MLB The Show 17 News Post

MLB The Show 17 Gameplay Livestream Breakdown

09:12 PM - February 9, 2017 by Steve_OS

We had our own MLB The Show 17 twitch stream, right after Sony Interactive Entertainment had theirs. Make sure you are subscribed to our Twitch channel, so you get notified when we go LIVE.

In this MLB The Show 17 gameplay breakdown, Millennium runs through the entire stream and points out plenty of details you might not have noticed. Give it a watch and post your thoughts and don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Game: MLB The Show 17Hype Score: 9/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS4Votes for game: 36 - View All

Member Comments

# 1 tessl @ 02/10/17 07:07 PM

Good video Millennium.

Quick manage - maybe it has something to do with this.

New Ways to Play: Now with new managerial and gameplay options that provide different levels of acceleration to progress your franchise while maintaining the control you want to.

Part of humanity AI seems to be fielders changing their fielding and throw power depending on speed of the base runner. Speaking for myself that's fine so long as it isn't always perfect. One of my favorite player was HOF'er Lou Brock. One way he got to 3,000 hits was by putting pressure on the infielders with his speed. I don't mind an occasional miscue on a "routine" ground ball especially with a fast runner because it happens IRL. As they speed up their normal routine they sometimes make mistakes.

One thing I noticed was the first baseman seemed to always dig the ball out of the dirt. I wonder if 1B with lower fielding attributes sometimes bobble a ball in the dirt.

Run downs - very difficult to program but IRL the fielder with the ball runs at the base runner, not to the next base.

Ball spin - major addition and the potential improvement to the value of ground ball pitchers could be a game changer. In manage mode the value of good infielders then also becomes important.

Thanks for the stream.

# 2 jeffy777 @ 02/10/17 08:19 PM

Absolutely love these breakdowns. Thanks for taking the time to do this, Millenium!

# 3 wiser66 @ 02/11/17 10:20 AM

Well done Millenium. This breakdown really hits all the high notes. Plus I know you or your chat will let me know if the stripe on Encarnacion's left forearm wrap is 1/16 mm too large, so there's that too!

# 4 tessl @ 02/11/17 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiser66


	Well done Millenium. This breakdown really hits all the high notes. Plus I know you or your chat will let me know if the stripe on Encarnacion's left forearm wrap is 1/16 mm too large, so there's that too!

LOL - I don't see Millenium doing that stuff but there are people who notice things like Mike Trout's shoelaces being tied right over left instead of left over right.

# 5 My993C2 @ 02/11/17 02:43 PM

I hate you guys. No I really do hate you guys. Seriously I do.

Every year it is the same thing. Every year I say to myself "I will not buy the game this year", because every year I get about 3-4 months into the season, then the dog days of summer set in where I begin to burn out needing to play a game almost every day and I end up let the CPU vs CPU games play the rest of the calendar until the playoffs. But every year SDS comes out with some upgrade to the game where they make me think "Oh that sounds cool, glad they fixed it, or glad they enhanced how the game plays". This year the new feature seems to be the new ball hitting physics where the bat is now round as it is in real life versus as described in the review a flat surface. So a round bat will make pitching and hitting in the game that much more realistic.

Did I mention I really do hate you guys? Prior to watching this review I was definitely skipping MLB 17. But now I am not so sure I can. LOL

# 6 tessl @ 02/11/17 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by My993C2


	I hate you guys. No I really do hate you guys. Seriously I do. Every year it is the same thing. Every year I say to myself "I will not buy the game this year", because every year I get about 3-4 months into the season, then the dog days of summer set in where I begin to burn out needing to play a game almost every day and I end up let the CPU vs CPU games play the rest of the calendar until the playoffs. But every year SDS comes out with some upgrade to the game where they make me think "Oh that sounds cool, glad they fixed it, or glad they enhanced how the game plays". This year the new feature seems to be the new ball hitting physics where the bat is now round as it is in real life versus as described in the review a flat surface. So a round bat will make pitching and hitting in the game that much more realistic. Did I mention I really do hate you guys? Prior to watching this review I was definitely skipping MLB 17. But now I am not so sure I can. LOL

I know you are a manage mode player like me. In the link above from a gamestop promo they mentioned "new managerial and gameplay options".

I remember last year someone advocating for the manager to call every pitch in manage mode. I love manage mode precisely because I can set the controller down and only pick it up when I need to make a move. I want the catcher to call pitches like IRL. That's probably the only thing which could cause me to continue playing the show 16 instead of the show 17. Everything I've seen announced so far looks fantastic.

# 7 My993C2 @ 02/11/17 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tessl


	I know you are a manage mode player like me. In the link above from a gamestop promo they mentioned "new managerial and gameplay options". I remember last year someone advocating for the manager to call every pitch in manage mode. I love manage mode precisely because I can set the controller down and only pick it up when I need to make a move. I want the catcher to call pitches like IRL. That's probably the only thing which could cause me to continue playing the show 16 instead of the show 17. Everything I've seen announced so far looks fantastic.

We'll have to wait and see what the new managerial feature is. It might not even be accessible in MoM game play. Only time will tell. But yeah there are some nice game play changes in MLB 17 that are coming down the pipe. The round bats and better fielder throwing logic are definitely good to have to make the games that much more realistic.

# 8 tessl @ 02/11/17 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by My993C2


	We'll have to wait and see what the new managerial feature is. It might not even be accessible in MoM game play. Only time will tell. But yeah there are some nice game play changes in MLB 17 that are coming down the pipe. The round bats and better fielder throwing logic are definitely good to have to make the games that much more realistic.

Yep, it looks like the game will be less robotic. On the stream they said they still are having problems with the new ball spin on some hits and are working on it. I don't expect it to be perfect but I welcome that change.

# 9 theu715 @ 02/11/17 07:48 PM

What I thought was interesting with the stream is they talk about the fielding animations being faster, specifically the SS to first and pitcher covering on double plays. They only used slow runners to show those off and the plays were close almost every time. I know, I know, work in progress ... Last year they said the pitchers wouldn't get hit by as many balls up the middle and it was a work in progress, but it still happens way too much. I still think there'll be too many times where pitchers react to slow covering and fielders take their time throwing to first causing runners to be safe. We'll see.

# 10 tessl @ 02/11/17 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theu715


	What I thought was interesting with the stream is they talk about the fielding animations being faster, specifically the SS to first and pitcher covering on double plays. They only used slow runners to show those off and the plays were close almost every time. I know, I know, work in progress ... Last year they said the pitchers wouldn't get hit by as many balls up the middle and it was a work in progress, but it still happens way too much. I still think there'll be too many times where pitchers react to slow covering and fielders take their time throwing to first causing runners to be safe. We'll see.

It could use some improvement but there should still be occasional misplays. Misplays happen IRL. You are asking a pitcher who is probably the worst fielder on the team to beat the batter to the base, catch a ball on the run and tag the base.

# 11 theu715 @ 02/12/17 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tessl


	It could use some improvement but there should still be occasional misplays. Misplays happen IRL. You are asking a pitcher who is probably the worst fielder on the team to beat the batter to the base, catch a ball on the run and tag the base.

My issue isn't so much that a runner beats out a play, it's that runners do not beat out routine plays in real life unless the fielder is being lazy. In most cases, runners don't even run full speed when they hit a hard ball to an infielder, especially a second baseman. Can't tell you how many times I've seen guys beat out balls to second in 16. As far as the pitcher covering, the issue is that the pitchers in the game, like fielders in many cases, have no urgency or reaction. IRL if a ball is hit to the right side of the field, especially towards first, pitchers are taught to break towards first, then stop if called off by a first or second baseman, pending the play type. In game pitchers don't seem to break to first until far too late. The same thing seems to happen for pitchers covering home on past balls. I've seen numerous occasions in game where they don't even come home in game till the runner is sliding in. These things kill the game, not whether the dugout phones get more details, cups in the dugout, or if a section of seats are blue instead of red. I'm a Rays fan and they haven't put the CF opening where people can watch from in the game for two cycles, but who cares? It's a game to be played and in game issues take away from gameplay. That's my biggest issue.

# 12 tessl @ 02/12/17 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theu715


	My issue isn't so much that a runner beats out a play, it's that runners do not beat out routine plays in real life unless the fielder is being lazy. In most cases, runners don't even run full speed when they hit a hard ball to an infielder, especially a second baseman. Can't tell you how many times I've seen guys beat out balls to second in 16. As far as the pitcher covering, the issue is that the pitchers in the game, like fielders in many cases, have no urgency or reaction. IRL if a ball is hit to the right side of the field, especially towards first, pitchers are taught to break towards first, then stop if called off by a first or second baseman, pending the play type. In game pitchers don't seem to break to first until far too late. The same thing seems to happen for pitchers covering home on past balls. I've seen numerous occasions in game where they don't even come home in game till the runner is sliding in. These things kill the game, not whether the dugout phones get more details, cups in the dugout, or if a section of seats are blue instead of red. I'm a Rays fan and they haven't put the CF opening where people can watch from in the game for two cycles, but who cares? It's a game to be played and in game issues take away from gameplay. That's my biggest issue.

https://youtu.be/b2D7SfO5Bgk?t=179

I believe in the previous blog Russell addressed your concern about fielders taking too much time. I saved the video at the appropriate place. I disagree with you assertion runners never beat out "routine" ground balls IRL. As I stated in a previous post I watched Lou Brock for many years and he was a line drive hitter but one way he got to 3,000 hits was by bouncing the ball to the shortstop and if the ball bounced twice Brock was safe. The pressure he put on infielders with his speed generated hits by forcing the fielder out of his normal routine. Any bobble or failure to perfectly transfer the ball from glove to throwing hand = base hit for Brock. I believe they have cleaned up the "lazy" fielding animation which is good but fast hitters do get infield hits on "routine" plays because the pressure on the infielder generates mistakes. My preference would be for ground ball to infielder not 100% of the time result in an out. It's nearly impossible in a video game to replicate the pressure speed can put on the defense. Once the speedster gets on base sometimes the pitcher gets distracted. For example in 1971 Torre won the mvp - a big reason was Brock on base distracting the pitcher which resulted in the pitcher paying more attention to Brock than Torre. I don't know how they would ever program that dynamic into a video game but IRL it is a very real dynamic.

Pitcher covering first was in the video. I believe the main problem remaining is the relay throw from second base on a 3-6-1 double play and from memory I think the devs discussed this last year. The problem is the fielder doesn't throw the ball until the pitcher is close to the bag. I'm confident they will clean up this problem but as with the "routine" ground balls IRL there are miscues with the pitcher covering first base. People in St Louis can tell you about a world series which hinged on such a play.

Regarding pitchers not covering home plate on passed balls or wild pitches I completely agree. That needs to be cleaned up. It's sometimes as if neither the catcher or pitcher realize there is a runner on third base. As a manage mode player I'm aware of issues with runners making very poor base running decisions and being out by 30 feet. Both of those issues could use some work.

# 13 mrCPUgeek @ 02/12/17 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squashbuggie


	I think "Quick Manage" may be like SM, expect we can choose to steal and hit-and-run w/o having to wait pitch-by-pitch. And I bet we can jump in and out fo the game live. Like a diff. version of FF mode. This will be my fave part

That is what I'm thinking. Which is what I've been wanting for quite some time. This will be great for those of us who don't like to "sim" thru games. You will still have some control over the outcome of every game if you wish. SM was great, but was too buggy, so hopefully, this will be the replacement of SM.

# 14 theu715 @ 02/12/17 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tessl


	https://youtu.be/b2D7SfO5Bgk?t=179 I believe in the previous blog Russell addressed your concern about fielders taking too much time. I saved the video at the appropriate place. I disagree with you assertion runners never beat out "routine" ground balls IRL. As I stated in a previous post I watched Lou Brock for many years and he was a line drive hitter but one way he got to 3,000 hits was by bouncing the ball to the shortstop and if the ball bounced twice Brock was safe. The pressure he put on infielders with his speed generated hits by forcing the fielder out of his normal routine. Any bobble or failure to perfectly transfer the ball from glove to throwing hand = base hit for Brock. I believe they have cleaned up the "lazy" fielding animation which is good but fast hitters do get infield hits on "routine" plays because the pressure on the infielder generates mistakes. My preference would be for ground ball to infielder not 100% of the time result in an out. It's nearly impossible in a video game to replicate the pressure speed can put on the defense. Once the speedster gets on base sometimes the pitcher gets distracted. For example in 1971 Torre won the mvp - a big reason was Brock on base distracting the pitcher which resulted in the pitcher paying more attention to Brock than Torre. I don't know how they would ever program that dynamic into a video game but IRL it is a very real dynamic. Pitcher covering first was in the video. I believe the main problem remaining is the relay throw from second base on a 3-6-1 double play and from memory I think the devs discussed this last year. The problem is the fielder doesn't throw the ball until the pitcher is close to the bag. I'm confident they will clean up this problem but as with the "routine" ground balls IRL there are miscues with the pitcher covering first base. People in St Louis can tell you about a world series which hinged on such a play. Regarding pitchers not covering home plate on passed balls or wild pitches I completely agree. That needs to be cleaned up. It's sometimes as if neither the catcher or pitcher realize there is a runner on third base. As a manage mode player I'm aware of issues with runners making very poor base running decisions and being out by 30 feet. Both of those issues could use some work.

I will agree and disagree with you here. Yes, in the initial video they address the problem, but in the "deep dive" they only showed slower runners going down the line. You mentioned Lou Brock as the example of beating out infield hits. He is from the era of players who hustled and played out every play. Guys like that, few and far between these days, will beat out a ball that is a slow two hopper to the SS, but still not the 2b. A slow two hopper to SS is also not the plays I'm thinking of. I'm thinking of the balls hit where the SS or 2b that are hit decently hard and then the fielder taps his glove a couple of times, and throws a soft side arm throw to first and the runner (55 and under speed rating) beats it out because they are busting it down the line. I don't want to see that, but if Billy Hamilton or Kevin Keirmaier hit one like that and beat it out now and then, I wouldn't complain. The problem is we'll see those guys get thrown out every time to make up for the problems of it happening too much last year, and guys like Buster Posey or Matt Kemp will be the ones beating plays out from time to time.
As far as the pitchers covering first, yes there are miscues, but 80% of the time in game the runners are safe. In real life, it's probably 20% of the time that runners beat out 3-6-1 double plays or balls hit to first where the pitcher covers.

# 15 tessl @ 02/13/17 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theu715


	I will agree and disagree with you here. Yes, in the initial video they address the problem, but in the "deep dive" they only showed slower runners going down the line. You mentioned Lou Brock as the example of beating out infield hits. He is from the era of players who hustled and played out every play. Guys like that, few and far between these days, will beat out a ball that is a slow two hopper to the SS, but still not the 2b. A slow two hopper to SS is also not the plays I'm thinking of. I'm thinking of the balls hit where the SS or 2b that are hit decently hard and then the fielder taps his glove a couple of times, and throws a soft side arm throw to first and the runner (55 and under speed rating) beats it out because they are busting it down the line. I don't want to see that, but if Billy Hamilton or Kevin Keirmaier hit one like that and beat it out now and then, I wouldn't complain. The problem is we'll see those guys get thrown out every time to make up for the problems of it happening too much last year, and guys like Buster Posey or Matt Kemp will be the ones beating plays out from time to time. As far as the pitchers covering first, yes there are miscues, but 80% of the time in game the runners are safe. In real life, it's probably 20% of the time that runners beat out 3-6-1 double plays or balls hit to first where the pitcher covers.

I think one thing we all agree on is how fantastic it is for the show to put live steams of the upcoming version featuring developers of the game. What other game does that? And what other website has a guy like Millennium taking the time to create a video looking at the developer video?

I understand on the deep dive they didn't use a fast batter and millennium mentioned it on the stream but on the split screen I posted earlier in this thread they showed a comparison between Zack Cozart and Billy Hamilton and a different animation branched for Hamilton. Hamilton, arguably the fastest man in MLB, hit a slow ground ball to shortstop which bounced 3 times - and he was out by 3 steps.

Concern would be overstating it but we have the opposite concern regarding ground balls and pitcher covering. I wonder if they will "clean it up" too good LOL.

One thing we both agree on is wild pitches/passed balls with a runner on 3B. That needs to be cleaned up.

Thanks for the reply - I enjoyed the conversation.

# 16 El_MaYiMbE @ 02/13/17 04:09 PM

To piggy back off the guys talking about different throws depending on runner....

It would have been cool if they took it a step further and made the runners run slower/faster depending on where the ball was hit to make the two kinda click together.

As someone mentioned, there are times where players don't even run out the ball when its hit directly at a fielder, and I would like to see that realism in the game as well. Now for those of you thinking "well I do not want to be robbed of a hit a because the game decided I should run slow".....

MLB 2K solved that problem a few years back, they had a button that could be pressed when no one was on base ahead of you and they allowed you to try and beat out a ground ball. I think introducing something like that here would be cool.

If there is not a runner on base, or in DP situations, they could introduce "tapping on O button" (since you are running to first) to try and beat out the throw. This will accomplish a few things:

1. Get players controlling the team on offense more involved on routine plays after the ball is hit
2. Resolve issue where runners are not running fast enough for your liking (provided they introduced what I am proposing, and its also...again...giving more control to player)
3. Extends "Cat and Mouse" game they introduced to catching to fielding, as you now have to rush your throw or not based on HOW the player chose to run out the box, and not only based on whether that player is ALWAYS fast or slow.

Example: Mike Trout was up in the 1st inning and hit a screamer to the 3B who fielded it cleanly and tossed it to first, Trout chose (player controlling Trout) to not run it out. Second time up he does same thing, but this time is busting it down the line (user is tapping O Button) now fielder had to rush to make throw and its now a bang bang play, or he makes an error, or Trout beats it out, or anything else. Point is there is now variety in two similar plays all because the runner chose to play it different, causing the fielder to also react differently.

Now if a player is SLOW, him busting it up the line will help little, but it could be the difference if the fielder bobbled or threw a lollipop over, or whatever. It certainly extends the "game within the game".

So while I think the introduction of how players field the ball is a welcomed improvement, the same level of detail should be placed on other side of the ball. It kinda doesn't make 100% sense when the baserunner will always run the same speed no matter what.

# 17 tessl @ 02/13/17 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by El_MaYiMbE


	To piggy back off the guys talking about different throws depending on runner.... It would have been cool if they took it a step further and made the runners run slower/faster depending on where the ball was hit to make the two kinda click together. As someone mentioned, there are times where players don't even run out the ball when its hit directly at a fielder, and I would like to see that realism in the game as well. Now for those of you thinking "well I do not want to be robbed of a hit a because the game decided I should run slow"..... MLB 2K solved that problem a few years back, they had a button that could be pressed when no one was on base ahead of you and they allowed you to try and beat out a ground ball. I think introducing something like that here would be cool. If there is not a runner on base, or in DP situations, they could introduce "tapping on O button" (since you are running to first) to try and beat out the throw. This will accomplish a few things: 1. Get players controlling the team on offense more involved on routine plays after the ball is hit 2. Resolve issue where runners are not running fast enough for your liking (provided they introduced what I am proposing, and its also...again...giving more control to player) 3. Extends "Cat and Mouse" game they introduced to catching to fielding, as you now have to rush your throw or not based on HOW the player chose to run out the box, and not only based on whether that player is ALWAYS fast or slow. Example: Mike Trout was up in the 1st inning and hit a screamer to the 3B who fielded it cleanly and tossed it to first, Trout chose (player controlling Trout) to not run it out. Second time up he does same thing, but this time is busting it down the line (user is tapping O Button) now fielder had to rush to make throw and its now a bang bang play, or he makes an error, or Trout beats it out, or anything else. Point is there is now variety in two similar plays all because the runner chose to play it different, causing the fielder to also react differently. Now if a player is SLOW, him busting it up the line will help little, but it could be the difference if the fielder bobbled or threw a lollipop over, or whatever. It certainly extends the "game within the game". So while I think the introduction of how players field the ball is a welcomed improvement, the same level of detail should be placed on other side of the ball. It kinda doesn't make 100% sense when the baserunner will always run the same speed no matter what.

I use manage mode so I'm from Venus while most people are from Mars and I realize that - I see runners not always running hard to first base. I'm fine with the way that is currently animated.

What I would suggest for the new animation where a fielder goes to a different branch to throw out a fast runner would be an increased chance of the fielder not getting the ball out of his glove cleanly - double clutching - and the runner sometimes getting an infield hit. I doubt they have advanced far enough to include that in the game this year but perhaps in future years it might make it into the game to add a level of realism.

# 18 El_MaYiMbE @ 02/13/17 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tessl


	I use manage mode so I'm from Venus while most people are from Mars and I realize that - I see runners not always running hard to first base. I'm fine with the way that is currently animated. What I would suggest for the new animation where a fielder goes to a different branch to throw out a fast runner would be an increased chance of the fielder not getting the ball out of his glove cleanly - double clutching - and the runner sometimes getting an infield hit. I doubt they have advanced far enough to include that in the game this year but perhaps in future years it might make it into the game to add a level of realism.

Runners run the same to first no matter the situation.

When you see a runner not running hard to first its because that is that player's animation, but they run the same no matter the situation.

A player with a 99 speed rating, will get to 1B in the same amount of time every time. That should not be the case. They slow down after the out is recorded, but out of the box and until the out is recorded the player runs the same no matter how far/hard/soft the ball was hit.

# 19 BlacknBlue @ 02/13/17 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by El_MaYiMbE


	Runners run the same to first no matter the situation. When you see a runner not running hard to first its because that is that player's animation, but they run the same no matter the situation. A player with a 99 speed rating, will get to 1B in the same amount of time every time. That should not be the case. They slow down after the out is recorded, but out of the box and until the out is recorded the player runs the same no matter how far/hard/soft the ball was hit.

That isn't true. They changed that last year. They added casual animations out of the batter's box on hit balls where the runner is likely to have no chance to beat the throw.

They showed this off extensively in a vlog last year. It is in 16. I'm not sure why it wasn't on display for this session's vlog, but it is from an early build and they did have a lot of widgets tuned, so that may be impacting what we saw.

But most of what is being complained about was addressed in the last release.

# 20 El_MaYiMbE @ 02/13/17 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlacknBlue


	That isn't true. They changed that last year. They added casual animations out of the batter's box on hit balls where the runner is likely to have no chance to beat the throw. They showed this off extensively in a vlog last year. It is in 16. I'm not sure why it wasn't on display for this session's vlog, but it is from an early build and they did have a lot of widgets tuned, so that may be impacting what we saw. But most of what is being complained about was addressed in the last release.

I do not remember this, and there is no evidence of this in MLB 16 or the gameplay shown so far in MLB 17.

There are a few things added to MLB 16 that give this illusion, but is not implemented the way I explained it should.

1. There are different run animations that can be assigned to players (this was new to MLB 16). There is one that is typically assigned to slower runners (David Ortiz, Prince Fielder, other big guys). The jogging animation COMBINED with the fact these guys are slow, makes them look slower. However, this is not situational....they run like this NO MATTER WHAT, because that is their animation no matter where the ball is placed

2. Different Swing Types produce different ways the batter drops bat and runs out of the box. Slap hitters tend to fall to one side and drop the bat quickly and almost ready to run. Big guys, with long swings tend to hold the bat and drop it as they run (Ortiz again). Again this gives the illusion they are coming out of the box different but once they hit their stride (this is the difference) they run the same no matter where the ball is placed. And by the same I do not mean the same as each other, but they run like their assigned animation regardless of ball location.

3. What is done properly MLB 16 is the baserunner does not run through the bag when out at first by a big margin. So if its a bullet to one of the fielders, and you toss it across the to 1B and the player is out by a mile, he will break down his run and casually jog and sometimes not even make it to first. However this happens AFTER the out is recorded, not in anticipation of the out.

All these 3 things together give the illusion that the runner "knew" he had no chance to beat it out. It works well in the context of the game as a whole, but it is not on the same level as the fielding logic being introduced in MLB 17.

When both the fielder and runner throw and run the same in all scenarios (respectively) like they did in MLB 16, its okay. But if you improve the fielding to make fielding animations situational, they should do the same on the base paths.

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