Welcome to the second episode in my new series, The Show Training 101, where we’ll take an in-depth look at various mechanics and control schemes, analyze how they’re implemented in MLB 15 The Show, and explore the ways in which you can leverage your new found knowledge to take your game to the next level.
Today, we’ll be taking a look at directional hitting. Now there seems to be some confusion surrounding the mechanic’s functionality, so let’s take a look and see what we find. So leading off, what exactly is directional hitting? Well I’m glad you asked. Directional hitting, first and foremost, is simply an extension of traditional timing hitting, with the added ability to influence the direction of your hits. Before the pitch is thrown, the batter can look for an area of the strike zone with which to influence the direction of the ball, indicated by a yellow marker that borders the selected portion of the strike zone as well as a corresponding camera shift to that direction. By pressing up with the left stick, your hitter will look to hit a fly ball. Press down, and you’ll attempt to hit it on the ground. Or you can look to pull or drive a ball in the opposite direction by pressing right or left, dependent on the hitter’s batting stance. You can even attempt to direct the ball in a combination of directions. Want to pull the ball while lifting it into the outfield? Hold the left stick up and inside. Or maybe you want to hit a grounder to the opposite field? Hold the stick down and out. Very easy.
While you do have to hold the left stick in the intended direction as the pitch crosses the plate, you can also adjust your direction of influence on the fly. But it’s the ability to freely alter your direction of influence, or DOI as we’ll call it, that has led to some misunderstanding of how the mechanic actually works. Many wrongly believe that the DOI must match the pitch’s location to make solid contact. But this is not the case! Remember, this is not zone hitting. There is no PCI with which to match pitch location. The DOI simply influences direction; not the chance for contact. However, there is some validity to matching your DOI with the pitch location. The Direction of Influence represents a batter’s area of focus within the strike zone. The closer the pitch is to the batter’s selected zone of influence, the greater the probability that you’ll be able to DIRECT the ball in the intended direction. Likewise, the further away the pitch lands from your selected zone of influence, the less likely you’ll be able to direct the ball in your preferred direction. But remember, this applies to direction only; not the possibility of making contact. On the user’s end, contact is solely a product of timing. Of course, player ratings act in conjunction with a user’s timing, but those variables act independently from user input and don’t warrant inclusion in this guide.
So just remember that when you’re looking to direct a ball in a particular direction, make sure the ball ends up where you’re looking. It’s not at all impossible, but it’s certainly difficult to pull a pitch on the outside part of the plate, just as it’s hard to get under a ball that’s low in the zone.
Now one last thing before we head into the tips segment. Because directional hitting doesn’t require a batter to place the bat on the ball, the timing windows are constricted in comparison to zone hitting in order to compensate for the inherently simpler user interface. Balance is always key, and while I can’t definitively confirm that one interface bears better results over the other, the mechanics were undeniably designed to be equally difficult in execution.
Okay. So now that we have a better understanding of how the mechanic works, how do we master it? Well, given the mechanic’s roots found in the classic timing interface, the key to hitting well with directional hitting stems from your ability, to, well, time the ball correctly. Even when the pitch lands in your DOI, the game still defers primarily to the user’s timing for hit dispersion. Hit the ball early, you’ll pull it. Hit the ball late, you’ll send it opposite field. But good timing is dependent on lots of practice. So practice a lot.
But there’s more to it than that. We must strategize while at the plate to make the most of the mechanic. For those that employ the “guess location” feature regularly, one can always sit on a pitch in their zone, then place the DOI in that direction after pitch location is revealed. A correct guess yields a bonus to player contact, and the subsequent movement of the left stick to match that location will supply a bonus to directional influence. Considering how pitch location will be guessed correctly in approximately one in five pitches, you can practically be assured that there will be a pitch you can adequately influence in each at bat.
Now personally, I don’t like to wait for a pitch in a particular zone. It’s too defensive. I prefer to be a bit more proactive; read each pitch and adjust accordingly. I want to be able to hit any pitch; not just one in a distinct zone. But as mentioned before, directional hitting doesn’t provide the user with the ability to control bat location, so matching your DOI with the pitch won’t necessarily yield greater results. So here is the greatest advice I can give you. And here it is. DO NOT look to influence ball direction on every pitch. Instead, use it sparingly, only when a specific situation justifies its use.
For example, if there is a runner on third with less than two outs, and you need to bring him home, a ground ball to the right side of the infield will suffice. So, throughout the course of that at bat, hold the left stick down or down and to the right, and you increase your chance of hitting a ball to the right side of the infield. Or, let’s take the same situation, you have a power hitter at the plate, and you want to bring that runner on third home with a deep fly ball. Just hold the left stick up throughout the at-bat to increase your chance of getting under a ball. It’s all very simple. Just don’t over complicate things by attempting to match your DOI with pitch location with each pitch.
So that’s all for this week. When breaking down the directional hitting mechanic to its core components, you’ll realize just how different it is from zone hitting, the knowledge of which provides us with greater insight as how best to utilize the feature to its maximum potential. And finally, I hate to be redundant, but with directional hitting, proper timing is always essential, regardless of what it is you’re trying to do at the plate. Don’t ever forget that.
Directional Hitting. Time the ball. Direct the ball. Simple.
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