Anyone else taking a LOT more walks vs the CPU?

[Unlucky 13]

I've been playing The Show since 2010, and have logged who knows how many thousands of games played. I focus strongly on working the count and driving up the pitch count of the CPU pitchers. However, before this year, I rarely was ever to take many walks. If I got two a game, that was a big win. Sometimes, I'd go a week without taking one, because once the CPU pitchers got to three balls, then everything else was in the strike zone.

That has changed in a MAJOR way this year for me. With about 40 games played, I'm averaging four to five walks per game, and just had one where I took TEN (while only getting five hits). The biggest change is that the CPU pitchers will now seemingly throw balls outside the strike zone at about the same frequency regardless of the count.

Is anyone else noticing this? I play at Veteran Plus difficulty, with sliders set slightly in my favor, as I have for years.

[drsonoma]

Re: Anyone else taking a LOT more walks vs the CPU?

I've been playing The Show since 2010, and have logged who knows how many thousands of games played. I focus strongly on working the count and driving up the pitch count of the CPU pitchers. However, before this year, I rarely was ever to take many walks. If I got two a game, that was a big win. Sometimes, I'd go a week without taking one, because once the CPU pitchers got to three balls, then everything else was in the strike zone.

That has changed in a MAJOR way this year for me. With about 40 games played, I'm averaging four to five walks per game, and just had one where I took TEN (while only getting five hits). The biggest change is that the CPU pitchers will now seemingly throw balls outside the strike zone at about the same frequency regardless of the count.

Is anyone else noticing this? I play at Veteran Plus difficulty, with sliders set slightly in my favor, as I have for years.

Big Time!

I lead the league in walks, on base percentage while also leading the league in strikeouts. Go figure.

Nonetheless, I am having a ton of fun with this year's game Already a quarter of the way through a full season.

[Ace2734]

Anyone else taking a LOT more walks vs the CPU?

Raise the difficulty and/or tinker with sliders. This years game won’t play exactly like the past. I definitely am not taking too many walks on HOF.


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[Unlucky 13]

Re: Anyone else taking a LOT more walks vs the CPU?

Raise the difficulty and/or tinker with sliders. This years game won’t play exactly like the past. I definitely am not taking too many walks on HOF.


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Oh, I'm not complaining! I want to take walks, badly. Being dead last with a bullet in walks year after year was something that I considered a big flaw in the game. Now, I rank 11th, and that's really great! With my sliders set the way that they are, I'm getting reasonable results. While I'm at or near the top of the league in a lot of categories, its not by a mile and it doesn't look silly. And that's what I want.

I simply can't play on difficulty settings above veteran plus. The CPU just destroys me once the difficulty moves up to All Star. I give up 4+ runs every inning, and rarely get a hit. I'm just not skilled/quick enough to make it work. And I'm 42, so my eyes and reflexes are getting worse, not better, LOL.

[Ace2734]

Re: Anyone else taking a LOT more walks vs the CPU?

Oh, I'm not complaining! I want to take walks, badly. Being dead last with a bullet in walks year after year was something that I considered a big flaw in the game. Now, I rank 11th, and that's really great! With my sliders set the way that they are, I'm getting reasonable results. While I'm at or near the top of the league in a lot of categories, its not by a mile and it doesn't look silly. And that's what I want.

I simply can't play on difficulty settings above veteran plus. The CPU just destroys me once the difficulty moves up to All Star. I give up 4+ runs every inning, and rarely get a hit. I'm just not skilled/quick enough to make it work. And I'm 42, so my eyes and reflexes are getting worse, not better, LOL.

I gotcha. Sorry I’m so used to people complaining on here and playing on like rookie......

Priority one is have fun and you’re doing that. Keep up the good eye!


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[jrnlgrn]

Re: Anyone else taking a LOT more walks vs the CPU?

I'm still dead last but am averaging around 2 a game. Previous years I'd be lucky to get over 100 by seasons end. So far I have even had 3 games were I was able to draw 4. I've never been the most patient at the plate though but figured either something changed in the game or I'm just getting more patient. Walks are the one stat I just ignore in my quest for realism.

[Jeffrey Smith]

Re: Anyone else taking a LOT more walks vs the CPU?

I’m walking and striking out at a much higher rate than previous years as well. Playing at HOF level. Usually I would be last in walks and first in strikeouts as I rarely struck out.

I’m not going to complain though. Outside of a few too many HRs I’m having very satisfying results.


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[phenom1990]

Re: Anyone else taking a LOT more walks vs the CPU?

I’m walking and striking out at a much higher rate than previous years as well. Playing at HOF level. Usually I would be last in walks and first in strikeouts as I rarely struck out.

I’m not going to complain though. Outside of a few too many HRs I’m having very satisfying results.


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That’s been my experience but I’m only 2 games into my Phillies franchise and I have been playing against the Marlins.

[ktd1976]

Re: Anyone else taking a LOT more walks vs the CPU?

Raise the difficulty and/or tinker with sliders. This years game won’t play exactly like the past. I definitely am not taking too many walks on HOF.


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IDK, playing on LEGEND difficulty (both pitching and hitting) with directional hitting interface, and I have walked a TON more than in the past.

I am 3rd in the league in drawing walks, where normally I would be in the bottom half of the league.

Had one game where I drew 15 walks. That was the anomaly though. Normally it is anywhere between 3-7 a game.

I do still strike out a ton though....

And I'm a full month into my franchise, so it is a pretty good sample size.

[Gagnon39]

Re: Anyone else taking a LOT more walks vs the CPU?

Yes. I am 4th in the league through 18 games. It is because the umpires favor, to a ridiculous degree, hitters in this game. I'd say about 70-80% of balls that are borderline are called balls. I'm not saying it doesn't happen where balls just outside the zone are called strikes, but it happens far less than would-be strikes being called balls.

[Spanky]

Re: Anyone else taking a LOT more walks vs the CPU?

I have noticed this as well. In the past, I drew few walks, even with CPU pitching accuracy and another pitching sliders turned to zero.
This year I'm drawing many more, had a couple of games with 7 recently. The MLB average last year per game per team was 3.27. Average hits 8.65 and HRs 1.65 per game per team. I am trying to get my settings to mimic those averages.

Couple reasons why I'm drawing more walks:
1. My patience at the plate has improved dramatically since I last played the Show in '17. I still have room for improvement, however, chasing too many breaking balls in the dirt and high fastballs.
2. Others have commented on this and I believe it's true that the CPU pitch speed is slightly slower on default setting. I'm able to read the pitches better.
3. In general, I think CPU pitchers aren't as accurate this year.

I am trying to issue more walks, too. I have some games with zero, which is not realistic except on rare occasions. I play on All-Star level and have human accuracy and other pitching sliders set at zero. Problem could be I've mastered the meter pitching, after previously mastering pulse pitching. I might switch to analog, which I've heard is more difficult, to increase my walk count.

[Jeffrey Smith]

Anyone else taking a LOT more walks vs the CPU?

I also believe that when the CPU misses they really miss. Misses are much easier to read.

Sliders away are far to the outside and high fastballs seems to be very high. Close pitches are pretty easy to foul off.


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[jrnlgrn]

Re: Anyone else taking a LOT more walks vs the CPU?

Just managed to pickup 6 walks would have been a few more if I hadn't gotten greedy against a struggling pitcher. Also checked out the rankings and while I'm still bottom of the league with 58 the Rockies are only 9 ahead of me. So I'm going to count that as a positive lol

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[Unlucky 13]

Re: Anyone else taking a LOT more walks vs the CPU?

Yes. I am 4th in the league through 18 games. It is because the umpires favor, to a ridiculous degree, hitters in this game. I'd say about 70-80% of balls that are borderline are called balls. I'm not saying it doesn't happen where balls just outside the zone are called strikes, but it happens far less than would-be strikes being called balls.

I certainly agree with you that the batters are getting a lot more of those calls this year. I don't think that I'd agree with you at the high percentage, but it might be that my difficulty level is lower. I might also be swinging at and fouling off more of them than you are.

And perhaps that's what's changed from my perception as well. In years past, it would always seem like after the count got to three strikes, be it 3-0 or 3-2, that the CPU pitchers all suddenly became Greg Maddux, almost never throwing a ball outside of the zone, and getting calls on the corners. Maybe that's still partly the case, but the change is that a lot of those pitches that would have been strike three are now ball four. Its an idea I'll buy into.

But I am also seeing more ball four pitches that are an easy take, and by a large margain over what I ever saw before. Many way outside. On the flip side, I'm seeing far fewer wild pitches, and far fewer pitches in the dirt in general. So I'm thinking that the logic of the game has finally been tweeked, and its been a good choice for the player.

[TheWarmWind]

Re: Anyone else taking a LOT more walks vs the CPU?

Yes, the CPU pitches a lot smarter and will try to fool a human with a ball out of the zone when they get behind more often this year.

However a big part of the reason why you never got walked in previous iterations is that veteran+ setting. I'm not sure if it's still true, but in years past the difficulty setting would change the CPU strike frequency. To be clear, this effects strategy, not results. It was way too high at lower levels.

I have a theory that the only difference between skill levels this year are the pitch speeds and the contact sliders. So far my testing of this theory had been well within the margin for error.

This would explain why you're seeing more walks at your chosen skill level.

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