How To Hit In MLB The Show 23

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MLB The Show 23 was officially released today, and the excitement level within the baseball video gaming community has reached an ecstatically high dimension. That said, with so much to check out and get a feel for, it can be overwhelming when deciding where to start.

Well to assist you with this matter, we’ve decided to provide a helpful guide on one of the most fundamentally important skills to learn in MLB The Show 23: How To Hit.

READ MORE: How To Pitch In MLB The Show 23

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For those that are new to the game, or that might need some polishing up on this subject, you’ve come to the right place, as we touch upon the various ins and outs that you need to know when learning how to hit. Scoring runs is the name of the game, and the way you will do so is by putting the ball in play and knocking in runners on home.

On that very note, let’s get right to it. Here’s how to hit in MLB The Show 23.


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The Show 23 – Hitting Controls

The Show 23
Copyright MLB The Show 23

The first step when learning how to hit in The Show 23, is to review the controls itself. When deciding how you want to hit, you will ultimately have two different types of options; pressing buttons or using your right analog stick.

Before we get into each of the swing inputs and hitting interfaces though, here’s a look at all the important hitting controls for PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch on MLB The Show 23:

PlayStation

  • Normal SwingX
  • Contact SwingCircle
  • Power SwingSquare
  • Guess PitchR2 + X, Circle, Square, Triangle
  • Call TimeoutDown On D-Pad

Xbox

  • Normal SwingA
  • Contact SwingB
  • Power SwingX
  • Guess PitchR2 + A, B, Y, X
  • Call TimeoutDown On D-Pad

Nintendo Switch

  • Normal SwingB
  • Contact SwingA
  • Power SwingY
  • Guess PitchZR + B, A, X, Y
  • Call TimeoutDown On D-Pad

For those that might be confused about ‘Guess Pitch’, this is a setting that allows you to guess where a pitch will be thrown prior to actually receiving it.

Once you’re standing in the batter’s box, you just have to hold down R2 (or ZR on the Switch), direct which area you think the ball will land using your left analog stick, and then select the pitch you think will be thrown. If you guessed both the pitch and location correctly, you will see a red zone highlight the spot you picked, indicating the ball will be thrown there. But if you don’t guess it, you will need to use your eye to gage where the ball might fall instead.

That said, each style of the ‘Guess Pitch’ setting uses different feedback, bonuses, and penalties. So if you do not guess the pitches correctly, your batter’s hitting potential will get penalized.

The Show 23 – Swing Inputs

The Show 23
Courtesy of MLB The Show 23

With the controls in mind, we can now go to the next step, which is the hitting inputs. This is basically to establish whether you’re more into using buttons to control your swing or the right analog stick.

To access these swing inputs, and the interfaces in the next section, all you need to do is visit the ‘Options’ menu, going to the ‘Gameplay’ tab, and then as soon as it opens, hit ‘R1’ or ‘R’ for Nintendo Switch and you will find these settings.

On that note, here’s all three swing inputs you can choose from in MLB The Show 23:

Buttons

When you set your swing input to buttons, you will be able to trigger your swing by simply pressing down on the corresponding button for the type of swing you’re after. So whether it’s a Normal, Power, or Contact swing, you just need to press down on its corresponding button and your player will complete that type of swing. If you’re looking to use the Zone interface, we recommend sticking with buttons unless you have a gift for simultaneous play.

Analog Flick

If you’re big on using the right analog stick to hit, but don’t want to over complicate things, the analog flick option is great. To perform a contact swing, you just need to flick the right analog stick to the left or right. And to perform a power swing, all you need to do is pull down on the right stick before pushing it back up when the ball comes close enough to hit it. When you pull back on the right analog stick, your batter will lean back and lift his front leg as if ready to hit. This motion is important to implement mid-windup of the opposing pitcher.

Analog Stride

If the Analog Flick isn’t good enough in terms of giving you more range of control, the Analog Stride will be even better for you. In short, every swing you perform with the Analog Stride, needs to be executed as if you’re completing a power swing with the Analog Flick input. So for each and every swing, users have to pull back the right analog stick and then push it back up when the ball is close within range to hit. This requires a much better feel for the timing of when to perform this motion. And if that’s something you think you’ll struggle with, it’s best to resort to the Flick or Buttons options.

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The Show 23 – Hitting Interfaces

The Show 23
Copyright MLB The Show 23

Unlike MLB The Show 23’s pitching interfaces, the hitting ones don’t nearly come with as many options and aren’t as complicated. As stated, earlier in the article, there’s two different methods when hitting. One can either press buttons or use the right analog stick.

That said, MLB The Show 23 did include different variations for each type, which come with their own set of nuances and specifics that make them uniquely different.

Here, we’ll help you understand all you need to know about each hitting interface and what each has to offer:

Timing

Pretty much exactly what it sounds, timing is a button pressing and right analog stick hitting option, and is the simplest you can use. All you need to do is time your swing to perfection and your batter will do the rest. Should you be after a hitting experience that is very straightforward yet allows you to dominate, this is definitely the interface for you. But if you’re longing for more hitting control, you might be better off choosing a different interface.

Zone

Speaking of a more involved hitting interface, the Zone option is a big fan-favorite that places a lot more control in the user’s hands. This is achieved by using the well-known Plate Coverage Indicator (PCI) that comes with it, which is controlled by using the left analog stick.

With the option to customize this PCI how you wish, from shapes to colors, it will essentially grant you much more control with where your batter places the barrel of his bat. Coming with three dots in the middle of the indicator, it’s the user’s job to not only to initiate the swing of the bat by pressing or using the right analog stick. But it’s also their job to place the PCI dots right on or around the ball with the left stick before completing their swing.

If you have a knack for multi-tasking like this with your hitting, this is definitely a recommended interface to try out and use. But if it’s too challenging, you’re better off sticking with timing or maybe trying the next and final option.

Directional

Should you be after an easier interface than the Zone option but harder than the Timing, the Directional hitting interface grants the perfect in-between by tasking players with controlling the swing and the direction of it. Using the buttons or right analog stick to swing, fans then have to use the left analog stick to point to where they want the ball to travel to. If you’re into having more hands on control with where the ball can go, you’ll like the Directional hitting interface.

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About the Author

Olivier Dumont

Olivier Dumont is a US Sports Games Writer for VideoGamer. He's in charge of writing news pieces, guides, and features on US Sports video games, including Madden, NBA 2K, NHL, and MLB The Show.