Hitting with superstars

[Kearnzo]

Been having issues ever since I got the game when it comes to hitting with superstars (Miggy, Braun, etc.).

I just started a fantasy draft franchise and grabbed Cabrera with my first pick. For my franchise, I am playing one game with my ace, summing through his next start, then playing with my #2, summing through his next start, etc.

Well, through three games with Cabrera, I've struck out seven times and had a total of zero hits with him. I know, I know. You guys are thinking that I'm swinging at everything with him and pressing, but that's just not the case. I've drawn a few walks with him. I know you are also thinking "sample size". I agree, maybe I'll turn it around with him.

My concern lies with how he's being pitched. Guys turn into Greg Maddux when I hit with him. I'm playing a game right now up against Volquez, who has been ALL over the place so far. Well, except against Cabrera. I just went down for the second time on three pitches with Miggy. Both times started out with foolishly placed sinkers low and away, which is the one pitch that Volquez has absolutely no confidence in so far, yet locates with ease suddenly. Now that I'm in a hole, he starts dropping changeups on the very bottom of the strike zone. I know they're coming, as it's his best pitch despite the fact that he hasn't been able to locate it against anyone else. But again, he drops two straight perfectly on the low outside corner, where I can't even begin to make contact.

I've noticed this trend in a number of Show Live games as well. Superstars seemed to get pitched to the corners too much. And I understand pitching to the corners to good hitters, it makes perfect sense to be cautious. The alarming part is that most of these pitches are perfectly on the black, either low and away or high and away, not just off the plate.

I don't know, maybe I'm crazy. Just getting a little frustrated, as I feel like I should just sit Miggy on the bench when I play at this point. Simming, he is on fire, hitting .400 with 5 bombs through 12 games. That would be a heck of a lot higher if I could hit at all with him .

[RecordBreakerCF]

Re: Hitting with superstars

You struggle with Miguel Cabrera? That's not normal.

[Scott]

You're probably trying to press too much

[MGoBlue777]

Re: Hitting with superstars

I've had this same issue hitting with Miggy (I know, I know...). I'm playing a Tigers franchise (All-Star with Zone hitting, playing every game), and through 21 games I'm hitting .233 with only 4 extra base hits (1 HR). I've only drawn 7 walks (that's on me) but have only struck out 7 times, so I'm not just free swinging (and also lead the league in fewest team strike outs).

I've found the pitchers to raise their game against him, hitting corners and the bottom of the zone to induce weak toppers to the mound and in front of the plate, and harmless fly balls to right/right center. This happens with other batters too, but noticeably more with Cabrera. What's the secret to hitting successfully against pitches in these locations as that's pretty much all he's seeing?

By comparison, I've had tremendous success with Fielder (.366, 6 HR's) and Infante (.380), and have been OK with most of the team. But when it comes to Miggy, I've had very little success. Any tips/suggestions would be appreciated as I'm getting fairly frustrated by now (which is probably part of my problem now.....)

[vinny_pizza]

You're probably trying to press too much

Agreed. We all do it and sometimes just need to take a pitch of two to work the count. First few games out of the gate with Bautista I struggled, now at the midway point he's batting .390 with 36 homers. Work the counts.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

[ptbnl]

Re: Hitting with superstars

Actually, I've noticed the exact same thing as the OP in the game.

And it's not just against star hitters that pitchers find their control.

I've struggled with Robinson Cano at times because of it, but something else I've noticed is that even in hitters' counts, pitchers always remain in control. They never have to throw a hitter a good pitch.

Instead, they paint the corner with a change up or another offspeed pitch. Now, I don't have a problem with them trying that on 2-0, 3-0 or 3-1; it can be a good strategy to keep hitters from crushing you and real major league pitchers do it, too.

But far too often when they go for the corner, they get the call, even when it's clearly a ball or even if they've walked four guys in the first inning already. The pitchers are never forced to throw one they know will catch the zone, or to give up on their secondary stuff for the sake of getting a strike.

2-0 and 3-1 are hitters' counts for a reason. I can't remember the last time I walked on a 3-0 or 3-1 that wasn't an IBB. They always get a strike to go to 3-2 and you usually have to foul off a bunch of pitches before walking.

The computer knows it can throw a sinker to the corner for a strike and get back in the count.

[G3no_11]

Re: Hitting with superstars

Instead, they paint the corner with a change up or another offspeed pitch. Now, I don't have a problem with them trying that on 2-0, 3-0 or 3-1; it can be a good strategy to keep hitters from crushing you and real major league pitchers do it, too.

But far too often when they go for the corner, they get the call, even when it's clearly a ball or even if they've walked four guys in the first inning already. The pitchers are never forced to throw one they know will catch the zone, or to give up on their secondary stuff for the sake of getting a strike.

2-0 and 3-1 are hitters' counts for a reason. I can't remember the last time I walked on a 3-0 or 3-1 that wasn't an IBB. They always get a strike to go to 3-2 and you usually have to foul off a bunch of pitches before walking.

The computer knows it can throw a sinker to the corner for a strike and get back in the count.

I'm going to have to disagree with this part. Generally when I get into a 3-0, 3-1 count I am going to get a pretty decent pitch to hit. Either that, or I am going to get a ball.

Obviously sometimes there are exceptions and you will see them paint a corner in a hitter's count but that happens in real life as well.

It's really all about being patient. A lot of times I will end up chasing a 3-1 pitch because I think it's going to be fat, but really I should've laid off of it and took the walk OR just took the pitch and took my chances with a 3-2 count.

I think this can also be altered with sliders. I was playing with a custom slider set and was really struggling in RTTS. Hitting around .230, but it was because I hardly ever got anything decent to hit. I made a slider tweak and the pitch locations were much more realistic. Pitchers weren't just laying fat pitches in there for me to crush.. I still had to be patient and work the count to get a solid pitch. But there were also times where I would get a first pitch, "get it over" fastball that never happened with my previous sliders.

[ML]

Re: Hitting with superstars

The surplus of low pitches is because you want to keep the ball low at all times especially against big hitters, but the painting of the corners seems odd. In my opinion the way the game should work is only the best of the best can consistently paint the corners and make it look effortless. Nolan Ryan has the most career strikeouts but also the most career walks because everything was on the corners

speaking of corners idk if its just me but i feel like the cpu also manages to get way more close calls than I do

[G3no_11]

Re: Hitting with superstars

If you see how the pitches are on the strike trackers in real life, pretty much every pitcher in the bigs paints. Even mediocre pitchers will have many of their pitches on the edge of the zone.

Key word there is "many." Some pitchers are going to hang pitches more often than others, but I wouldn't say only the elite, or best of the best should be able to do it consistently.

If you feel the CPU is painting the corners too much, lower the CPU Pitch Control a notch or 2.

If anything, I think the game should be more lenient on hitting pitches on the edge or out of the zone. If the game is going to have pitchers hugging the edge of the strike zone all game (like in real life), then hitters should be able to get decent hits/contact on pitches out of the zone (like in real life).

[Bobhead]

Re: Hitting with superstars

Completely disagree with this thread. You're getting junk pitches because you keep swinging at them.

If you were a pitcher would you give Miguel Cabrera pitches to hit?
No.

So don't expect pitches to hit.

Take your walks and you'll stop striking out with your big hitters.

David Wright is batting .320, Ike Davis .330

Last year Longoria batted .300 for most of my season. This is on HoF difficulty mind you, and after I batted like .220 with the rest of my team last year.

When you stop rewarding the Greg Maddux pitches, you'll stop getting the Greg Maddux pitches. Plain and simple.

Just breathe and, if you have to, put the controller down and force yourself to take the walk.

[Kearnzo]

Completely disagree with this thread. You're getting junk pitches because you keep swinging at them.

If you were a pitcher would you give Miguel Cabrera pitches to hit?
No.

So don't expect pitches to hit.

Take your walks and you'll stop striking out with your big hitters.

David Wright is batting .320, Ike Davis .330

Last year Longoria batted .300 for most of my season. This is on HoF difficulty mind you, and after I batted like .220 with the rest of my team last year.

When you stop rewarding the Greg Maddux pitches, you'll stop getting the Greg Maddux pitches. Plain and simple.

Just breathe and, if you have to, put the controller down and force yourself to take the walk.

Well, I can't really lay off those pitches when they are strikes. I'm talking pitches on the corner that are still in the zone. Pitches with low confidence being placed in perfect spots with alarming frequency.

As I said, the way he is being pitched makes sense. It's the junk being dropped at the bottom of the zone on the corner for strikes that gets me. These pitches are pretty much unhittable for anyone, even Miggy.

Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2

[ptbnl]

Re: Hitting with superstars

Well, I can't really lay off those pitches when they are strikes. I'm talking pitches on the corner that are still in the zone. Pitches with low confidence being placed in perfect spots with alarming frequency.

As I said, the way he is being pitched makes sense. It's the junk being dropped at the bottom of the zone on the corner for strikes that gets me. These pitches are pretty much unhittable for anyone, even Miggy.

Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2

This. This is exactly what I'm talking about. I don't swing at crap pitches, but too often (especially too often in hitter's counts of 2-0, 3-0, 3-1) they paint the corner of the zone with their worst pitch or an offspeed pitch. I've seen them do it with runners on third where they're throwing low curves and sliders. There's no fear of bouncing one or missing the zone or anything.

Meanwhile, I'll throw strikes all game and as soon as I go to the corner, "Ball." I don't get nearly as many close pitches called for me as the computer. I love the game, but it is way imbalanced, whether on purpose or something else.

[Bobhead]

Re: Hitting with superstars

This. This is exactly what I'm talking about. I don't swing at crap pitches, but too often (especially too often in hitter's counts of 2-0, 3-0, 3-1) they paint the corner of the zone with their worst pitch or an offspeed pitch. I've seen them do it with runners on third where they're throwing low curves and sliders. There's no fear of bouncing one or missing the zone or anything.

Meanwhile, I'll throw strikes all game and as soon as I go to the corner, "Ball." I don't get nearly as many close pitches called for me as the computer. I love the game, but it is way imbalanced, whether on purpose or something else.

But that's not what this thread is about. The OP is implying that above and beyond the CPU's proficiency for painting corners, the CPU pitches even more skillfully against superstars, which is what I was arguing with.

Yes the CPU paints corners excessively well, but that happens whether you're batting with Matt Kemp or Mat Latos.

The argument about whether CPU pitchers are too good is an entirely separate argument.

[LakerFan56]

Re: Hitting with superstars

I don't know about the issue of superstars getting pitched to more carefully. I always get decent pitches to swing at with Kemp and Gonzalez. I sometimes struggle with Kemp, but it's usually because I am pressing and not going with the flow and letting the game slow down.