Best Pitches for the different archetypes

[Mbunn1993]

How would a straight filthy pitcher with a Cutter/RFB/Circle change or regular change up be as my first 3 pitches?

[trackstar121388]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mbunn1993

Okay so from some reading, we can develop pitches based on other pitchers Arsenal’s on our team? How does that work ?

Once you get to the MLB you'll have the option of scrolling down in the bullpen session I believe and you'll have the option to pick from some of the pitches your teammates have the same pitches aren't always given.

[trackstar121388]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mbunn1993

How would a straight filthy pitcher with a Cutter/RFB/Circle change or regular change up be as my first 3 pitches?

I think that's a pretty solid start depending on what you want your last 2 pitches to be.

My plain filthy has a running fastball, a circle change, and a screwball (I have two save files one has picked up a forkball too) One of the other pitches I want is a cutter.

[trackstar121388]

Quote: Originally Posted by My993C2

I played a number of games yesterday where my RTTS starting pitcher was just promoted to the Show and I was pitching on the HoF difficulty level meaning I was actually pitching on Legend if what is said about the difficulty levels in RTTS is true. Oh and I bring up what difficulty level I was playing on as well as I was pitching against MLB batters for a reason. When I was in AA and even AAA playing on HoF, I never feared the batters. Yes there were times when they got hits off of me. But I never really feared them and it seemed like I could always get out of trouble because I could use any one of my pitches at pretty much anytime I wanted. Throwing fast balls followed by Changeups was a successful pattern. Throw in a slider and a curve and there you had it, inning over. But it's different at the MLB level playing on Legend and I don't know what I would have done had I not had access to the Sinker. My RTTS pitcher has the 4SFB, Changeup, Slider, Sinker and Knuckle Curve. Clearly the 4SFB is the most frequently used pitch. But the MLB batters really punished me if I over used the Changeup and they pretty much punished me regardless of the pitch if I left it over the plate. But while the 4SFB was still my workhorse, the Sinker was the pitch that I felt kept my head above the water. I had to be very careful how and when I used the Changeup and the Slider was just there to try and get strikeouts. The Curve ball? I threw it a few times, but I used it very sparingly partly because it is the least developed of my RTTS pitch types but also because I was fearful the batters would crush if they ever made solid contact on it. I cannot speak to all the other pitch types available to us in the game. But for me the level of importance for the five pitch types my RTTS MLB pitcher has is 4SFB, Sinker, Changeup, Slider and then the curve. Plus when I played a game with another RTTS pitcher who is still in AA, I really felt like I was missing something because he does not have the Sinker. I had to use the 4SFB as if it was the Sinker in my AA games, but AA hitters are not the same as MLB hitters. I kind of wish the game would allow us to more easily drop and/or pickup new pitches in our RTTS careers. But it is what it is.

It would be nice to be able to add/drop pitches easier.

I've never considered a sinker very important but that makes sense. Do you have any pitchers with a 2 seam? I'm curious how you feel it compares to your sinker.

[trackstar121388]

Quote: Originally Posted by Kentaurus

yea I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be without either a 2-Seam, Running or Sinker. One of the fastball types with at least little bit of downward movement. You might be able to get away with using a Spitter to fill that void. I too love my sinker, but I'm also super careful with it, staying on the corners or the very bottom of the zone. Basically I look at it as an effectiveness vs danger option. 2-Seam and Runner, leave them up not good, but not horrible either. Sinker, leaving it up you better pray you are on a corner cause otherwise it gets hit hard. Splitter, up = hammered. But likewise the Splitter when thrown well is the most devastating, with the Sinker next, and the more normal fastballs less effective overall but less volatile. I guess if you are a flamethrower build, you may not need those since you can work a hard fastball up in the zone more comfortably.

This is helpful. Do you count the cutter among your 2-seam runner? Have you noticed a real difference between the 2-seam and sinker?

[Robo COP]

Anyone try making a knuckleball pitcher? Feel like it could be interesting since you can focus on mostly just the one pitch as far as development goes, but not sure how they actually hold up in game

Been thinking about it but I'm nervous I'll get bored of it. I've never liked/been good at pitching much in this game and always like RttS for how quickly you can get through games, so not sure how I'll like pitching 6-9 innings. Also nervous that I'll be throwing mostly one pitch the whole time lol

[My993C2]

Quote: Originally Posted by Robo COP

Anyone try making a knuckleball pitcher? Feel like it could be interesting since you can focus on mostly just the one pitch as far as development goes, but not sure how they actually hold up in game Been thinking about it but I'm nervous I'll get bored of it. I've never liked/been good at pitching much in this game and always like RttS for how quickly you can get through games, so not sure how I'll like pitching 6-9 innings. Also nervous that I'll be throwing mostly one pitch the whole time lol

I am the opposite, I like to take my time in my games. However with that said I was able to play a little over two months worth of starting pitcher appearances over the weekend with my RTTS player so that he could complete the 2017 season (he was created in MLB 17) and that I could move on to the 2018 season where I would resume playing the games at a much slower more enjoyable pace for me. It is easier to do this with starting pitchers since they only play once every five games and my games probably took about 20-30 minutes where I played only my pitching, batting and base running (if I got on base) appearances. I did find I was rushing myself at times meaning I wasn't always pitching carefully and I did give up more runs than had I taken my time. But as I said, I wanted to get through the 2017 calendar and move on to the 2018 calendar.

I do find pitching to be a high stress activity when played on the higher difficulty levels (which is where I want to play, I want to be challenged in this game). I have other RTTS position players and while batting is a challenge, positional players just don't experience the same high stress levels the pitchers have to deal with. Regarding the Knuckleballers, they are a special breed when they are good. I know I sparingly use my Changeup and Curve ball pitches when playing on the higher difficulty levels because I have seen what the MLB batters can do to my pitches when the batters make solid contact to them. So I can't begin to imagine what it would be like to be a Knuckleballer if you play at the higher difficulty levels. I've seen a few YouTubers who have the Knuckleball in their toolboxes. But most (not all) of the YouTubers have jacked up their sliders and/or are playing on easy difficulty levels to cater to their pre-pubescent SUB base who don't seem to know any better. I guess what I am trying to say is, pitching can be enjoyable and frustrating in this game. You get what you put into it and if you choose to play it at the higher difficulty levels, you probably should not be rushing yourself and expect higher stress situations.

PS: sort of off topic, one thing that I thought was really cool with my RTTS player which totally surprised me is what schedule I am playing now that I am early in the 2018 season with him. He was started in MLB 17 so his July, August and September 2017 appearances were of course using the 2017 schedule and I thought I would be forever stuck in the 2017 schedule. But low and behold I am actually now playing the 2018 schedule. SDS was smart enough to make my RTTS pitcher in his second year use the current MLB 18 schedule. I didn't think they did that. But I guess they do in the RTTS mode.

[trackstar121388]

Quote: Originally Posted by Robo COP

Anyone try making a knuckleball pitcher? Feel like it could be interesting since you can focus on mostly just the one pitch as far as development goes, but not sure how they actually hold up in game Been thinking about it but I'm nervous I'll get bored of it. I've never liked/been good at pitching much in this game and always like RttS for how quickly you can get through games, so not sure how I'll like pitching 6-9 innings. Also nervous that I'll be throwing mostly one pitch the whole time lol

I've wanted the knuckleball as one of my pitches but not necessarily my main pitch.

As far as liking and being good at pitching maybe you need to adjust your pitching setting (ie trying, pulse, meter, button)

I don't think that even Knuckleball pitcher through all knuckleballs though.