Yeah, he's been super disappointing: basically, a starter version of Hader.
He misses the zone a lot, hits a lot of guys, and gets banged around too frequently.
Yeah, he's been super disappointing: basically, a starter version of Hader.
He misses the zone a lot, hits a lot of guys, and gets banged around too frequently.
@LankyRyan said in Astros cheating Scandal:
@DanTheThriller said in Astros cheating Scandal:
@LankyRyan said in Astros cheating Scandal:
@rb9andrus said in Astros cheating Scandal:
I think that this is getting blown up a bit, yes they took sign stealing to far. Yes they were testing the limits of what was ok and not ok. But how often was it used? How often did it help. Even if you know a breaking ball is coming and you lay off doesn't mean it won't catch part of the black. Or if you know it is fastball, doesn't mean you can catch it. It is a hard game to play, and because of that guys have always been trying to cheat a little. We only go after the guys who get caught, while so many others act like they haven't done something similar. A lot of things still have to go right even if you know what the pitch is.
But knowing what the pitch is is more than half the battle.
Example:
I played semi pro/collegiate ball for a couple seasons and there was a dude on my team who could throw GAS 97+ MPH. But he had like no usable offspeed pitches and walked a ton of guys. When we'd take live BP off him, the pitching coach would use it as an opportunity for him to work on his offspeed and would call out to him "change up" or "curveball" loud enough for everyone to hear it. When he wasn't walking dudes or beaning dudes, we hit it when we knew it was coming. We didn't hit it if we didn't know it was coming.If you're geared up for that quick of a fastball, it's incredibly difficult to make the adjustment to an offspeed pitch. Unless you know it's coming. To act like that in itself isn't a huge advantage is just blind.
It's a massive advantage, compounded even more so at the MLB level.
It isn't "taking an advantage" or "testing the limits". It is 1000% cheating, and there is no way to validate it, and there is no minimizing it.
To your point, "If it's high, let it fly. If it's low, let it go."
If you know the pitcher is throwing a slider, curve, or change, you know how it's going to break.
If it's up, it will probably hang int he zone. If it's down, it's almost definitely a ball.
I can't imagine how easy hitting would have been in college with "guess pitch" mode on lol.
Exactly. If you know it's a curveball or slider, you can lean out and anticipate the break and hold back. If you know it's a fastball, you know to cheat early and shorten up. Knowing what pitch is coming is more than half the battle. Most hitting drills are geared towards timing, so you can adapt to the pitch mid-flight. Making meaningful contact with a pitch you know is coming really isn't that hard, unless it's a fastball you can't handle or a knuckleball or something crazy like that.
Even for folks who haven't played real baseball at a level where people throw hard and also have breaking stuff, the same idea applies when you're playing MLBTS. If you know what pitch your opponent is going to throw, it's an extreme advantage when it comes to making meaningful contact and hitting it. Claiming it isn't because "you still have to make contact with the ball" is just flat out ridiculous.
I have pointed that out, multiple times: dismissing that is willful ignorance.
"Guess pitch" exists for a reason!
Also, when you watch the banging videos, the relay is sent before the wind and release, so the batter has plenty of time to adjust their approach.
Even with relievers, it's pre-wind...
@beanball0571 said in Hate the Game, Not the Players:
Oh it’s the game. I get pissed but yet I continue to play it knowing late and early are going to be rewarded more then good timing and contact.
"Be late; be great" lol.
@LankyRyan said in Astros cheating Scandal:
@rb9andrus said in Astros cheating Scandal:
I think that this is getting blown up a bit, yes they took sign stealing to far. Yes they were testing the limits of what was ok and not ok. But how often was it used? How often did it help. Even if you know a breaking ball is coming and you lay off doesn't mean it won't catch part of the black. Or if you know it is fastball, doesn't mean you can catch it. It is a hard game to play, and because of that guys have always been trying to cheat a little. We only go after the guys who get caught, while so many others act like they haven't done something similar. A lot of things still have to go right even if you know what the pitch is.
But knowing what the pitch is is more than half the battle.
Example:
I played semi pro/collegiate ball for a couple seasons and there was a dude on my team who could throw GAS 97+ MPH. But he had like no usable offspeed pitches and walked a ton of guys. When we'd take live BP off him, the pitching coach would use it as an opportunity for him to work on his offspeed and would call out to him "change up" or "curveball" loud enough for everyone to hear it. When he wasn't walking dudes or beaning dudes, we hit it when we knew it was coming. We didn't hit it if we didn't know it was coming.If you're geared up for that quick of a fastball, it's incredibly difficult to make the adjustment to an offspeed pitch. Unless you know it's coming. To act like that in itself isn't a huge advantage is just blind.
It's a massive advantage, compounded even more so at the MLB level.
It isn't "taking an advantage" or "testing the limits". It is 1000% cheating, and there is no way to validate it, and there is no minimizing it.
To your point, "If it's high, let it fly. If it's low, let it go."
If you know the pitcher is throwing a slider, curve, or change, you know how it's going to break.
If it's up, it will probably hang int he zone. If it's down, it's almost definitely a ball.
I can't imagine how easy hitting would have been in college with "guess pitch" mode on lol.
@dbarmonstar said in Tip my cap to those who did moments:
@DanTheThriller said in Tip my cap to those who did moments:
@dbarmonstar said in Tip my cap to those who did moments:
I tried some of the Gossage moments last night and could not even hit a HR with Babe Ruth, I hit a few foul down the line and to the fence in Center. The Green mission just hit singles. I am hitting just not what is needed to complete the missions
This is how moments taught me to hit: keep the bat as close to center as possible.
Force the pitchers to throw into middle-middle and ignoramus's everything else.
Yes, you will take some close strikes, but your overall success rate will go up.
I leave it in the center and yes I swing out of the zone at times but when I don't my timing just hits up the middle or in the gaps, I try place PCI base on the players swing path. On another note I finally figured out how to hit with Bench lately.
NEED
@Johnny_Coletrain said in Hate the Game, Not the Players:
I'm gonna celebrate the walk-off here for the first time! Played some cheeser. wanted to bunt dance the entire game. that doesn't bother me. i just pitch. Dude scored his only run on a single by Sandberg, then 2 steals and gets the pitcher up who lays down a perfect squeeze down 1-0. I couldn't hit anything...everything i put good contact on was a flyout to warning track or line out.
Get to top of ninth. he has like 3 hits and that 1 run. first batter he hits, next 2 guys get out, then bregman gets on with a wild pitch on a bad swing...Bellinger up next...Crushed into the RF bleachers for a Dinger. I win 3-1! Most satisfying victory i've ever had!!!
One of my losses was to a BAD player who did his damndest to abuse the rundown, bunt, and steal mechanics.
He barely swung at pitches and almost always gambled on beating the pitcher or the tag animation.
It sucked, but that's something SDS has to fix: exploits are on them.
@MrGamebred said in Hate the Game, Not the Players:
@eatyum said in Hate the Game, Not the Players:
I wish most people would take this to heart. Far too often it feels like the people (and I'm mostly referring to watching Twitch streamers), are trashing the opponent, not the game. It makes me feel uncomfortable watching. What if that person was a huge fan of theirs, and when they get matched up, they excitedly turn on the person's stream only to hear them trashing him/her.
I understand how frustrating it is to "know" you are better than your opponent and to lose, but it's not their fault.
This happened to me with quash. Lol. I tuned in all excited too. He got mad for lining out 4 times in a row and I was up 2-0 from a bloop and a blast. Starting calling me a [censored] anytime I switched pitchers or subbed in a fielder, yelling about anytime anything happened. I was just laughing bc it just happened to me in a game before lol but I wasn't entirely thrilled at how he handled the situation, felt awkward. He ended up winning. Gotta give him his credit there. 5-4.
But I agree with you both. For some reason everyone is tainted with how the last couple years of the game have gone and forgot that we're all playing the same [censored] game and we're all getting screwed the same amount in some way, shape, or form. and we're supposed to be a community around here anyways so I'm not sure how people get so hostile. (I think that's more of a cultural/society thing vs a broken game thing though)
Players might be coming around: as the season has worn on, fewer people have jumped on PSN to go bananas.
@cvogsfashow said in The Last Extreme Moment...:
@DanTheThriller said in The Last Extreme Moment...:
...is really hard.
I keep squaring up the ball, but it's just not going out of the park. Do they nerf BBE in Legend, because Gibson is NOT fooling anyone but physics lol.
Also, Johnny Bench is a Barry Bonds in this moment: I might have to start walking that monster.
Just take pitches and wait for your pitch! More important thing is make sure You load up with good lefty bats to start and then have a full righty bench! For example have bellinger play 1B but have Frank on the bench. you will face Bob Gibson and then Gossage no matter what, once you get through them it is all Wagner for the rest of the game.
I'm gonna make that Belli sub, but these loud outs hurt my soul.
@JustASeal0 said in Hate the Game, Not the Players:
This entitlement comes from not being able to admit when you've been outplayed or when your opponent got screwed over
It also says a lot about the kind of person someone is if they blame the other person for a mechanical problem with the game
Some people take it further and somehow have the time in their day to complain about this said thing on the forums and act like anyone actually cares in February
We all know the people I'm talking about
I just lost a game, on account of the weird rundown/tag mechanics and then went on to win the next game on a RIDICULOUS throwing error to the plate.
It cuts both ways.
@mitchhammond24 said in Hate the Game, Not the Players:
People are so in denial that they blame the game for having mediocre records. They act as if their opponents aren’t playing the same game as them. Everyone gets screwed over in this game, it’s about overcoming that
If you're 100-300, it's NOT bad luck lol.
@eatyum said in Hate the Game, Not the Players:
I wish most people would take this to heart. Far too often it feels like the people (and I'm mostly referring to watching Twitch streamers), are trashing the opponent, not the game. It makes me feel uncomfortable watching. What if that person was a huge fan of theirs, and when they get matched up, they excitedly turn on the person's stream only to hear them trashing him/her.
I understand how frustrating it is to "know" you are better than your opponent and to lose, but it's not their fault.
I yell at my players: when I hit the perfect release on an outside slider or low curve, and they hang it over the middle for a bomb, my opponent didn't do that.
Alomar has developed a habit of not reacting, but no one hacked him!
People are not cheating, if the game creates the situation.
...is really hard.
I keep squaring up the ball, but it's just not going out of the park. Do they nerf BBE in Legend, because Gibson is NOT fooling anyone but physics lol.
Also, Johnny Bench is a Barry Bonds in this moment: I might have to start walking that monster.
I just went 1-4, despite constantly SCORCHING the ball; they were loud outs, and my opponents got a few homers on "Early/Okay" swings.
That's not on them, they didn't cheat, and they probably have gotten similarly screwed by the hitting engine.
It seems like a lot of people only come on here to complain about getting screwed, but rarely to celebrate their walkoff on an error, bad animation, or cheap homer.
PSA: we're all going through it.
It sounds trite, but just don't change your approach.
I can't tell you how many RISP opportunities start with a swinging K and I say, "I KNEW I shouldn't have swung at that."
If I kept my approach, I wouldn't have; it's cool to keep reminding yourself of this lol.
@dcmo3 said in The CPU is a Cheaterrrrrrrrrrr!:
You sure you're not counting starters; they show up in there as well. Just beat this moment; had to go 13, and everything was inside the park.
I went to the opponent's BP tab, and it was full: I'm not used to them rolling ineligible players into the pen (starters, for instance).
I had to give them 2 runs in the 9th to tie it, because...wait for it...I hit 2 ground-rule doubles to CF lol.
Fat Vlad walked it off for them in the 13th (3-2), but it feels very doable.
Just had one of these: it happens.
The game hates us all lol.
I was doing the contact vs. power Extreme moment, looking for 2 more homers, wearing down Ryan, and shutting down the opponent.
Then, they pulled Ryan for a reliever and then put in 2 more relievers, so I decided to use my galaxy brain and check how many relievers they had left...their bullpen was still full!
These are dirty tricks, and you should be ashamed, CPU!
@TheHungryHole said in Do you think next years game?:
@BigBadBosc44 said in Do you think next years game?:
After 3 innings i have struck out 7 of his nine hitters he has struck out 0 of my 9 hitters 7 of my outs good/squared up
But i am losing 1-0 eight of ten games i played was like that.Did this happen to most?
let's just hope that next years game is a LOT BETTER than your subject header
Do you think this comment?
@jjar1125z said in Tip my cap to those who did moments:
@Dolenz said in Tip my cap to those who did moments:
@mjfc_363 said in Tip my cap to those who did moments:
I can’t even get Edmonds.......and he’s the one an 8th grader can get. Props to those who got the others.
I manged to get Edmonds but that Pujols moment almost broke me. I did not even try to do the missions for Ansrew Miller, and I won't attempt the newest batch.
Smart play. Enjoy your sanity
I try that Babe Ruth 3 HR moment just to kill 40 minutes each night. Get maybe 1 HR. on avg and 30 warning track shots
Ruth was one of the easier ones, because his power is insane.
Try changing your approach like I did; it made the Green moment possible.
@DriveByTrucker17 said in Peak Chase Utley or Peak Robbie Alomar:
@DanTheThriller said in Peak Chase Utley or Peak Robbie Alomar:
@DriveByTrucker17 said in Peak Chase Utley or Peak Robbie Alomar:
@DanTheThriller said in Peak Chase Utley or Peak Robbie Alomar:
@DriveByTrucker17 said in Peak Chase Utley or Peak Robbie Alomar:
@DanTheThriller said in Peak Chase Utley or Peak Robbie Alomar:
@DriveByTrucker17 said in Peak Chase Utley or Peak Robbie Alomar:
@DanTheThriller said in Peak Chase Utley or Peak Robbie Alomar:
@DriveByTrucker17 said in Peak Chase Utley or Peak Robbie Alomar:
@tommynachoes said in Peak Chase Utley or Peak Robbie Alomar:
@DriveByTrucker17 said in Peak Chase Utley or Peak Robbie Alomar:
@tommynachoes said in Peak Chase Utley or Peak Robbie Alomar:
I’m taking early 2000s Alfonso Soriano before either of them
You’ll have a worse team then lmao.
Soriano for MLB The Show 20 though please SDS
Hey, early 2000s Alfonso Soriano was a decent second basemen, and had enough pop to cover up any bad fielding
Yeah he wasn’t bad by any means, but he doesn’t compare with utley or alomar.
More power, more speed, more...uh, second base eligible...
Yeah basically lol. Worse overall hitter than the other two, and definitely worse defense.
He's much closer to Utley than Alomar, because Alomar had a GREAT eye.
I mean, during soriano’s time playing 2B he only had a 130 wRC+ one year. Utley had 5 straight years with 134, 130, 150, 134, and 141 wRC+ from 2005-2009.
From 2001-2005, soriano had an average wRC+ of 110.
From 2005-2009, Utley had an average wRC+ of 137. Almost a 30 point gap is quite significant.
From 02-07, Soriano has a wRC+ of 119, despite seasons of 98 and 108 in there.
Excluding them, his wRC+ was 127: you used a...peculiar sample size for your comparison, excluding a 129 and 122 season, while being sure to add a 93 season.
That strikes me as a bit disingenuous.
I used the years he played 2B, not outfield.
Since this thread is about second basemen.
Plus, both of the periods I used were 5 years. Soriano played outfield full time starting in 2006, so that’s why I didn’t include that year onwards. Only his time playing 2B compared to Utley playing 2B.
Use his peak years, not position years: otherwise, it's negatively subjective.
I mean, Soriano came into this discussion because tommynachos said he’d take his early 2000’s years, which is when he played second base. We are comparing him as a second baseman with utley as a second baseman, not Soriano as an outfielder vs utley as a second baseman.
When Soriano played second base, he had a couple good years but wasn’t anything special. It doesn’t matter if his hitting got better later in his career, what matters in this conversation is what he did as a second baseman.
I don’t see how it’s unfair to compare a full time second baseman with another full time second baseman. I used the stats he put up at second base. If he continued to play second during 2006-2007, I would’ve included those. But he was an outfielder then. Seems perfectly reasonable and acceptable to me
Every player has offensive and defensive components, and no one limited his peak years to when he was a F/T 2B.
He improved as a hitter and then switched positions, because he was always a rough 2B.
Alomar and Utley were always primary 2Bs, so it's not an apple-to-apples comparison and doesn't make sense to ignore Soriano's unique situation.