you read the description of this slider closely: "increases pitcher control around the strike zone and lowers the BB/9 attribute."

When Brunnoce was discussing this in his "CPU Pitch Control Slider" thread, he thought that this really affects the CPU pitcher's willingness to nibble. With the slider at +10, you don't get a whole lot of meatballs down the center. Even at 2-0, 3-0, 3-1, etc. the CPU pitcher is still trying to make pitches on the corners, and it misses with some frequency, hence the increase in walks.

That's really my best guess. Who knows how it really works, though, because these slider labels are so confusing and in some cases just flat out wrong. All I know is that I get a wider range of walks with this slider at +10... the good control guys will be able to eat you up by painting the corners, but the guys with less command will try to do the same and end up giving up more free passes.