Reaction Times/Defense

[Baseball Purist]

With the emphasis on defensive ratings this year, I'm finding this has greatly impacted infield defense reaction times, and almost too much to some degree. Even above average infielders are flat footed for way too long even on pretty routine ground balls. I don't think i've successfully completed a manual diving attempt on a ground ball in 25, while being pretty decent at it in 24.

Below, my entire infield was flat footed on a double bouncer even as the base runners took off on initial contact. This is kind of what I'm seeing on relatively routine ground balls that are not hit directly at an infielder.

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How is everyone feeling this year with the changes to defense?

[bronxbombers21325]

Re: Reaction Times/Defense

Thank you, I was thinking about making this thread myself so it didn't derail the impressions thread. I'm interested to hear everyone else's thoughts.

[KnightTemplar]

Re: Reaction Times/Defense

So I can pay greater attention. Is this auto field with manual diving (if there is such a setting).

[countryboy]

Re: Reaction Times/Defense

I’m not experiencing a dramatic change between last year and this year. Yes there are balls that get thru that I got to last year, especially with lower rated defensive players, but it doesn’t feel unbalanced.


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[bronxbombers21325]

Re: Reaction Times/Defense

So I can pay greater attention. Is this auto field with manual diving (if there is such a setting).

I play manual fielding and manual diving.

[Baseball Purist]

Re: Reaction Times/Defense

So I can pay greater attention. Is this auto field with manual diving (if there is such a setting).

Manual fielding/manual diving. I used to toy with auto fielding before MLB 20, but i really thought fielding and defense had improved greatly since around that time. So I was little surprised to see that this years version was designed to curtail some of the defense/improvements(IMO) that had been implemented with manual fielding.

[NYJin2011tm]

Re: Reaction Times/Defense

I'm having trouble judging opponent outfielder's reaction. I'll hit a ball to outfield thinking it's a sure hit so I'll advance the runners and I keep getting doubled off because they run the flyball down.

[DarthRambo]

Re: Reaction Times/Defense

Playing with the Blue Jays Giménez has nothing get by him. With my Reds franchise, McLain (not sure is rating but he has a bronze badge compared to Giménez diamond. I do see this flat footedness a bit longer than I would anticipate. Nothing crazy but enough to notice and say, yeah I watch every Reds game and McLain is definitely not THAT bad on defense lol. He's better than India was so...

You could raise fielder reaction slider until you see what you're wanting to see however. Probably the easiest solution if you want to try anything. I would say all infielders are probably vastly underrated for their defensive attributes, or the difference between the bronze, silver, gold, diamond badges are possibly too far when we're talking professional ball players here.

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[bronxbombers21325]

Re: Reaction Times/Defense

Playing with the Blue Jays Giménez has nothing get by him. With my Reds franchise, McLain (not sure is rating but he has a bronze badge compared to Giménez diamond. I do see this flat footedness a bit longer than I would anticipate. Nothing crazy but enough to notice and say, yeah I watch every Reds game and McLain is definitely not THAT bad on defense lol. He's better than India was so...

You could raise fielder reaction slider until you see what you're wanting to see however. Probably the easiest solution if you want to try anything. I would say all infielders are probably vastly underrated for their defensive attributes, or the difference between the bronze, silver, gold, diamond badges are possibly too far when we're talking professional ball players here.

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I tend to think the difference between the badges is too far maybe. I have no problems with plays that are really hard to make getting by most fielders. Only the best should be making those plays. The problem I'm seeing is routine plays that the worst fielders in the league could make regularly IRL making it through pretty frequently. They should have concentrated on the difficult plays and left the routine ones alone IMO. No professional player is standing there like they don't know what to do until the ball gets halfway past the pitchers mound IRL, much less a professional in the major leagues. If it's a ball hit in front of them, they'll make the play every time. If they have to move sided to side, forget about it. It either gets through or they barely make it there. I don't have any elite fielders on my team, but Volpe and Jazz are very good, and shouldn't be struggling to make routine plays.

[MiracleMet718]

Re: Reaction Times/Defense

I’m not experiencing a dramatic change between last year and this year. Yes there are balls that get thru that I got to last year, especially with lower rated defensive players, but it doesn’t feel unbalanced.


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It was like this last year and then they tweaked it a bit because it was a bit too OP when it came to silver/gold defenders. It’s the bronze/no shield guys that are brutal at defending, but they should be.

They should tweak it a little to boost up gold like they did last year. Otherwise I like the challenge as it makes defense actually matter now.

[bronxbombers21325]

Re: Reaction Times/Defense

I guess I’m going to have to figure out a way to get used to this. After nearly a month with this game going back to 24 wasn’t a great as I thought it would be. Everything else about 25 is just better.

[StonewallTexan]

In recent years, it was normal for most of the popular slider set turned fielder reaction and speed times down noticeably, so it might be that the reaction in times in previous years were generally too fast relative to the speed of the game.

[BrewCrew16]

I have my fielder reaction at 6 and fielder Run speed at 2, but 3 works too

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