Community Forum

Batting practice is a real missed opportunity so far for this series. It's cool that you can customize pitch and location, but it would be really cool if the game analyzed your swings and automatically selected pitches you are having problems with. Like, "Okay, I see that you haven't made solid contact on the last 5 sliders down and in. So, the next 5 pitches are going to be down and in sliders. To hit this pitch, it's important to be early with your PCI movement to the inside corner and not be late with your swing."

The default batting practice setting of all pitches and all locations doesn't make any sense unless you're practicing protecting the plate with 2 strikes. Otherwise, batting practice should be about dialing in your timing and then working on specific things once your timing feels good. Having the game automatically guide you through that process would add so much value. If the devs added this functionality as reasonably priced paid extra content, I would pay for it. Also, you should be able to take optional structured batting practice before each game and earn some XP, equipment, or perks based on how well you do.

Those who know, know that batting practice is the funnest part about playing baseball IRL. The fact that this game hasn't capitalized on that at all after all this time is crazy. With AI and machine learning, imagine the possibilities for an AI personal hitting instructor that helps you during batting practice? This game has so much room to be better as a single player experience.

The game's pop up physics are broken for low pitches. I have a challenge for the developers. Go to some place where you can take some swings at pitches thrown overhand and make sure the pitches all come through the zone below the knees. You probably won't hit one low pitch straight up in the air. If you do make contact under the ball, what's far more likely to happen is a foul tip that goes straight back with no air under it.

I understand that in video game logic, it makes perfect sense that pressing the swing button with the PCI under a low pitch at the right spot results in an infield pop up. However, that's really hard to do with a real life swing because you would have to actually be on your knees at the point of contact with the ball. I don't see how you could be on your knees and still make hard enough contact under the ball to generate the spin and velocity required to pop the ball straight up in the air. There may be some rare IRL infield pop ups on 12:00 to 6:00 curve balls on uppercut swings from contact made below the knees, but there are way too many infield pop ups in this game on pitches below the knees with little or no downward break.