How to Pitch Every Count in MLB The Show 17

[RaychelSnr]

The mindset of a pitcher should be forever changing. Every hitter represents another battle that necessitates a new plan of attack. When these best-laid plans inevitably go awry because it’s impossible to execute perfectly and stymie whoever is at the plate with every pitch, it’s imperative that adjustments then be made on the fly. At times on the mound, you’re going to want to establish your dominance with an overpowering fastball on the inside corner. Elsewhere, you’ll be trying to set a hitter up with a pitch outside the zone, and ultimately, there will come a time when you’ll need to be ready to go in for the kill. Though every at-bat is bound to be its own slightly different struggle, the one constant will be the same counts that you’ll encounter over and over and over again. With that in mind, here are some thoughts on how to approach each of the different counts you’ll come across while pitching in MLB The Show 17.

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[Caulfield]

3-0 count, instead of grooving one down the middle, if you want to keep your pitch count down, sometimes its best to go ahead and get a fresh count with the next batter, esp. if there are already 2 out and no ducks on the pond.

[BA2929]

I like articles like this. It's good advice for those people who may be new to the sport of baseball, or just follow it casually. It's a confusing sport when you get down to the "inside baseball" stuff.

Personally, I refuse to throw a 3-0 fastball right down the middle unless the bases are loaded. Even then I tend to lean towards one side or area of the plate or I'll even mix in my best breaking pitch if I have confidence in throwing it for a strike. Grooving a fastball straight down the middle, regardless of the count, is rarely a good idea.

I also don't adhere to the advice in the video which says you HAVE to throw a strike 1-0. Sure it's a good idea to not get down 2-0, but I'm not going to catch too much of the plate on 1-0 against a good hitter. 2-0 isn't the end of the world and in some cases might actually benefit you depending on how aggressive the hitter is.

Also, your best bets when you're ahead in the count (0-2, 1-2, 2-2) is to throw a pitch that starts in the zone, then breaks out of it. I hardly ever throw "waste" pitches unless I'm going up against a free swinger like Sal Perez or Alcides Escobar. Even my high fastballs are close enough to the plate where it looks like it could be a high strike.

[jvjc1233]

Throwing shade at Mitchy Two Bags?!

[335TDC]

Very good idea for an article. A good follow-up would be "Anatomy of an At-Bat" -- the author analyzing a few different full at bats pitch-by-pitch.

[Caulfield]

Anybody using this as a guide in 18?