MLB 14 The Show News Post

MLB 14 The Show: Improve Your Hitting in Four Minutes

11:06 AM - July 30, 2014 by RaychelSnr

Are you like me and pretty much hopeless at the plate in MLB 14 The Show more than much of the time? If so, T.J. Lauerman (@thatsportsgamer) is here to give you advice to improve your hitting in four simple minutes.

After you watch the video, please subscribe to T.J. on YouTube and follow his channel on Twitch. You can also check out T.J. on the Press Row Podcast on a regular basis!

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Game: MLB 14 The ShowReader Score: 8.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS Vita / PS3 / PS4Votes for game: 12 - View All

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Member Comments

# 21 ManiacMatt1782 @ 07/31/14 09:49 AM

I use a very similar approach, but I don't lock low and inside nearly as much. Instead I hold an area of the strikezone I feel the pitcher is going to attack. It could be low and inside sometimes, but as I said not as frequently as the video shows. I use the phillies. Say with someone like Ben Revere. He has high contact but no pop. A smart player is gonna give him a healthy dose of stuff up in the zone so he can hit a can of corn flyball. Well I try to get way up in the zone and hit liner instead. Locking into a zone is a good way to approach an atbat. But there should be more of an educated guess which zone to cover, instead of always picking low inside.

# 22 ManiacMatt1782 @ 07/31/14 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Equinox831


	I believe more in working the count and making the pitcher throw you a good pitch, but this a good method to use until you build up some confidence in recognizing pitches.

This approach can help you work the count though. It is training you to lay off pitches not in your wheelhouse even if they are strikes. My only gripe with it was how often he stayed in just one area of the zone, and how the opposing pitcher was all too willing to keep giving him the low inside pitch when that is the only thing he actually took a hack at.

# 23 ThatSportsGamer @ 08/01/14 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ManiacMatt1782


	I use a very similar approach, but I don't lock low and inside nearly as much. Instead I hold an area of the strikezone I feel the pitcher is going to attack. It could be low and inside sometimes, but as I said not as frequently as the video shows. I use the phillies. Say with someone like Ben Revere. He has high contact but no pop. A smart player is gonna give him a healthy dose of stuff up in the zone so he can hit a can of corn flyball. Well I try to get way up in the zone and hit liner instead. Locking into a zone is a good way to approach an atbat. But there should be more of an educated guess which zone to cover, instead of always picking low inside.

Yeah, you don't have to always lock on low and in. That just works in this league cause I think it's set to Veteran. It's more about just having a plan when you go up there. I just feel like leaving the cursor in the middle is kind of a waste because the last place a pitcher wants to throw the ball is right down the pipe.

# 24 ManiacMatt1782 @ 08/01/14 01:38 PM

People who react to every pitch, might want to leave it center so its always the shortest distance to move. If someone doesn't always go low soft with 2 strikes. I will center it and try to react with 2 strikes. 0-1 strikes I hold an area of the zone and ger very selective. If someone falls into a pattern on 2 strikes too I will sometimes lock in as well.

# 25 baseballsim @ 08/01/14 01:48 PM

Now I get it. The video is 4 minutes long!

Thanks for making the video. I enjoy MLB The Show videos that provide tips. It's also always interesting to learn about someone else's approach.

I sort of have a similiar approach but for different reason. It's difficult for me to catch up with anything up in the zone midpitch so I sometimes place the PCI high in the zone before the pitch.

# 26 Madden's Jowels @ 08/01/14 02:40 PM

I usually use pure analog (without zone), but I tried this method out. My biggest issue with using zone is that I don't want to have to hold the cursor in a zone the entire time. I wish the devs would allow us to move the cursor to a spot, let go of the stick, and have the cursor remain there rather than bounce back to the center. When trying to coordinate both thumbs at the same time it's kind of a pain in the ***, hard to keep my left thumb in an exact location while moving my right thumb back and forth on the stick to stride and then swing, while also trying not to even focus on my thumbs but to focus on the pitch and try to figure out where it's going in the split second that it's in the air.

So Kirby, if you're still reading this thread, maybe toss this idea out in a staff meeting please? Just put an option in the menu to make the PCI stay where you put it rather than go back to neutral automatically? Can't go wrong with options

# 27 PadreFan84 @ 08/01/14 04:41 PM

This is off topic a bit but I can't start a new thread yet (how many posts do you need anyway)

How in the heck do you hit the knuckleball?! I have had issues in past iterations of the game as well. It's not that I can't make contact just can't make solid contact. Any tips?

# 28 cepwin @ 08/01/14 10:52 PM

I tried it tonight and it does seem to help...thanks!!

# 29 ThatSportsGamer @ 08/02/14 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madden's Jowels


	So Kirby, if you're still reading this thread, maybe toss this idea out in a staff meeting please? Just put an option in the menu to make the PCI stay where you put it rather than go back to neutral automatically? Can't go wrong with options

I know it doesn't help at all, but that setting is available in Konami's Pro Baseball Spirits. You know, if you want to spend like $90 to get the game here, and then however much the Japanese version of Rosetta Stone costs.

I agree with you, it would be nice to have the option. It seems like they give you so many choices of how you want to play, one more shouldn't be that hard.

I do like it to return, in case I'm targeting a different zone and the pitch gets left over the plate, then all I have to do is let go.

# 30 cardinalbird5 @ 08/02/14 03:03 PM

Pre-placing the PCI based off picking up patterns can be very effective against top notch competition. This video isn't really about picking up patterns though. It is essentially the same as center swinging, which I am not hating on that technique. I use to center swing and pre place my PCI basing my predictions off patterns. It was very effective.

# 31 Matintheflat49 @ 08/03/14 09:55 AM

Came across this video as I am new to the franchise and I am really struggling with batting. I had one game where everything seemed to click and I steam rollered a team 7-0 using this technique in my off line franchise but I'm in a slump where everything seems to be fly ball after fly ball. Any one have any tips or something to look for to cut down on it?

# 32 ManiacMatt1782 @ 08/03/14 10:19 AM

If you see my responses earlier in the thread I said why staying bottom inside was a bad idea. The CPU adapts and will start pitching you more up in the zone. So you have to afapt and wait on a different location.

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