During many gamers' first attempts at making a character In MLB The Show 21, they find themselves in the minor leagues for the first several years and are never able to crack the ceiling into the big leagues. Indeed, without the right tips, it's possible to have a level 99 overall rated athlete that spends most of their career in the minors. So what's going on here? How does somebody improve enough to go to the big dance?
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Of course, there's the matter of gamer talent. Players that struggle to swing on time might want to consider lowering the difficulty. But player improvement alone doesn't necessarily fix all of the potential shortfalls that can pose as serious obstacles to athlete progression. By following these steps, not only will players be in the big leagues by their first season, they'll do so quickly enough to be selected for the All-Star Game.
10 Check For Vacancies Before Declaring A Position
Even before touching the diamond and working on the fundamentals like how to slide, dive, and jump, gamers should look through every roster. Those who have a position in mind will want to ensure that the major league ballclub doesn't have a very good starter at the position.
Gamers can make a 99 overall rated center fielder for the Angels and might not make it to the show because Mike Trout is already a 99 overall rated center fielder for that team. The lower the starter, the quicker the call from the big leagues will come.
9 Select A Team With An Ideal Ballpark
Sluggers looking for a huge home run total will want to find a ballpark friendly to their needs like Coors Field or Yankee Stadium. Contact hitters will want a larger outfield like PETCO Park or Citi Field for gap hits.
Pitchers will want to be the most selective about their parks as a hitter-unfriendly park is as much of a boon as adding a fourth pitch into the repertoire. A great home park will go a long way in padding personal statistics.
8 Do Not Turn Off Baserunning
Yes, it is possible to deactivate baserunning. By having the AI control the player's baserunning, the AI will use the player's base stats; at the start of player creation, these stats aren't good. Getting thrown out and blundering will impact the athlete rating, even if it isn't the player making the mistakes.
Plus, even the slowest athlete can get away with a stolen base. When on second with two outs, the opposing team doesn't even try to stop the player from stealing. These are free points that shouldn't be passed up.
7 Shore Up Bad Attributes With Training
It's counterintuitive to be a big slugger and then, on training day, choose to improve fielding or baserunning. But that's exactly what the user should do.
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The bottom line is that the player will have multiple opportunities to level up by smacking long balls, but these are often the only chances that a player gets to level up these weaker statistics. Getting called up to the major leagues is not based on top stats, it's based on the overall rating. And leveling up these low skills will add more to that overall number than more points in the player's best ability.
6 Get A Baseline Of Equipment
By playing through the Moments challenges, opening packs, and selling unused cards and equipment, players don't have to spend a single dime to get access to the best equipment in the game within a few weeks.
Gamers who only want to play Road to the Show will take a little longer to get there, but even buying the lowest level of equipment in each item slot will add huge chunks to performance on the field.
5 Adjust Batting And Pitching Stance
Batting and pitching stances are not decorative. While they do reflect a certain style, each one changes around timing, strengths, and weaknesses. More upright stances hit higher balls better and sidearm throws are better against same-handed hitters.
Also, "swing type" might be listed under the appearances menu, but it also changes ball trajectory off of the bat. One-handed styles have better power and two-handed styles make better contact. Play around with these settings, especially after noticing a location in the strike zone that proves tough to hit.
4 Select The Easiest Dynamic Challenge
Some of the dynamic challenges in the game promise huge rewards. These are often linked to feats like "hit a home run in this at-bat" or "strike out this player in three pitches."
Safer is always better. Yes, it's tempting to go for the big points, but when the odds of success are so low, the safe rewards are much more consistent to bet on.
3 Stack Durability
More games, more at-bats, more starts; all that translates to better statistics. This isn't just for vanity's sake, though nobody will complain about leading the league in home runs thanks to squeezing in an extra forty or so plate appearances.
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Titles aside, each appearance is a chance to get better, so more chances lead to a better player. Max out durability as soon as possible and the coach will never feel the need to bench the player for rest.
2 Make No Fuss
The best way to sabotage a perfect situation is to act like a jerk. Players can be firm in wanting to play a specific position, but making dialogue choices that irritate the coaches or outright refusing to participate in an experiment will put the player on the trading block.
Kiss all that hard work and research goodbye if this happens. No perfect stadium, no ideal starter to take over for, and gamers will just have to hope for the best. Being a jerk can make for a fascinating way to role-play the game, but it sets improvement back.
1 Master The Toughest Interface
Hitters and pitchers will be given their choice of interfaces. Some can be executed more easily than others, but the drawback is that the player has less control. There is a risk when choosing the hardest interfaces, but practice makes perfect.
Hitters should be trying to use the zone interface so they can square up on every pitch perfectly. Pitchers have the brand-new pinpoint interface which has been a doozy for even pro gamers, but those who have mastered it will receive the best control over their pitches that the game has to offer.