MLB The Show 20 RTTS pitcher guide

Pitching is the most important part of your defense in MLB The Show 20.

It requires precision and planning, making it a challenge for new players.

But pitching doesn't have to be the weakest part of your game. Even new players can master the mound with time.

Let's go over how to improve your pitching for MLB The Show 20.

Manage pitching interfaces

CONTROLS: Full Analog pitching interface gives players the most control

MLB The Show 20 features four pitching interfaces that adjust how you pitch.

There's a degree to personalization with pitching interfaces, so you need to find the right one for you. Each has different levels of control on where a pitch will end up and how fast it will go.

The easiest to use but least impactful pitching interface is Classic. In Classic you simply choose an exact spot in the zone for your pitch, and the pitch will end up somewhere around that zone. Your placement has little to no impact on where the pitch actually goes, which makes it the worst for players trying to improve.

READ MORE: MLB The Show 20: How to improve your hitting

The next interface the default mode, Meter, which is a popular choice. Meter forces the player to time two different button presses on a meter to control speed and placement.

After Meter there is Pulse. Pulse is an interface that forces the player to stop a constantly shrinking and expanding circle to limit the range a pitch can go.

The fourth and final interface is Full Analog. Full Analog allows the player to have the most control over where their pitches end up, and as a result is the most difficult to use.

For players trying to improve, though, Full Analog is the only way to go. The interface involves the player pulling back on their right thumbstick to time speed, then pushing forward to control the exact path of the pitch.

Assess the game

KNOW THE SITUATION: You can see it all from the mound

Pitchers control the pace of the game, which means it's incredibly important to know just where your team stands each pitch. Pitching with your starter in the third inning is entirely different than pitching with your closer in the eighth.

READ MORE: MLB The Show 20 Review

Also, the player you're pitching to should impact your decision just as much who's pitching. You can't pitch the same to Mike Trout as you can to Albert Pujols.

As a player, you must be able to recognize and react to the weapons around you, and that means exploiting the weaknesses of different batters with the strengths of different pitchers.

Control the count

MASTER THE SCENARIO: A 1-2 count with 2 outs gives a lot of pitching freedom

Players need to understand how to adjust their style to the situation beyond just the inning and batter. With each at-bat comes a mental battle, and that battle is fought through the strike count.

Great pitchers can manage a strike count so well it feels like you're never actually at the plate. To these pitchers a 1-2 count and an 0-2 count are different worlds, and create entirely different decisions.

READ MORE: MLB The Show 20: The best players in franchise mode

To improve your pitching, you'll need to master the strike count, and how best to use situations to your advantage.

Make them think

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: Challenge batters from the very top of the at-bat

At the end of the day the batter's job is to react to the pitcher. This means the best way to outplay a batter is to make them think.

Yes, you might be playing Gerrit Cole and want to flex that high velocity with a nice fastball, but if you've thrown it three of the last four pitches, the batter is now much more ready for it.

By making yourself unpredictable with placement and pitch choice, batters have to think their way out of a bind. This puts plenty of pressure at the plate, right where you want it.

Greetings, everybody, and thank you in advance for your time and contributions.

I purchased MLB The Show 20 after almost ten years of avoiding baseball games. Not relevant, but I have been very pleased thus far.

I started a RTTS as a Flamethrowing RHP out of Italy and found myself (accidentally) drafted by the Yankees. First pitch is obviously a fastball. Second pitch is a screwball because I like unique pitches, and it has arm-side movement with low velocity. Third pitch was a slider, although I very heavily debated a splitter.

Fast forward, and I excel in AA. During that time, I add a Knuckle Curve and a 2-seam fastball. After about fifteen games, I am promoted to the Yankees roster as a starter and proceed to play 18 games and win ROTY (I would increase the difficulty in this time as well and then swap to Dynamic altogether).

Come Season 2, I very outwardly and begrudgingly accept a move to CP under the impression that it wouldn't be permanent. After struggling to adjust to the new difficulty, analog pitching, and role (7.00 ERA and two blown saves through the first few games), I go on to record 40+ saves and just over a 2.00 ERA. Strikeouts hover around 15/16 per nine. Homerun ball proves to be the problem, mostly off the 2-seamer. Screwball remains unhittable, slider a liability, and fastball fine when I locate it and sitting around 99/100.

In the midst of that season, I got traded to TEX presumably because I expressed the slightest discontent with closing. I am now on my third season since then--one of straight closing, and the other as a long reliever/closer hybrid--and averaging under 1.00 ERA but still stuck in the pen. I have made the All-Star game every season (except the first because the call up was too late), I was Reliever of the Year last year, and I am sitting just under 20 career WAR.

All of that is background info to ask for opinions on a few things as someone with no experience.

(1) How to get back to starting. I've been asking for a trade--with position change--since TEX stuck me in the pen. I've rejected 6 year, 56 million and 8 year, 84 million offers from the Rangers. I won my first arbitration for 11.5 Million (probably could have gone a bit higher after review of top CP salaries). Their bottom two starters have consistently been awful, which leads me to go 3-5 innings. I'd gladly stay with Texas if they just gave my character a chance again. Overall currently around 75/76.

(2) Fifth pitch selection. I originally, unsurprisingly, struggled against lefties, and my two seamer ended up resulting in more blown saves than strikeouts. I also developed arm-side run on my fastball, which now sits at an average of 99 (spans between 97-101). I dropped the two seam for a cutter for lefties, but my fastball/screwball/slider (when I can locate the damn thing) seem to have done enough. I'm torn between a circle change and a splitter (or keeping the cutter) for another arm-side movement offspeed pitch to squeeze on the righties and run away from lefties. The cutter could remain nice, but that's always been more of a contact that wipe out pitch, and tunneling a high velocity four seamer that runs into the strikezone with the knuckle and slider has worked well so far.

(3) Best way to raise OVR. Perhaps because I went rather quickly for five pitches, my overall is only slowly ticking up despite my performances. I spend each month in the bullpen if I am not capped or on the practice field with the ace trying to get cap challenges for my pitches. What am I missing?

(4) Any other advice, and thank you again.

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