Favorite & Least Favorite Pitches in MLB The Show 14

[twinsfan34]

What are your 3 favorite pitches? Your 3 least favorite pitches?

My least favorite or what I find least effective.

I love Greg Maddux - and I created him using Dr Sublime's CAP. So he looks great. I used Bill James' book on pitches, so I got his pitches down pat.

2-steam Fastball, his most used or #1 pitch.

And I hate it. Despite 99 Control, 85 break - the pitch has an OPS of about 1.200 - opposing hitters are all but guaranteed a BB or a HR any time I throw it. However, I find it a good pitch for submarine or side arm pitchers.

So that said....

My top 3 favorite Pitches:
1. 4 Seam Fastball - it's straight, if you got a pitcher with good control and good velocity - this pitch can cause a good deal of swing and misses.
2. Slider - a hard slider has just the right about of lateral action to a good deal of K's.
3. Changeup

My least 3 favorite pitches:
1. 2-Seam fastball - unless it's a submariner/sidearm guy - it's the "Gopher Ball"
2. Screwball - 99 Break, 99 Control, even Fernando Venezuela or Willie Hernandez throwing it - it just doesn't screw.
3. Circle Change - The ball just doesn't get swing's and misses and doesn't seem to get the CPU to believe it's the same arm action as the regular Changeup. For created players Pedro and Maddux, that's brutal to not have a good changeup.

How about anyone else? Pitches you like, pitches you don't like?

[KBLover]

Heh - funny because the pitches you can't stand are some a like.

1. 12-6 Curve - I think this is my favorite pitch in the game again this year...except when I'm facing it

2. 2-Seam Fastball - If I want a groundball guy, I use this instead of the sinker (which seems very hard to control again this year for some reason).

3. Knuckleball - Because it's a curve that doesn't give a damn.

[twinsfan34]

Interesting.

So who's your favorite pitcher(s)?

Sonny Gray?

Any recommendations on when/who to throw the 2-seamer to?

I find I can't control it. Perhaps a little bit like your description of the sinker. The only time I seem to be somewhat effective with it is a RH pitcher to a LH. Maybe I'm just using it for the wrong situations.

[KBLover]

Since there's no old-school knucklers (not that Dickey 75 MPH stuff, but the Hough/Niekro/Wakefield type), some pitchers I love using (using OSFM v2 with SeanJeazzy Pitch Edits):

Henderson Alvarez (MIA) - when he's on, lots of 3-4 pitch ground ball outs, efficient outings. Even has the low K/9 rate (typically). He doesn't have a pure 12-6 curve, but his big slow curve acts the same way. I've "thrown some Madduxes" (CG with less than 100 pitches) with him like he can do in the real game.

Andrew Heaney (MIA) - 2-Seam + 12-6 + CH. Yeah, he will be my favorite once (if) he matures like his potential says.

Jose Fernandez (MIA) - 2SFB isn't his best fastball, but if he has it, I'll wear it out along with his curv and circle change. The no-hitter I threw with him in my Marlins franchise was mostly 2SFB, CCH and SCV. The RFB was more a show pitch or occasional "let's see if he'll chase the high heat".

Jameson Taillon (PIT) - Love, love this guy. Took him in my fantasy draft team. 2SFB + 97+ 4SFB + big curve and change. How do you hit that?

Hisashi Iwakuma (SEA) - Sinker, Forkball, Sweeping Curveball. Yes, please.

Indeed, Sonny Gray - love his arsenal as well.


As for throwing 2-seamer. I don't always stay low in the zone, though most of the time I do. If I see those CPU PCIs moving down and a lot of "Solid" contact, I'll try to do one of two things:

-Work below the zone more, hoping they'll chase the movement.
-Work up more to change the eye level/have the movement nip the top edge of the zone.

If you're a Classic pitcher, don't be afraid to put some extra effort on them as well, especially if you're working down out of the zone or anything inside. RHP vs a LHB, I'm trying to break his foot (figuratively...most of the time lol). Though if I worked away, I'll come in, maybe once too far in and then next try to front door him and nip that inside corner.

Of course, change it up with the release too. Sometimes, dial it down (just tap). You'll take a few MPH off, which might get some more movement, especially down.

That said, I usually don't use it for K's. A lot of times, I'll leave it in that low-middle region and let them ground out all day on a couple pitches. Then upper middle to try to get infield/pop flies. When it works, it's beautiful.

Circle change is basically the same way, except I'll max effort more often. I think of it as getting that arm action you mention while really trying to snap off that break. Sometimes you can get lower velocity, too, for a bigger change of speed. Only difference is I rarely work inside with the change by choice. If the pitcher fails the pitch - well...that's the game

I don't mind the sinker - just seems to need a higher control rating on the pitch (i.e. not necessarily the pitchers "overall" control you see on his ratings, but the pitch's rating itself) to be consistently effective. However, if it's working, it's just "another 2-seamer" for me (I always thought the sinker WAS a 2-seam fastball...just another name for it unlike a cutting/tailing fastball where it's a different wrist action/spin on the pitch)

[Bobhead]

Favorite

- 2-Seam Fastball: Reliably gets more strikeouts and poor contact than any other pitch in the game. It's also fairly easy to locate, like all fastballs in this game.

- Changeup: Great pitch. Even when I hang it it seems to work well and get some poor contact.



Least Favorite

- Sinker/Splitter: I'll group these together... I can never throw them for strikes, to build the confidence up. With no confidence up, they don't get chased or anything, either. They are just completely useless.

[twinsfan34]

Bob Gibson...

4-Seam FB - 43%
Slider - 19%
ChangeUp - 16%
Sinker - 18%
Curve - 4%

118 pitches

[bobloblah1980]

I find it really interesting the lack of love for the sinker. Until this year I detested it, I would ALWAYS change sinkers to 2 seamers because the were so ineffective at what they were supposed to do, and maybe its just a placebo effect but it seems to me that they tweaked it somewhat because I love it now! I get ground out steady with it! I am usually a franchise only type of guy but I am seriously considering a rtts sinker/slider SP just for this reason

[NDAlum]

Least favorite:

Off-speed pitches up in the zone. These pitches have ZERO place in baseball and should be hammered more often than not.