Current Events > [MLB The Show 19] If I throw a splitter, do I need a changeup?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Now that my boy's in the big leagues, he can learn two more pitches. On a lark, I only had him throw fastballs, which keeps his velocity pretty high, but it's time to add another off-speed pitch. I know changeups mimic the fastball throwing motion, so that's a plus, but the splitter sorta functions the same as a "swing out of the zone" pitch, so I'm torn.

I've been thinking about maybe a curveball/knuckle curve instead, but mostly because Max Scherzer won't teach me changeups (only seen the option once). Sliders are on the table, but I probably won't bother with a sinker. I can only learn things the team has, so no awesome stuff, like screwball, slurve (a.k.a. my favorite pitch), etc.

Bonus pic:


---

Yeah, get the Changeup if you can. Having two off-speed pitches, one that mimics a fastball and one with more break, allows for a lot more strategy and mixups. If the Splitter is your only off-speed pitch, it's easier to predict.
---

solomon bong
---

that's some high velocity you've got there mr bong

a slider would be cool, but your break isn't so hot. curve wouldn't be so great with not so much break.

changeup would work, but as a fourth pitch, chances are it's not gonna be all that great and could get rocked if pitched often.

---

Solomon BEARD

---

Yeah, my Break stat isn't that great. I can occasionally get swings and misses in the majors with the Splitter, but it's more of an off-speed, grounder-inducing pitch right now. I wish it was as good (well, relatively) as the splitter my OG Mariners pitcher uses, but oh well.



As for Solomon -- who's just a batter, not the pitcher in question -- I made him purely for a "Bong hits" joke. I refused to save scum on that file and still managed to get him on the Dodgers, so...that's nice. I think he's leading the team in HRs, actually, even with Bellinger, Seager, Joc, etc. hanging around.

Guerrilla Soldier posted...

a slider would be cool, but your break isn't so hot. curve wouldn't be so great with not so much break.

I tried out a slider, and yeah, it was a piece of crap. I love slurves, but in lieu of that, I'd almost rather have a curveball -- at least I can change some eye levels and just throw it out of the zone or something.

---

Okay, I did another game and got the changeup option back. But now the question is: what compliments three fastballs and a changeup? Maybe something with lateral motion (slider) or a curve? I could also do a two-seamer or sinker -- if I really had to -- but they'll be about 90MPH and roughly the same as the splitter/changeup, making them kinda lame.

---

A splitter isn't really much of a fastball, especially not when it's 10+ MPH slower than your main fastball. You have two fast pitches (one with break) and two slower pitches (one with break) which is a great repertoire already. I don't know how the stat system in that game works, but if adding a fifth pitch would take away from (or slow down the gain of) the stats from the four you have, you're probably better off not bothering with one.

But if your first four pitches will be just as good whether you add the fifth pitch or not, then I'd say add a slider as the last one. Having both a slider and a cutter that break the same way can cause hitters problems because it's like the relationship between a fastball and a changeup, but with more break.
---

2 seam, circle change, 12-6 curve, cutter all day erryday

---

My dude is a flamethrower build (high velocity, weak control, mediocre break...I think), so the only downside for learning a fifth pitch is it brings the overall control stat down, due to accomodating a new pitch. But that's just an aggregate, I think, so it doesn't affect the starting pitches your dude's had.

Slider sounds good, though. I've actually been using my cutter in a slider-esque way, doing the low and away part of the zone (sometimes out of it), but it's just not the same. Since this is my first time in the majors, I've been thinking maybe I should hold off on learning the last pitch, since pitchers get traded over time and maybe I can steal some good stuff from someone else.

I Like Toast posted...

2 seam, circle change, 12-6 curve, cutter all day erryday

My sinkerballer uses a 12-6 and two-seamer (well, running fastball) to pretty great effect. That's probably the only time I use a two-seamer on my dudes, 'cause I usually do a cutter. I think my OG pitcher uses a circle changeup. In fact...that OG pitcher's moves are almost identical to my flamethrower's right now, lmao. I try to work in something new so these CaCs don't feel too samey, which is why I was considering a curveball.

---

That's why you make a submarine pitching knuckleballer

---

lmao, that sounds devilish.

My sinkerballer is a sidearm-style annoyance, and he only has three pitches, so it could certainly be doable...supposing I can find someone who throws a knuckleball. I think there was one on Arizona or something who might do that. I got traded to the Royals after seven years in Colorado, so who knows how things are jumbled after that. I'm curious if AI-created pitchers ever have those moves, though.

---

Yeah knuckleball pretty much has to be your primary it's hard to find

---

I have a flamethrower knuckleballer somewhere and made him thinking it'd be fun to hurl it at crazy speeds. But...it turns out he just throws it at 70 MPH or something, wasting the premise of the build. Not as funny as the pitcher I have who only throws curveballs, though.

---

you can't throw a knuckleball fast since then it doesn't knuckle, i can't remember if they switched pitching speed being related, in the old the shows you could have a 100+ fastball and then a 50 MPH knuckle, but then they started tying speed together to reduce the variance. I haven't played the last few iterations as much as the glorly day ps3 days before 2k bowed out and removed the need for competition. Though at least they haven't gotten nba2k casino simulator bad.

---

Are you doing road to the show as a pitcher? Never done it that way myself

I basically did a Nolan Ryan type picther. 4 seem, 2 seem, change up, and a very nasty slider.

I wonder if we will be able to transfer over to 2020.
---

My dude was throwing in the 101-102 MPH range earlier and definitely had me thinking of Nolan, lmao. I like how the announcers are hyping you up: "I think he had to take that pitch, 'cause I'm not even sure he SAW it!"

I Like Toast posted...

you can't throw a knuckleball fast since then it doesn't knuckle, i can't remember if they switched pitching speed being related, in the old the shows you could have a 100+ fastball and then a 50 MPH knuckle, but then they started tying speed together to reduce the variance. I haven't played the last few iterations as much as the glorly day ps3 days before 2k bowed out and removed the need for competition. Though at least they haven't gotten nba2k casino simulator bad.

I'm only playing '19 because it was given out free last year on PS+. Gotta admit...probably one of the best sports games I've ever tried. Even though there are some microtransactions in there a bit, they're negligible compared to the ridiculous amount of content.

Odoylerules posted...

Are you doing road to the show as a pitcher? Never done it that way myself

Yeah, 99% of the time when I'm playing this, it's as a RTTS character. I tried a bit of the other modes and challenges, but RTTS is what keeps me coming back.

---