Only did a cursory glance at things. Full QA will come later this weekend.
Having new difficulty options is a nice touch. Good to have a way for newer players to get used to things.
Hitting and pitching seems consistent to last year (using directional and meter). The new fielding might take some getting used to, due to the vibrations, but I still need to explore settings. Throw meter seems much easier, and I didn't see a throw difficulty setting. Unsure what it's tied to.
Still need to test check swings, but last year was rare when it worked.
Glad to see the extra inning runner is optional. Hope the DH stays configurable like it has in the past. Too many historical rosters to throw that away. Offline/Franchise/RTTS and even conquest should probably be up to user's choice, as it doesn't affect others. It's strange that I can select for franchise, but RTTS is locked.
I understand ratings are preliminary, but as a modder, I look at the low tier to gauge things. I know DD uses a different OVR than Franchise/offline. The low players may be people who failed at the major league level, but that should imply they're closer to the bubble. A generic AA or AAA player is often much better than one of these bubble players. Unsure how minors are supposed to be balanced in this manner, or how translations are implied.
Also hoping roster modders get more tools to catch up to the new game updates. It's not in the demo, so I'm going by last year. Two way player flags, secondary positions, ratings over 99 as needed, and other quality of life changes.