Alright, let’s talk about messing with batting stances in MLB The Show 24. I spent a good chunk of time on this recently, maybe too much time, honestly.
So, I started playing, got my Road to the Show guy going, but something felt off at the plate. Just wasn’t connecting right, felt slow, timing was all over the place. You know how it is. Figured the default stance wasn’t cutting it for me.
Finding Something New
First thing I did, I looked up some real MLB player stances. Thought maybe copying a pro would be the easy way. I spent a while trying to mimic a few guys I like watching. Went into that stance editor thing.
- I fiddled with the hand positions.
- Tried adjusting foot placement, open stance, closed stance, you name it.
- Messed with the bat waggle and rest position.
Man, it took forever just trying to get one looking close to the real thing. And even then, when I took it into practice or a game, it just felt weird. Like wearing someone else’s shoes. What works for Judge or Ohtani, yeah, didn’t automatically work for my guy or my own eyes and timing. Some felt too stiff, others too twitchy.
Making My Own Mess
Got frustrated trying to copy others perfectly. Decided, screw it, I’ll just build something from scratch. Went back into the editor, ignored the presets and the player lists this time.
Honestly, I just started clicking around, dragging sliders. Moved the hands way up high, then super low. Tucked the elbow in, then flared it out. Shifted the weight forward, then back. It’s kinda nuts how many little things you can change. Does changing the Z-axis of the front foot by 2 points really do anything? Who knows, but I did it anyway.
Took it into batting practice. Threw myself fastballs down the middle. Felt okay. Threw some off-speed. Felt lost again. Back to the editor. This went on for a while. Seriously, maybe an hour or two just tweaking tiny things.
- Adjusted stride length and direction a lot. Found a shorter stride helped me feel quicker.
- Played with hand rotation. Less movement felt better for my timing.
- Moved the starting bat position around until it felt comfortable for my view.
Finally landed on something that felt… okay. Not amazing, not a magic bullet, but better. It felt more synced up with how I was trying to swing. Went into a game, actually started making solid contact more often. Still strike out plenty, mind you, this isn’t cheat codes.
It’s probably mostly mental, but finding a stance that feels right to you seems like the biggest part. It’s kinda personal. And I still tweak it now and then after a bad game. It’s a never-ending process, really.
