MLB The Show 19: 10 Things To Know Before You Buy

MLB The Show 19 is here, and there a number of new features that come along with the annual PlayStation-exclusive baseball title.

In addition, there are a few fan-desired features still missing from the only AAA baseball game on the market. We’ve combed through all the information available and went through the game ourselves to put together a list of the 10 things you need to know about MLB The Show 19 before you buy.

There’s a New Mode

For the first time since the debut Diamond Dynasty in MLB 12: The Show, MLB The Show 19 will introduce a brand new game mode for players.

Yes, there was Retro Mode back in MLB The Show 17, but that was just a basic exhibition mode. This year, fans can partake in the new March To October mode that puts a new twist on the classic “Season Mode” fans have come to expect with sports games.

Rather than play or sim every game in full, players instead play the biggest moments during the year. In a Pennant Race down the stretch? You may have to take a big at-bat to pull off a comeback win against a division rival.

In addition to just playing the moments, your performance in them will have an impact on the rest of your year. The outcome of the moments you play will have an effect on the simulation results within March to October. The better you do, the better you’ll see the rest of your team perform when you aren’t playing.

30 New Legends

As with every new installment of MLB The Show, there are bound to be brand new legends to play as, and MLB The Show 19 is no different. This year’s game will feature 30 new legends including Hall of Famers Willie Mays — no, not Willie Mays Hayes –, Cy Young, Ricky Henderson, and Ivan Rodriguez as well as past stars like Andruw Jones and Rob Dibble, among others.

Unfortunately, those still waiting to see the likes of Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds and Randy Johnson to be added will have to wait for at least another year.

Contract Extensions in Franchise Mode

A feature that one would’ve expected to be in MLB The Show but was somehow omitted for years is the ability to sign in-season contract extensions. With MLB The Show 19, that all changes as the game’s Franchise Mode finally features the ability to sign players to extend players before the end of the year.

It may seem like a small addition, but it’s a big one for those who want a true sim experience in their franchise.

New Member of the Broadcast Team

The MLB The Show franchise has its first female member of the in-game broadcast team, and it’s a home run.

Heidi Watney joins MLB The Show 19 as the new sideline or dugout reporter for the game. Giving fans pre-game reports as well as in-game updates will go a long way to making MLB The Show an even more realistic broadcast than it already has.

On top of that, Watney’s appearance in this year’s title will also help players with their story in March To October.

Missions Come to Road To The Show

To add another twist to the extremely popular single-player mode, Road To The Show now features missions for players. While not the most intricate feature to ever be added to the mode, the missions act as in-game challenges to give more to play for with each game.

One scenario could see you be tasked with knocking in the game-tying run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Pass the mission, and you’ll be rewarded with more XP. Fail, and you’ll see your earned XP drop.

No Expansion or Relocation in Franchise Mode

Unlike franchise modes from other major sports titles, MLB The Show 19 is the only of the big four (NBA, MLB, NHL, and NFL) games to not have relocation and/or expansion of any sort.

Players love to put their own spin on their experience when playing inside Franchise; adding the ability to bring back the Montreal Expos or maybe even move a team to Portland would go a long way towards adding a new way to enjoy the game.

Create-A-Team Remains Diamond Dynasty Exclusive

One of the Diamond Dynasty staples that many have hoped to see make its way to other modes is the ability to create custom logos and uniforms. Creating custom teams with your own created logo to bring into Franchise would add another way for players to enjoy the mode. But that just doesn’t seem to be in the plans right now. Hopefully, as the series movies into the next generation, we can start to see more options for team customization.

New Diamond Dynasty Features

If it isn’t already the   most popular, Diamond Dynasty has become one of the most played modes in the history of MLB The Show.

To continue the mode’s growth, MLB The Show 19 adds a new Team Affinity feature that allows you to get better players for your favorite team as you use lower-rated players from that team. There’s also a new Signature Series set of cards that take the top spot of unlockable cards.

Finally — well, not really the last new feature of the mode but definitely one of the biggest — Conquest mode is seeing some big changes. Conquest now features brand new maps and scenarios that put your strategy smarts to the test in order to lay claim to the entire map.

Defensive Gameplay Gets an Overhaul (In a Good Way)

One of the biggest changes to this year’s game is how fielders play their various positions. Sony San Diego spent a lot of time adding new defensive animations and fine-tuning how players with different skill levels act in the field.

Players will now make their first move towards the ball in order to have a better chance to make the play for an out. Rather than every player seemingly acting the same and mistakes coming down to chance, a player’s attributes at various defensive skills will have a direct impact on whether they can cover the space to stop a hit from making it into the gap, or sprint to a fly ball down the left-field line.

And should you play players outside of their normal positions, you will now see a drop in ability if they aren’t used to it. For instance, putting a catcher at shortstop for some reason.

More Adaptive Batting

One of the biggest complaints from players in recent years is that hitting can still be too easy for high-level players, even on the highest difficulty. MLB The Show 19 is hoping to solve for that by changing the general speed of the pitches. If you happen to be playing on Dynamic Difficulty, the better you perform in the batter’s box, the faster the pitches become.

Will you be picking up MLB The Show 19 this season? Let us know in the comment section below what went into your decision.


Want to talk sports and/or games with the fastest growing community in gaming? Join the conversation by registering at the official Sports Gamers Online Forums, and check out our Twitter and Facebook pages as well as our growing YouTube Channel!

Exit mobile version