When sitting in the dugout after a brutal loss in MLB The Show 21 and wondering where it all went wrong, the answer often lies with the equipment. If two gamers have a similar skill level, yet one uses equipment and the other does not, that's a recipe for a 17-2 drubbing. In short, it's not an aspect of the game that players can afford to neglect.

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Playing Road to the Show utilizes equipment that completely defines the gameplay experience in MLB The Show 21. It requires some investment into ticket stubs, especially for the highest-end equipment, but it pays off with home runs trots, strikeouts, victories, and championship titles. This guide will go over each piece of equipment and how it can influence the game.

Updated on November 17th, 2021 by Hodey Johns: This article has been getting a great deal of use and that makes sense, equipment in Road to the Show is what players are saving up their hard-earned stubs for. But with so many choices, the article has become a bit difficult to read. To help out with this, each section has a chart to keep it simple and easy to find for gamers who just want the name of the piece of gear to buy. However, for the readers who like the deep analysis, below these charts is an explanation of why these pieces of gear are the best and other potential options.

15 Bats

• Hitters: Power, Contact

Perhaps the most signature piece of equipment to any positional player, the bat boosts hitting strength, specifically in the areas of contact and power. Two well-rounded bats come with the game depending on the edition ordered, but those looking to really specialize in either power or contact can find bats that go as high as 9 to either attribute. A good bat can be the difference between a solid player and one of the best players in the game.

Best Bat

There are only two statistics to consider for bats, those being Contact and Power. Sluggers will have a variety of bats that all tie for the best, just look for the cheapest bat with +9 to Power and +5 to Contact. If money is no object, then find the best-looking bat. Contact players also get a buffet of offerings as many bats have +6 to Power and +8 to Contact.

14 Batting Gloves

• Hitters: Power, Contact, Batting Clutch, Plate Vision

Plate Vision doesn't have much use for players who control each at-bat, but it cuts down on strikeouts when simulating. The other three statistics are all major hitting categories, so a good set of gloves goes a long way.

Best Batting Gloves

The Pittards Reserve has +7 to Contact, so those looking for average will be pleased with the increased contact these gloves provide. Power hitters have several +6 Power options to choose from, but the Pro Knit V2 batting gloves give +6 to Clutch, so those are the best in the game since they'll have an added benefit when knocking in RBIs.

13 Fielding Glove

• Hitters: Fielding, Arm Strength, Accuracy
• Pitchers: HR/9, H/9, BB/9, K/9, Pitching Clutch, Stamina

A good glove will boost every fielding attribute except for Reaction. This is good for fielders, but even more important for pitchers. Each glove has five attributes, 2-3 for fielding and 2-3 for pitching. Pitchers will want to nab one that has three of their most important traits on it.

It's hard enough to learn how to slide, dive, and jump, gamers don't need their equipment holding them back.

Best Fielding Glove

Fielding is the single most important statistic for infielders, and the A2K AO1 has an unrivaled +13 to Fielding on it, making it so hard-hit grounders become no problem. Outfielders will need to prioritize Accuracy and Arm Strength to throw out runners on the basepaths and the Pro Elite has +9 to both of those attributes.

For pitchers, the glove defines throwing style. Generally, the Pro Limited is considered the best for contact pitchers because of its +10 to BB/9, HR/9, and Stamina. But those looking for a strikeout title might want to think about the Flawless with a +11 to K/9. Closing pitchers who need a strong Pitching Clutch stat will love the +11 on the Gold Glove.

12 Cleats

• Hitters: Speed, Steal, Reaction, Baserunning Aggressiveness
• Pitchers: HR/9, H/9, BB/9, K/9, Pitching Clutch, Stamina

RELATED: MLB The Show 21: Best Infielders For Any Dream Team

Gamers that control their own baserunners in Road to the Show or Diamond Dynasty won't need Baserunning Aggressiveness, but those who have turned off baserunning will find themselves getting less irritated with runners who always seem to chicken out when going for home or backing off of a double with this attribute. Pitchers will treat this equipment slot exactly like the gloves by choosing a piece that has three of their core pitching stats on it.

Best Cleats

For position players, nothing is faster than the Adizero Afterburner 7.0 with their +14 Speed. The +10 to Stealing and +8 to Reaction make this an all-around best piece, too. Some cleats do slightly better in the Stealing attribute, but the speed on these more than compensates.

Relievers will also want to consider the Adizero Afterburner 7.0 for their best-in-class +10 to Pitching Clutch, but if overall stats are more important than dealing with baserunners, they can experiment with the 3000v5. Starters will be better off using the 3000v5 due to their +10 to K/9 and +6 to H/9. In this instance, contact and strikeout pitchers will both want to use this option.

11 Catcher Mask

• Catchers: Block

Players who choose the catcher position will absolutely love that they get three whole items slots all to themselves. First up, it's the mask.

Best Catcher Mask

• Pro-SRZ

The Pro-SRZ catcher mask adds +8 to that figure. The next closest mask only adds +6. Although all of the masks appear to be diamond quality, they are unequal, so make sure not to buy the cheapest diamond catcher mask. It's a common mistake that is unfair to the handful of players that pick this position.

10 Chest Protector

• Catchers: Block

By adding more Block, the number of wild pitches and passed balls are drastically reduced.

Best Chest Protector

• Pro-SRZ

Once again, the Pro-SRZ folks manage to make the indisputably best chest protector with a +5 to Block. All the others are +4 or less so take care again not to buy the cheapest gold chest piece. Also, don't bother looking for a diamond quality item in this category, the highest the game has is gold.

9 Leg Guards

• Catcher: Block

Many of the game's best pitchers have control issues because of their filthy breaking balls. By equipping all three pieces of equipment of the catcher, these pitchers are no longer in danger of ruining the game because of a bad knuckleball.

Best Leg Guards

• Pro-SRZ

In line with the last two items, absolutely nothing is better than the Pro-SRZ leg guards, which add +3 to Block, while the rest are +2 or less. This particular equipment slot has only silver equipment selections, but the silver choices are not equal, so, like before, be careful what gets bought when being thrifty.

8 Elbow Guard

• Hitters: Discipline, Durability

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Discipline is an irrelevant statistic in non-simulated experiences, but extra Durability makes it so players in Road to the Show don't get benched from fatigue. That leads to more games in a season and, therefore, better statistics.

Best Elbow Guard

• Pro-SRZ

There is only one diamond-quality elbow guard, so it's no surprise that it is also the best one. The Pro-SRZ Batter's Extended Double Strap Elbow Guard will add +6 to Discipline and +5 to Durability. Durability is a very important attribute as more at-bats are generally better than adding any other statistic which would slightly increase the quality of each at-bat.

7 Shin Guard

• Hitters: Batting Clutch, Durability, Discipline

This equipment can boost the same statistics as the wrist guard but adds in Batting Clutch. It's wise to ditch Discipline for Batting Clutch on this piece unless playing many simulated games.

Best Shin Guard

• Pro-SRZ

The folks over at Pro-SRZ apparently know what they're doing as, once again, they have the only diamond-level piece of equipment in this category. It's the best across the board, giving +5 to Batting Clutch and Durability. Pitchers only get any use from Stamina on the mound, but even they can benefit from Durability throughout a long season.

6 Wrist Guard

• Hitters: Discipline, Durability

Identical to the elbow guard, the wrist guard boosts Discipline and Durability. Both can be equipped at the same time to give gamers a chance at Cal Ripken Jr's consecutive game streak.

Best Wrist Guard

• Pro-SRZ

It's safe to assume at this point that if it's about protection, the Pro-SRZ is going to make the best version. They have the only diamond-quality wrist guard, adding +5 each to Discipline and Durability. Discipline applied to the success rate on check swings, which is rarely useful, but the Durability is worth its weight in gold.

5 Compression Sleeve

• Hitters: Durability, Arm Strength, Accuracy

Aside from adding a third layer of Durability around the arms, the compression sleeve helps out in the field by adding some power and accuracy to throwing.

Best Compression Sleeve

Outfielders will get an extra +5 Arm Strength from the Vapor Slider Sleeve 2 along with +3 Durability and Accuracy. The other two gold options have identical stats, with +4 to Durability, +3 to Arm Strength, and +4 to Arm Accuracy.

An outfielder who is purely concerned with playing time and willing to sacrifice a little throwing ability can certainly elect to use the Core Sleeve as well.

4 Bat Grips

• Hitters: Contact, Power, Batting Clutch, Plate Vision

The diamond-level bat grips all have identical statistics on them, so it's really just a matter of preference between the Jackie Robinson grips, Fernando Tatis grips, or the Mike Trout grips. Those who care more about effectiveness than cosmetics can check out the market and see which one is going for the cheapest price.

Best Bat Grip

• Any

All four of the diamond-rarity bat grips have identical statistics: +4 to Power and Contact with +5 to Plate Vision and Batting Clutch. So grab whichever of those is the least expensive or looks the coolest, depending on the situation with the players' ticket stubs.

3 Eyewear

• Hitters: Plate Vision, Discipline, Accuracy, Fielding, Reaction

Because Plate Vision and Discipline will only boost simulated play, it's recommended to choose the eyewear with the highest values in Accuracy, Fielding, and Reaction.

Best Eyeware

• Radar Ev Pitch

Unlike many of the options that came before it, outfielders and infielders are in agreement here. The Radar Ev Pitch sunglasses are the best with +6 Fielding, +5 Arm Accuracy, and +5 Reaction. There are other diamond options, but none of them give the equivalent boost to these stats.

2 Socks

• Socks: Speed, Steal

Those who preordered the Jackie Robinson edition already have a best-in-slot pair of socks for the whole team to wear. For those who didn't preorder, it's not too big of a deal, there is plenty of Speed and Steal capabilities on the other two choices.

Although players might not project themselves to be a terror on the base paths, Speed helps cover ground in the outfield and can turns singles into extra-base hits. So a good pair of socks is worth a lot.

Best Socks

• Fernando Tatis Jr. "El Nino"

The only diamond-quality socks available have +6 Speed and +8 Stealing attributes. The Jackie Robinson edition socks are better, but not available for auction. So put on the cheapest pair and move on!

1 Ritual

• Hitters: All
• Pitchers: All

For Road to the Show gamers, this equipment slot can boost a particular aspect of a player's game. Whether it's singles and stealing, clout and connection, or strikeouts and groundouts, hitters and pitchers will get boosted to stardom with the right ritual.

This choice might be the most important decision to make in Diamond Dynasty. A team's identity can be either a pitcher-first or slugger-first franchise depending on what is equipped here. Choosing a boost that applies to every player on the team matters more than any individual player card, even if it is a perfect 99 overall rating.

Best Ritual

Hitters of all types will be saving up for the Legendary Call ritual, which adds +8 to Power and +8 to Contact, making it easily the best ritual in the game for hitters. Base stealing monsters will opt for the Legend in a Cleat ritual, which adds +7 to Speed and Stealing. Although when players get fast enough, they may want to consider switching to the Legendary Call ritual because it helps with getting on base and players can't steal if they can't get to first.

Pitchers, both closers and starters, will want to take advantage of the Axle Grease, which adds +5 to Pitching Clutch, HR/9, K/9, and BB/9. There are many variations of diamond-quality rituals, but none of them are as game-breaking as these options. Since these aren't visible in any way, the look of the item is entirely unimportant, so make this decision all about statistics.

MLB The Show 21 was released on April 16, 2021, and is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.

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