Community Forum

I played APBA and strata-matic way back when. I loved it because for its time it offered great realism. At 70 years old, it took some time to adapt to video games, but having played since 2014 I've reach a point where I can play my franchise on legend. I played online for years and fared well but stopped a few years ago because of all the quitting, cheating, and disparaging texts from petulant sore losers. I think I'm just getting too old for online play but with all the complaints I find this game very enjoyable to play.

My experience with mlb the show, and franchise in particular, has been awesome. This game is not perfect , hell, what is? That said, the gameplay, graphics, and overall realism is pretty [censored] goo!. I've been playing since 2014 and continue to play today on legend difficulty at 70 years old. I've played every mode at this point from DD, RTTS, March to October etc. I have settled in to strictly franchise because the CPU never quits or sends me a disparaging text.

Hr/9 is only for simulation

My trades are on manual and I've never had a trade offered to me.

The strike zone is exactly the same. The only difference is the box is smaller. What was a strike or ball before has not changed. It's actually a great addition in that it mimics the reality of what a strike or ball is.

I'm 70 years old and playing franchise on legend with the Giants in concert with the season. I'm batting .300 and top 3 in several offensive categories. For me, this game is playing excellent. I understand the frustration with lineouts, RGN , and other issues but for the most part it's been excellent.

I have several:

Have the ability to trade for cash- that way past due!

The ability to implement paternity/berievment leave

Allow for more players to be injured- the work around is a pain in the [censored]

Go back to instant trades. There's a work around but you have to control all 30 teams

Ricochet's off the backstop with a man on 3rd is unrealistic. You can seldom prevent being thrown out at home.

After checking baseball savant, some of the pitchers pitch selection are inaccurate

No, it's only for simulation

Go to the trade hub and set up the trade. It will take a couple days before it goes tbrough( no more instant trades) there is an exception if you control all 30 teams. You can go to the team being offered and instantly accept the trade.

I agree , best game play yet . I've been playing since 2014

I play all 162 with the Giants(I was 109-53 on legend and won the World Series) being retired at 70 years old I have more time than most people. This year I'm playing 162 with the A's and giants combined switching off by series. This should provide me with a more realistic o

I agree, I prefer the old way myself but I control all 30 so I found away to work around the trade wait.

Would be interested but only if I can play with the giants

You can get an instant trade if you control all 30 teams and switch over to the team you're offering the trade to. Once you do, just push accept.

Remember, trades are not instant anymore. You will have to wait a couple days for the trade to be confirmed. A work around is to go to the team being offered the trade and except it. To do this you must be able to control all 30 teams.

I’m 70 years and have been playing since 2014. Here’s my approach to hitting:

1- Zone hitting

2- Camera: strike zone 2

3- PCI: yellow wedge diamonds- fade out (clear the screen)

4- Difficulty: legend

5- Swing: regular(x)

6- Anchor: N/A

7–PCI placement pre pitch: middle but flexible

8- Left stick thumb placement : left thumb wrapped around bottom rim of concave control freak

9- Equipment

a.monitor

b. concave control freaks

c. precision rings(purple)

d.Dual sense controller with bottom paddles(no button pushing)

10- Hitting mechanic:

a.Know the pitcher‘s fastest and slowest pitch

b. Watch the ball out of the pitchers hand - eyeball the logo on his hat

c. Do not stare the pitch down, discern the trajectory of thr ball early as possible

d. keep your hands relaxed until you “pull the trigger”

e. Think fast ball and adjust to off speed - trust your eyes!

f. VERY IMPORTANT: keep your PCI movements very short and concise

(It took me years to figure this out but I was making drastic movements with my PCI in an attempt to catch up with pitches)

g. With less than two strikes only swing at pitches that take a fat part of the plate. Don’t be afraid to take pitchers strikes until you get two strikes

h. With two strikes, allow the pitch to get slightly deeper, think opposite field approach. With that said, be prepared to turn on an inside pitch. You must cover the whole plate. A foul ball is a victory, you’ve bought another pitch for a possible mistake.

11- LINEUP: Have 5 or more hitters that are the opposite handedness of the pitcher

12- pinch hit from the 6th inning on to accommodate matchups

13- go into practice mode and study the speed and trajectory of every pitch.

I‘ve never claimed to be the best hitter but I’ve become very consistent over the years with a great deal of practice and awareness. I hope this helps.

Ok, listen closely. After playing this game since 2014, I can give you most relevant tip I believe has turned my hitting around. I ’m 70 years old and simply do not have the vision or reflexes to be a good hitter in this game. That said, I’m very consistent, and here's my approach. Make sure you get a good pitch to hit with less than two strikes. Be willing to take pitcher strikes. Extend your zone with 2 strikes and let the ball get slightly deeper before you swing. Emphasis on slightly deeper. Once you set the position of your PCI(which is different for eveyone), make sure your movements are very short to the ball. Rehearse those short movements just before the pitcher starts his windup. It took me years to figure this out but I realized I was making drastic movements with my PCI in an attempt to catch up with pitches. This is counter productive. The key is to find a thumb placement that’s most comfortable for you and be very mindful of not making gross movements as the pitch comes. IT DOESN’T WORK! There is no consistency to gross movements. Be short and sweet with your movements and stick with this until it becomes muscle memory. Once you get the hang of it you’ll realize why this technique is so critical.

I’m 70 years old. I play franchise on legend difficulty. I played 162 games and went 119-43 with the San Francisco Giants In 2025. I lead the league in hitting and several other offensive and pitching categories. I played on line for several years and held my own. I stopped playing online a few years back. I became frustrated with all the disparaging texts and habitual rage quitting. Ive been playing since 2014. Being retired, I play pretty much everyday and spend a lot of time in practice mode. I’ve learned the only way I can excel hitting is to be very patient and wait for a good pitch to hit. This means taking a number of pitcher’s strikes and occasionally being called out on strikes because I struggle to react to pitches on the edges of the plate. After the game I check the location of my hit’s and inevitably they are around the middle portion of the plate. I pitch on pure analog and have figured out the CPU’s Tendencies and weaknesses so I consistently lead the league In ERA, strikeouts, and least amount of walks. As a hitter, my weakness is I lead the league in strike outs and hitting into double plays. With that, I still lead the league in runs scored and total bases. I have researched several realistic sliders to help the computer to be more competitive but it doesn’t seem to change the results. I have never claimed to be great at this game but I have improved a great deal over the years. I’m a former college football coach who coached as an offensive coordinator at several major universities across the country but have always been a huge baseball fan. This game helps satisfy my baseball fix.

Re: I’m not having fun. At All.

I'm 70 years old playing franchise on legend and I gjust won the World Series with the Giants(119-43) as well as leading the league in hitting and home runs. Yes, the pitchers constantly throw ball on the black. The key is being patient and taking a lot of pitchers strikes. Some times this can result in strike outs but you will eventually do some damage when you get your pitch. My reactions and vision are not what they used to be so I must wait until I get a pitch that takes more of the plate. After every game I check my batting input and virtually every hard hit ball is somewhere near the middle of the plate. This game penalizes a lack of patience. Just know there will be at bats when the pitcher will dominate you. I've learned to say "so what" and move on to the next hitter.

u/Critical_Extension86 avatar
Critical_Extension86
•
15d ago
I’m 70 years old. I play franchise on legend difficulty. I played 162 games and went 119-43 with the San Francisco Giants In 2025. I lead the league in hitting and several other offensive and pitching categories. I played on line for several years and held my own. I stopped playing online a few years back. I became frustrated with all the disparaging texts and habitual rage quitting. Ive been playing since 2014. Being retired, I play pretty much everyday and spend a lot of time in practice mode. I’ve learned the only way I can excel hitting is to be very patient and wait for a good pitch to hit. This means taking a number of pitcher’s strikes and occasionally being called out on strikes because I struggle to react to pitches on the edges of the plate. After the game I check the location of my hit’s and inevitably they are around the middle portion of the plate. I pitch on pure analog and have figured out the CPU’s Tendencies and weaknesses so I consistently lead the league In ERA, strikeouts, and least amount of walks. As a hitter, my weakness is I lead the league in strike outs and hitting into double plays. With that, I still lead the league in runs scored and total bases. I have researched several realistic sliders to help the computer to be more competitive but it doesn’t seem to change the results. I have never claimed to be great at this game but I have improved a great deal over the years. I’m a former college football coach who coached as an offensive coordinator at several major universities across the country but have always been a huge baseball fan. This game helps satisfy my baseball fix.