Batting Help - Picking the right pitch to swing on

[SeFu]

So I am pretty new to baseball
My batting in the game is not bad now and I am plugging out some homers but now I would like to understand a little better batting selection.

Would someone knowledgable please take a second and explain to me what pitches I should be looking for?

High inside, low inside, fastball vs slider, etc etc...
left/right pitcher vs left/right batter

U know... the basics???


Thank you in advance

[redsoxallday]

Re: Batting Help - Picking the right pitch to swing on

more than likely your going to hit an inside and knee high pitch for a homer (in my expierence) idk what sliders you use but on my own custom ones i basically need to hit the pitch right on the nose for it to be gone.

[tril]

Re: Batting Help - Picking the right pitch to swing on

think of it as playing real baseball.
youd swing at the pitches your most comfortable swinging at. at the beginning, the thing to remember is that your trying to make good contact when hitting the ball, look for your pitch. dont just swing to swing.

also know the game situation. is it a full count, is the pitcher throwing more strikes than balls etc. is it a lefty pitcher vs a left batter.

its also easier to read pitches with a slower pitch speed. what are your settings?

[baa7]

Re: Batting Help - Picking the right pitch to swing on

what pitches I should be looking for?

High inside, low inside, fastball vs slider, etc etc...
left/right pitcher vs left/right batter

Generally speaking, in real baseball, lefty pitchers have a better chance of getting lefty batters out (same for righty pitchers versus righty batters). But video baseball is different than real baseball in that the CPU AI isn't programmed to throw to you with any sort of gameplan that takes into account baseball strategy and the laws of physics. What I'm saying is left/right pitcher/batter matchups in video games has to do with programming percentages and nothing more. It's not something you need to concern yourself with, not in the way you would if it were real life.

You're really just looking for pitches over the plate that you can hit, regardless if the pitcher is a lefty or righty. And as with all baseball games, your best bet is to look for fastballs to swing at, and simply ignore everything else if possible. That should be your hitting mantra.

However, at times you can look for other pitches, for the purpose of hitting the ball to specific areas of the field. For example, if you have a runner on second base and want to get him to third, you need to hit the ball to the first base side of the field. So let's say you have a righty batter at the plate. You can look for a fastball over the plate and swing a bit late, and that will send the ball to the first base side. And if a righty pitcher is on the mound and he throws a slider, you know that's a pitch you can look for as well. A righty slider breaks away from a righty batter. It's a pitch that will end up on the outside of the plate, and if your batter hits it, he'll usually send it towards the first base side of the field.

It's a big topic, but you get the idea. Also, I don't know how much of all this is relevent with 2K9. If you're using the default stick hitting option, you can just point the stick in the direction you want the ball to go.

[SeFu]

Re: Batting Help - Picking the right pitch to swing on

Thats true, you can point in the direction where u want the ball to go, but dont u think that for example i aim for left field and then swing late on a slider that is way outside on the plate, that I wont lose a great deal on the resulting hit?

If not, then i have to say that adding the ability to aim the ball to a certain section of the field so easily was not a good addition...


Another thing I have to say is that if it really is just as simple as picking a fastball to swing on, then i am not sure why the commentator spends so much time talking about the lefy/righty matchups and how it is going to be so "tough" for the pitcher.


One thing I notice is that on my sluggers, I hit homeruns sometimes swinging on the same pitches and then ground out other times... I am having trouble seeing the logic.


Hitting High pitches are more likely to head over the wall than lower pitches at least right???

[baa7]

Re: Batting Help - Picking the right pitch to swing on

Thats true, you can point in the direction where u want the ball to go, but dont u think that for example i aim for left field and then swing late on a slider that is way outside on the plate, that I wont lose a great deal on the resulting hit?

If not, then i have to say that adding the ability to aim the ball to a certain section of the field so easily was not a good addition...

There is a zone hitting option in the game, although if you're new to baseball gaming it could be overwhelming. The hitting system you're using isn't representative of how hitting a baseball works. You can't really ask serious questions about hitting and ball physics when using that hitting option. It's basically designed for individuals who don't care about realism, and are more interested in just having a fun gaming experience.

Another thing I have to say is that if it really is just as simple as picking a fastball to swing on, then i am not sure why the commentator spends so much time talking about the lefy/righty matchups and how it is going to be so "tough" for the pitcher.

I'm playing NHL 10 right now, and the announcers say all sorts of things about game strategy and line matchups and what have you. But the truth is, it's all background filler. None of it matters. The game is a simplistic video representation of the real sport, nothing more. All the game really is, is skating around while trying to score a goal. There's no real strategy involved. It's the same with 2K9. You don't have to worry about lefty versus righty pitchers. Just look for pitches you can hit, and swing.

One thing I notice is that on my sluggers, I hit homeruns sometimes swinging on the same pitches and then ground out other times... I am having trouble seeing the logic. Hitting High pitches are more likely to head over the wall than lower pitches at least right???

Ben Brinkman, the man responsible for MLB 2K8 and refining the swing system, openly discussed how the hitting system was programmed. It takes into account game factors such as pitcher, hitter, pitch thrown, pitch location, etc., and then decides what the hit result should be. Much of it is pre-programmed, which is why it often doesn't seem very logical. The zone hitting on the other hand is a physics-based system, and hit results are much more realistic.

[SeFu]

Re: Batting Help - Picking the right pitch to swing on

Thanks for the reply
I guess I expected too much from the game.

In the end I have very tight and exciting games, thats the most important.

I think I will look into the zone hitting thing now though.

[Finalleaf]

Re: Batting Help - Picking the right pitch to swing on

When I bat, I look for pitches middle-in because thats where my strength is, and of course there are hitters that can hit the outside pitch well too.
I only use the direction influence when I'm trying to do something, like a sacrifice fly or a homer. Generally hitters are more successful hitting the fastball because it has little movement.
The lefty/lefty or righty/righty match up favours the pitcher because their breaking pitches generally breaks away from the batter which makes it so much tougher, and if you've ever looked into the stats of players they have better contact and power ratings against opposite hand pitchers