Mastering Pitch Recognition
Pitch recognition against humans is harder because of MLB The Show 25 Stubs intentional deception. A player might disguise a changeup with the same initial arm slot as their fastball or spam the same pitch location to make you overcommit.

Strategies to improve:

Focus on Release Point: Many players have small tells—slightly different timing, subtle pauses, or arm speed changes.

Zone Tracking: Keep your eyes in the strike zone and let your peripheral vision pick up movement.

Early Elimination: Against certain pitchers, you can rule out some pitches early (e.g., they never throw a breaking ball on the first pitch).

Good recognition lets you attack aggressively without guessing wildly.

Timing and Adaptability
Against human pitchers, timing adjustments are constant. They’ll deliberately mess with your rhythm by mixing pitch speeds:

100 mph fastball → 77 mph curveball → 94 mph sinker

Two slow pitches in a row, then a heater right down the middle

Adaptation tips:

If you’re late often, start your load earlier.

If you’re early, wait a fraction longer before committing.

Use batting practice modes or custom games against live pitchers to sharpen this adaptability.

Remember: timing issues are the most common reason hitters fail against humans.

Plate Discipline as a Weapon
Plate discipline against humans doesn’t just help you avoid strikeouts—it frustrates pitchers.

When you lay off borderline pitches consistently:

Pitchers are forced to throw in your sweet spots.

You drive up pitch counts, leading to bullpen exposure.

You make them question their own sequencing.

Practical tip: In early innings, take more pitches than you normally would. Even if you fall behind in counts, you’ll learn what they rely on buy MLB The Show 25 Stubs to finish at-bats.