why do i stink with vlad ?

[ruserl88]

i play the majority of my games using the rangers & i have only had a couple big games out of vlad . any tips from anyone consistently getting clutch performance out of him ? i'm not looking for numbers from his younger version , but i should expect him to be above the mendoza line, plus i do not care for chris davis & when i'm playing on the interline at NL parks , i put vlad at 1st base & he handles the change admirably . anyways , thnx in advance & happy baseball

[Endemix]

I've never used vlad for a long time but im guessing vlad doesnt have his magical powers he has in real life to hit everything no matter where it is..so if you're swinging at everything that may be the problem lol

[ruserl88]

Quote: Originally Posted by Endemix

I've never used vlad for a long time but im guessing vlad doesnt have his magical powers he has in real life to hit everything no matter where it is..so if you're swinging at everything that may be the problem lol

i have increased my patience overall lately , but i may be subconsciously backsliding with vlad . i may have to take extra pitches to him , even it means striking out looking

[Dabeeds]

I used to always suck with the big bats, cause i'd be trying to do too much, instead of just making contact. Do you power swing with him too much ? You could be over anxious with him vs other guys.

[capnharry]

Quote: Originally Posted by ruserl88

i play the majority of my games using the rangers & i have only had a couple big games out of vlad . any tips from anyone consistently getting clutch performance out of him ? i'm not looking for numbers from his younger version , but i should expect him to be above the mendoza line, plus i do not care for chris davis & when i'm playing on the interline at NL parks , i put vlad at 1st base & he handles the change admirably . anyways , thnx in advance & happy baseball

I would say in my experience I tend to be over-aggressive with guys I expect to perform well...look for a fastball and take a big rip at it no matter what. Especially when I get in a slump with these guys I constantly have to remind myself to be patient. The AI in the game is very good and recognizes patterns and will take advantage of them especially at the higher levels. Press select and see how theyre pitching him, they will develop tendencies as well. They will pitch around you so expect to get walked a bit. A lot of at-bats the only strikes you'll see may be borderline. Don't take a power swing unless it's meat in his wheelhouse, just use contact swing to ensure you get the good part of the bat on the ball and let it fly. I know you didn't ask for a hitting tutorial so I apologize in advance if I just wasted your time. Just passing along some of my experiences with big hitters and maybe you're trying to be too aggressive as well, and this is what I try to keep in mind when I'm at the plate with Vlad, Hamilton, Cruz, and co. I feel you because I'm in a nasty slump with both Cruz and Michael Young and I still catch myself trying to take a rip at the first pitch hoping its a strike. Next thing I know 0-1 and pitcher's got my number. Just gotta be patient, make them come to you on a hitters count, and eventually you'll work out of it. Good luck!

[capnharry]

Lol I see while I was writing my novel everyone else was saying the same thing in much fewer words. I never learned to keep it short and sweet...sorry!

[ruserl88]

thnx for advice , i think i do tend to power hit with vlad as much as hamilton . think i'll tone it down to contact & see if this doesn't break him out of his slump . thnx again capnharry & dabeeds & endemix

[NickyJ]

Quote: Originally Posted by ruserl88

thnx for advice , i think i do tend to power hit with vlad as much as hamilton . think i'll tone it down to contact & see if this doesn't break him out of his slump . thnx again capnharry & dabeeds & endemix

If it doesn't help it may be as simple as you not being able to hit with his stance, there are a few players who i can't get my timing down with because of their stance, two names that come to mind for me are Pujols and Hanley.