Best Tips to Improve Hitting in MLB The Show 25

Hopefully, your pitching has improved since reading our piece on the best tips to improve your pitching in MLB The Show 25. Now, it’s time to talk about hitting.

For many, hitting is the hardest mechanic to master in MLB The Show, especially in an online setting. But with some practice and a few tips, you’ll be hitting dingers. Below is a list of tips compiled by me, an experienced MLB The Show player. I’m far from the best in the world, but I have cracked World Series in Diamond Dynasty on multiple occasions in the past several titles. So take that for whatever it’s worth.

Here are the best tips for hitting in MLB The Show 25.

Tips To Improve Hitting In MLB The Show 25

Adjust Your Visual Settings

We went over this in detail in our piece about the best settings when it comes to hitting. But we can’t stress this enough — find whatever visual settings work best for you. While experimentation is always good, most players have had success using the Strike Zone, Strike Zone 2, and Strike Zone High camera angles. As far as the PCI is concerned, whatever visual you prefer is what you should use.

Anchor Your PCI

When using their PCI, many prefer to keep it in the middle and move it according to each pitch. I personally prefer to anchor my PCI to one spot and adjust it as needed. For instance, I know that anything thrown hard up and in to a righty batter is generally where you can pull the ball for power. Therefore, in many cases, I prefer to anchor my PCI in the upper-left corner of the strike zone. That way, if I’m sitting on something else, I can immediately adjust to on-speed pitches high and inside simply by letting go of the right analog stick. You can apply this anchor to any spot on the zone you struggle to get your PCI on.

There are other ways to handle this, and I’m about to tackle one in a second. But I’ve had plenty of success with this method. It’s not full proof, but it’s certainly effective against anyone trying to pick apart your weaknesses.

In order to achieve this, you’ll have to set your PCI Anchor to Free. This can be done by going to Control, Hitting, then setting your PCI anchor to free.

Don’t Slam Your PCI

Sometimes, struggling at the plate is the result of having nerves. And when you’re over-anxious at the dish, that’s when you start overcompensating. And when you overcompensate, you make mistakes. One such mistake is slamming your PCI.

“Slamming the PCI” refers to a player who is reacting to a pitch but slams their thumb onto their right stick, resulting in them either getting on top or under a ball. This will typically result in you ether getting under or over a pitch and it resulting in a routine out. Other times, you’ll miss the ball entirely. If this describes an issue you’ve had at the plate, don’t worry — we’re all guilty of it from time to time.

The key to resolving this issue is to fight against your instincts and moving your PCI with small, precise movements on the right stick. Whenever you have time, go into the practice area on MLB The Show 25 and just start moving your PCI around. You’ll notice that you don’t have to hit it as hard as you can or even move it too far in order to find the ball. Once you feel you’ve got the movement down, you’ll find yourself squaring up way more pitches.

Tracing Pitches

This is a bit more advanced tip and factors into anchoring the PCI, and one that has helped me and some of my co-op buddies in the past when we’re in slumps. It’s called “tracing.”

To put it simply, tracing a pitch involves anchoring your PCI over the opposing pitcher’s release point and tracking it as the pitch moves. Not only will this make you pay attention more to whatever pitch is being released, but it will get you a good feel for the timing of everything as well. This method should help you with identifying different pitches as games move on. It also helps you simplify things when the opposing pitcher has a wonky pitching motion — it gets you focusing on the ball and the release rather than the pitcher themselves.

Seriously, try this against Randy Johnson, Chris Sale, or any pitcher with an unconventional motion and see for yourself.

Identify Patterns And Sequences

One of the biggest keys to success when it comes to batting in MLB The Show 25 comes down to your ability to identify pitching patterns and sequences. This is especially true for online play in modes such as Diamond Dynasty. Sometimes, you’ll be so caught up in the moment that you’ll forget to keep a mental note of everything the pitcher is doing mid-game. Luckily, the game provides you with a tool to help you.

If you pause midgame, do the following:

• Go to Stats
• Select Pitcher Analysis
• Tab over to Custom Filters

Once you’ve reached the Pitcher Analysis screen, you’ll see a detailed chart of every pitch that’s been thrown by whatever pitcher is on the mound during that game. And to help you better understand that data, you’ll have custom filters to see what they’re throwing in various scenarios.

For instance, you may discover that your opponent is making you chase pitches when early in the count, or is sneaking in pitches by painting the corners to quickly get ahead. More often than not, they’ll be using the same pitches in many of these situations. So having this data allows you to either jump on pitches or lay off of them if most of them are falling off the plate.

Personally, I like checking this screen if I’m struggling after going through the order once. By the 4th inning, these patterns will start to become apparent.

Slumps Happen, Don’t Get Overwhelmed

It doesn’t matter how good of an MLB The Show player you consider yourself to be. Just as in real baseball, even the best players slump every now and then. And when in a slump, many will be desperate to get out of it. And when desperation kicks in, that’s where even more mistakes will occur.

What’s imperative during these slumps is going back to basics and not desperately flailing at everything that’s thrown — that’s how you ensure a slump never ends. In these situations, it’s best to stay calm. Maybe it’s even best to take a bit of a break for a bit and play something else. Either way, putting pressure on yourself to get out of a slump will rarely help.