OK...I Can't Hit These Daggum Changeups

[rymflaherty]

I had this issue really bad last year.....Despite playing the game a ton, I've never developed a great eye for recognizing pitches out of the hand, so here is the strategy I've developed to really help myself.

If I'm facing a pitcher like you described.
I really trained (sometimes force) my eye to stay in the upper 2/3's of the zone. If a pitch is coming lower or at the bottom of that zone where my eyes are I let it go.
If he's throwing a ton of Changeups that keeps you from swinging at those nasty changeups that go out of the strike zone that you have no chance at.
If it happens to be a fastball for a strike.....It's probably not a pitch you can do much with anyway, so no loss. And I'll try to stick with this unless I get to two strikes then obviously you have to open up the zone and protect a bit more.

Doing this has helped in a few ways.....
Laying off those changeups early can get you ahead in the count and get them back to the fastball.
Laying off and taking the changeups as balls also decreases confidence in the pitch, which means eventually they start throwing it less.
And if focusing middle-up in the zone....If they throw a changeup there, in that zone, even if you are out ahead it is a pitch that can be driven.

[sacbillsfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by SaluteYourShorts21

I understand the logic with the roster changes but disagree with it to an extent...I mean it is realistic to have a 10mph change in your FB to change. The issue I have is being able to see that from the pitchers hand. The break on a change should be more around arm speed and not far down in the zone it goes. If a player has a 90mph FB and 80mph change with 0 break, I still look foolish when in reality I should be able to see the arm slowing a bit to realize off-speed is coming.

A pitcher with a good changeup does not slow his arm speed down as that is the entire point of a changeup. A changeup is all about the hitter seeing fastball with regards to arm action, but because of the grip, there is added friction and the ball comes out slower. If the pitcher simply slowed his arm down that would just be a slower fastball. I think this game does a great job of replicating changeups.

Anyway, i had problems hitting the change too, but once I started taking more pitches I found more often than not (just as in real life) the changeup will finish out of the strike zone. Once the CPU throws a couple balls with it they won't use it as much because their confidence will drop, but once I swing and miss a few times the confidence goes way up and I will see at least 25% changeups until I somehow knock him out of the game. So, my advice would be to take a few more pitches in your at bats and see if I can't wait out the flurry of changeups.

[iPrototype]

I'm a pretty good batter in The Show because I follow one simple rule.

"If it's high, let if fly.
If it's low, let it go."

[decga]

Yeah changeup's in the game are hard to hit especially the ones low in the zone. Those can hit the dirt or cause nubblers around the infield.

[Marino]

It is impossible for me to tell the difference between a fastball and a changeup. Its basically just getting lucky and being very late for me to hit one.

[Sacrafice]

It burns me bad. In the game I see fastball right down the middle of the plate yet it ends up a changeup just below the zone and I am a mile ahead of the pitch. It's the only combination I have issues with and it's really only the pitchers with slow stuff like you mentioned. 88 MPH FB with a 79 MPH changeup. I swing so early I could swing twice and still be ahead of it. The 1 time I force myself to not swing and as usual it's a FB right down the middle. It eats me up like nothing else.

[Geronimo22]

Quote: Originally Posted by Sacrafice

It burns me bad. In the game I see fastball right down the middle of the plate yet it ends up a changeup just below the zone and I am a mile ahead of the pitch. It's the only combination I have issues with and it's really only the pitchers with slow stuff like you mentioned. 88 MPH FB with a 79 MPH changeup. I swing so early I could swing twice and still be ahead of it. The 1 time I force myself to not swing and as usual it's a FB right down the middle. It eats me up like nothing else.

It's when you let it "eat you up" that you're done. Every pitcher isn't good enough to throw fastballs and change ups in the same spot. Use what iPrototype say's and let lay off the low stuff.

[Sacrafice]

Quote: Originally Posted by Geronimo22

It's when you let it "eat you up" that you're done. Every pitcher isn't good enough to throw fastballs and change ups in the same spot. Use what iPrototype say's and let lay off the low stuff.

It does and it is the reason I am so bad at them. I see FB right down the middle and my eyes light up and swing and it ends up just below the zone. then since I swing at the crap they keep doing it to me and then I finally say enough is enough and literally set the controller down and they throw the FB right down the middle of the plate and that just turns my crank up to the top. I'm like come on. I just swung at 20 of those dang things and NOW you throw the FB lmao...

It's definitely something "I" need to work on. I have figured out the other pitches, but this certain combination has gotten me all flustered. They just look so dang good going right down the middle of the plate.

Seriously It's what keeps me going! If I can hammer everything then I would get bored and stop playing like I have the last couple years. I am really digging the difficulty of hitting this year. The AI pitchers do such a good job of pitching me. Not like human opponents that just think what they throw will get them by and be so predictable.