Even in games with lots of statistical data like MLB The Show 21, opinion is a large factor when determining the best strategies. The "best" pitching staff might strike out a lot of players but allow more home runs than average. Meanwhile, the "worst" pitching staff might have a high opponent batting average but allow very few walks. Everyone will have a preference.
So any guide to the best batting stance will have to accommodate personal taste. A single change can lower a player's batting average by 50 points, or turn their home runs into pop flies if they aren't sure of what to do. This guide will be useful for all players from those looking to hit .400, to those who want to get consistent bunt singles, and to those looking to win a home run crown every year of their career in MLB The Show 21.
Updated on September 5th, 2021 by Hodey Johns: Helping hitters hit is what this guide is all about. The tips and tricks here are successful and this is all confirmed as players continue to adjust their stances based on the desired output. However, while the community enjoyed the advice, readers had trouble finding specific answers when scanning for their hitting needs. To make it easier on the eyes, sections have had bullet points added for hitting for power, hitting for contact, and balanced hitting. Also, the articles have been re-worded and a few updates have been added based on some testing and feedback with more player template stances.
Have A Goal In Mind
The first part of crafting a perfect batting stance should take place before ever playing the game. Each change made will be done with a goal in mind. The only question is what that goal might be.
Players should start by visualizing the results they want, and follow these steps to make a stance that is conducive to this. Is the goal to only hit home runs or line drives? Is it ideal to hit to one side of the field or toward all sides? Should the player completely high pitches or be more well-rounded? Answer these questions before messing around with the Motions & Sounds menu.
Picking The Right Template
One of the easiest ways to get the results needed is to pick a player, current or former, that hits similar to the way that the player wants. Ted Williams, for example, hit for a little power, a lot of average, and was a dead pull hitter. Don't worry – these preset stances can be tweaked for small changes. Players looking to pick a template should scroll down to the end of this guide.
But don't be afraid to craft a custom stance either. Even the default stance can be turned into a deadly force on the diamond with some creativity. Pick one, any one, that looks good, and proceed to edit it.
Matching The Stance With The Position
- Power (Slugger Archetype): Catcher, First Base, Third Base, Left Field, Right Field
- Contact (Sparkplug): Catcher, First Base, Second base, Shortstop, Third Base, Left Field, Center Field, Right Field
- Balanced (Speedster): Second Base, Shortstop, Left Field, Center Field, Right Field
One part of what makes a stance successful is how the player is designed on the field. Certain positions have natural affinities to hit for power, contact, or balance.
It's possible to design a third baseman who can lay down a solid bunt single, but it won't be as effective as a second baseman who does the same. Keep the affinity of the position in mind when thinking about strengths and weaknesses.
Adjusting The Position Of The Bat
- Slow, Strong Swing: Bat located high, back, and away from the shoulder. Minimal elbow bend.
- Balanced Swing: Bat close to the shoulder, hands about even the back ribs, and elbows at about 90 degrees.
- Fast, Weak Swing: Bat tight to the body. Arms are low so the bat and hands touch the body. The bat should be close to vertical.
While many, even most, of these batting stance adjustments are for flavor, some make a practical difference in the game. One of these is the position of the bat. This positioning affects the speed of the swing and the time spent in the zone.
Moving the bat further back will move faster through the zone, resulting in harder hit balls; however, this also increases misses and fouls. Moving the bat closer will create a wider contact area, at the expense of power and exit velocity.
Changing The Front Foot Position
- Pull hitting: Front foot is far away from the plate.
- Spray hitting: Front foot is directly in front of the back foot.
- Opposite field hitting: Front foot is close to the plate.
The position of the front foot will change the tendency of balls to go left or right. Right-handed hitters will tend to "pull" the baseball left, while lefties have the opposite issue.
A closed stance means the front foot is closer to the plate than the back foot. This will cut down on pull, whereas an open stance does the opposite. An open stance is good for gamers that are too late on pitches, while a closed stance is benefits gamers that are too early. For players with solid timing and a desire to hit to all fields evenly, keep the feet even.
Fine Tuning The Posture And Hips
- Hit low pitches better: Knees are at 90 degrees, the player should be in a squat position and low to the ground.
- Balanced: Knees are at 135 degrees, the player is slightly bent over at the hips.
- Hit high pitches better: Knees have no bend. Posture is vertical.
Height and weight don't change anything, but posture makes all the difference in the world. Bringing the hips down will let players hit low pitches into the air, but cause them to pop out on high pitches. Bringing the hips up will let players crush high pitches, but force grounders on low pitches.
The same logic applies to how close the athlete's hips are to the plate. Bringing the hips back will crush inside pitches but will dribble outside pitches to the infield. Bringing the hips forward can help swat outside pitches, but the tradeoff is getting sawed off on the inside.
Matching Up The Swing Type
- Power: One-handed swing
- Contact: Two-handed swing
This is the most often missed step in creating the perfect stance, and it's easily the most important. After getting the stance looking right, leave the stance creator and go to the Animations tab. Scroll down to the Swing Type selection. The default swing is balanced, a two-handed swing hits for better contact, and a one-handed swing hits for more power.
Always make the stance first and then change the animations. Doing this in reverse order will clear the animations after making the stance.
Select A Pace With The Stride
- Slow, Strong Swing: High leg kick, lots of extension on the front foot.
- Balanced Swing: Moderate leg kick, the front foot moves up in the box a few inches on the swing.
- Fast, Weak Swing: Minimal leg kick, the front foot is nearly planted during the entire swing.
With hitting, timing is everything. The stride will drastically change the timing from when the button is clicked to when the bat makes contact with the ball. Slower strides have more power but take longer to connect the bat to the ball. Quicker strides have less power, but bring the bat to the ball faster for better reaction times.
Players should make this decision depending on how well they can predict a pitch or tell what kind of pitch is thrown early. A quick stride is great for players on harder settings when they have to decide on whether to swing or not in a fraction of a second.
Batting Switch?
Players will be able to hit for better contact and power against opposite throwing pitchers. Lefties beat righties and righties beat lefties. Batting switch is recommended for most stances, but there are two large caveats.
First, bunt-first players should always be right-handed because this gives them a faster jump to first base. Second, gamers will have to recommend that their weak and strong spots are vertically inverted when changing sides of the plate. If this is hard to remember, then stick to the more comfortable side.
The Best Generic Batting Stances
- Power: Legend Stance 18
- Balanced: Veteran Stance 145
- Contact: Generic Two-Handed Stance 2
Why pick a generic batting stance? Simply, picking another player's stance, even when adjusted, still looks like it is ripped off of that other player. Unique gamers want a player that performs differently than anyone who has ever played or is currently playing and so these generic stances will help out.
The folks over at Sony San Diego have been busy and there are now thirty-three pages of generic batting stances to upload. If this sounds daunting, it should. Thankfully, there are dedicated gamers who test out each and every stance and report back with their findings.
Balanced players should take a look at Veteran Stance 145. Anybody interested in power should consider Legend Stance 18 because it has that open stance and high arms that gamers seem to favor for slugging. Contact hitters will be grateful that a slew of two-handed hitting options exists, Generic Two-Handed Stance 2 is one of the best for small-ball enthusiasts.
The Best Former Player Batting Stance
- Power: Mickey Mantle
- Balanced: Chipper Jones (2008)
- Contact: Rickey Henderson
Of course, the easiest way to go is to pick somebody that made a Hall of Fame career doing exactly what the player desires to do and copying that stance. The record books are full of 500-home run club members and lifetime .325+ batting average careers.
Gamers looking for juice should look no further than Mickey Mantle, whose stance laces balls from both sides of the plate over fences. Balanced players have seen the most success with Chipper Jones (2008), another switch hitter that can do it all. And he's not known for his stance, but Rickey Henderson is the best contact hitter with that low posture and closed stance; he's a bunting nightmare.
The Best Current Player Batting Stance
- Power: Robinson Cano
- Balanced: Charlie Blackmon
- Contact: Luis Arraz
There is a reason the game is released every year. With arguably the freshest and most exciting faces of all time, baseball has never had more talent, so picking somebody at the top of the game right now is a smart move. There's a staggering forty-seven pages of players to sift through, but thanks to some hard work, playtesters have found the best handful.
For power, gamers have flocked to Robinson Cano and his wide and open stance, plus the bat is tucked back nicely. One of the most well-balanced player stances in the game belongs to Charlie Blackmon, it works out in the game as well as it does on the field. Dink-and-dunk players are drying up in modern-day baseball, but thankfully Luis Arraz is a phenom at contact hitting and his stance works wonders.