It’s time to take the field. MLB The Show 20 introduces a few extra innings to the franchise in terms of modes and mechanics. There are some curveballs to the formula, but patience, persistence, and practice are still necessary for success in the show.

Analyze, predict, and outwork other players to go from left out to right at home on the diamond.

Batting Cleanup: How to Hit

The New Perfect-Perfect

Hitters are more of a threat than ever before. Nail the ball at the right time in the proper place for an explosive swing. Neither home runs nor hits are guaranteed. However, they have never been likelier.

Properly Time Swings

Swing earlier for solid contact on inside pitches. Late contact is almost an immediate out, barring the occasional blooper. Swing later on outside pitches to go to the opposite field and pose a threat in all corners of the strike zone.

Practice Hitting in Custom Practice Mode

Set up any situation in Custom Practice Mode. Struggling with submarine Pitchers? Face one for fifteen minutes. Need help with off-speed pitches? Throw in an ace for forty swings. Customize the count, place runners on base, and alter the outs. Work on tagging up to advance and score or bunt until you have total control. Put in what you want to get out.

Practice in Real Games

Practice outside of real games to work on the basics, then move to matches to practice the real thing. Play games against the computer for fun and with specific goals in mind. For instance, maybe you want to get five opposite-field hits this game or steal six bases. Tackle one aspect of your game at a time and learn from your mistakes.

How to Handle Pressure

Take practice games one step further and play other people. There’s no substitute for pressure from an actual opponent. The only way to get more comfortable against real people is to keep playing. See if there are any local communities you can join to accelerate your jump from AAA to the big leagues.

Set-Up Success at the Plate

Use the Zone Hitting Interface

Zone gives players the most control over their swing and the strike zone. The game defaults to Directional, which is the easiest albeit most limiting option. Pure Analog is slower, making the game harder without benefit. These other options are more difficult with less payoff, so why put in the extra work?

See-through the Strike Zone Hitting View

Strike Zone trades presentation for performance. Part of the batter’s stance is cut off in exchange for a closer look at the strike zone. No worries if you can’t cope with cropping the batter. Comfort comes first.

Select the Setting suited for Your Preference

Strike Zone 2 still hampers the view from a bit further back, while Strike Zone 3 is far enough back to see most of the batter's stance. Other variations slightly modify the perspective. Play with all of the options to find the perfect fit. Strike a balance between the desired presentation and your ability to notice the break in a curveball.

Set In-Play View Offense to Medium

Medium gives players the best idea of whether or not the opponent will make plays based on the perspective. Increase your confidence when tagging and avoid getting doubled up.

What is the Plate Coverage Indicator (PCI)?

The PCI is the batter’s sweet spot. Strike the center at the right time to crush a perfect-perfect. It’s fully customizable, meaning the best PCI for a pro might not work wonders for you. Play with different settings to determine your optimal options.

Three Parts of the PCI:

• Outer rings: Growth is influenced by the batter’s vision stat.
• Inner rings: Size increases based on the batter’s contact stat.
• Central design: The batter’s perfect-perfect area.

PCI Customizations:

• PCI Center (Diamonds, circles, etc.)
• Color (Green, yellow, etc.)
• Remove inner/outer rings 
• Fadeout
• Transparency

Find your PCI starting point

Get into a habit that will help you get home. Some players keep their PCI dead center then react to every pitch. Others start a bit high and inside. Your position might be something different. Experiment until you get into a groove or find your flaws and adjust. Struggling with inside fastballs? Maybe move the PCI to the left. You’ll never know what works until you try.

Leading Off: Pitchers, Approach, & Pressure

There’s More to Hitting Than Simply Swinging

Take pitches to work the count and lower the Pitcher’s stamina. Be patient and disciplined. Don’t be afraid of certain counts. Two-one and three-one are hitter’s counts. Anticipate a good pitch to hit, just don’t go all-in expecting a meatball down the middle.

Pressure and Make Pitchers Work

Pitchers are in the spotlight. Take balls and slug strikes to lower their confidence and ability to aim pitches. Hold R2 to view Pitch Energy or stamina and Pitch Confidence. Bringing down the meter is like a tug of war. If you take a strike, the meter goes up slightly. If you swing and miss, the meter goes up even more. The lower the meter, the sooner you’ll hear a call to the bullpen.

Pitchers are Creatures of Habit

Players tend to pitch in patterns. Maybe they always throw a high fastball twice before going with a low changeup just outside of the strike zone or they never throw a first-pitch fastball. Pay attention to your opponent. Analyze their habits. What pitches do they favor? Where do they fall back to on the plate when in trouble?

Mind Games

Pitchers adapt to hitters the same way hitters adapt to Pitchers. Don’t let the Pitcher get inside your head. Keep calm, maintain a good eye, and stick to your plan. Struggle with high heat? They’ll likely feed you it constantly. Predict and ready your PCI to punish their pitch with a perfect-perfect swing. What’s normally a battle of wits between one pitcher and nine batters is a mental showdown between two players in the virtual stadium.

Mentality

Step up to the plate and tell yourself you're still in the game regardless of the score. Certainty and composure are essential. Believe in your abilities no matter what happens and remember the game's never over until the final out.

Tips & Tricks to Take to the Plate

Hit on Legend Difficulty

Legend is the hardest difficulty in the game. Face the toughest opponents to inevitably improve. The PCI shrinks and pitches heat up. It might be more beneficial to work your way up to Legendary if it is too much of a challenge. Push yourself and progress at your own pace.

Be Aware of Baserunner’s Speed

Take a look at your baserunner’s speed before bunting or tagging up. If they’re slow and you’re filled with doubt, chances are they’ll get thrown out.

Consider Never Swinging with Your Pitcher

Pitchers usually struggle at the plate. Nervous they’ll hit into a double play and fumble a crucial comeback for your team? Don’t swing at a single pitch. You’ll work the count and probably strikeout, but at least you lower the Pitcher’s energy. Confident in your Pitcher and yourself? Step right up and swing away.

Power Swings aren’t Very Powerful

Perfect-perfects are easier to time when swinging normally with X compared to pressing Square to Power Swing. Perfect-perfects have higher exit speeds than any Power Swing frozen rope, rendering the swing seemingly useless.

Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

Keep practicing and put in the hours if you have the time and the drive! Practice doesn’t always make perfect. Improper practice and inefficient techniques hold players back. Don't just play games for two hours straight hoping to improve. Practice productively with purpose. Watch replays and fix bad habits. Work toward personal milestones. Perfect fundamentals like pitch recognition before focusing on flashier aspects like hitting homers. Your peak potential is closer than the Polo Ground’s center field fence.