OS Tip of the Day: Be Situationally Aware When Calling for the Steal

[RaychelSnr]

Knowing the full gravity of the situation will lead to a higher steal success rate.

Know the Situation

If you feel good about your runner, their battery, and the count, the last thing to check is the situation. Is the risk of an out worth the extra bag? Does a successful swiped bag drastically increase my odds of scoring? Will opening up first base take the bat out of my best hitter, due to an intentional walk?

In general, you should be stealing as part of a larger game plan, not simply to rack up stats. You may be getting a guy into scoring position late in a close game. It's sometime helpful for avoiding a double play.

Essentially, stealing bases is a fine art, not just on the base paths, but in the dugout. They can help you win, of course. But you can just as easily "run" yourself into a loss.

What are your tips on stealing successfully in The Show?

[Bobhead]

I don't really like the "don't steal with your best hitter at the plate" thing. An intentional walk is still a win for me. Maybe it's just me, though.

I like to steal a lot too. Only time I don't is when the run is meaningless, ie when I'm down several runs, or ahead several runs.

The main thing I look for is pitch selection. Everyone knows to look out for a pitchout, but any fastball, strike or not, can be just as dangerous, so when I see a fastball, I usually steal on the very next pitch, hoping it will be something off-speed.

[BSUFAN]

I am okay with getting caught stealing I just wish the CPU catchers were not so accurate with their throws , I know I have a tough time throwing out the CPU players, but I enjoy it just the same.

[gpe1975]

The main thing that I pay attention to is the count. If it's an obvious breaking ball count (meaning behind in the count) it is probably a good count to run on assuming you take the other suggestions listed above in mind.

[ktd1976]

I use the Tigers, and as you know, Cabrera and Fielder can go deep at any time, and are RBI machines. So, I will try to get a runner in scoring position every time I can. If I have a runner on first with one out, and Cabrera up, I won't hesitate to try to swipe a base, if the right situation arises. My thinking is, if I can swipe second with Cabrera up, one of 2 things happen. Either there is a runner in scoring position for Cabrera, or they walk Cabrera, and there are TWO runners on for Fielder. I'll take any chance I can get to have ducks on the pond when those 2 come up.

[insideoutside15]

Quote: Originally Posted by BSUFAN

I am okay with getting caught stealing I just wish the CPU catchers were not so accurate with their throws , I know I have a tough time throwing out the CPU players, but I enjoy it just the same.

I'm pretty peeved with base stealing in this year's edition in general. I don't know if some under the hood mechanic has changed or what but I've never had so much trouble stealing and getting stolen on. I've been unable to throw out runners on pitchouts and even slow guys stealing third more than once. Meanwhile I just got thrown out with Jordan Schafer stealing second on a 68 MPH breaking ball in the dirt that the catcher threw so high the second baseman had to jump for it. Playing as the Astros is a real exercise in frustration.

[Bobhead]

Quote: Originally Posted by insideoutside15

I'm pretty peeved with base stealing in this year's edition in general. I don't know if some under the hood mechanic has changed or what but I've never had so much trouble stealing and getting stolen on. I've been unable to throw out runners on pitchouts and even slow guys stealing third more than once. Meanwhile I just got thrown out with Jordan Schafer stealing second on a 68 MPH breaking ball in the dirt that the catcher threw so high the second baseman had to jump for it. Playing as the Astros is a real exercise in frustration.

I'm not quite as frustrated as you are but I definitely echo your observations, it seems like the formula is different from previous years. My guess is that the "surprise" factor holds way too much weight in the success algorithm. Fastest guy on the team stealing on a curve in the dirt can be thrown out, while some random bum can steal without even taking a lead. I agree, something is off...

[sactown_13]

is there a option in the sliders in which you can tune this??