There is no shortage of tinkering to be done in MLB The Show 22. Every stance will differ from person to person and should be revisited regularly. Archetype perks can, and likely should, be swapped out between games. But one thing that can be a consistent bedrock is the player's gear.
Of course, this doesn't mean there isn't upgrading to do as players amass a pile of stubs quickly. But once the best piece of gear is in place, it can be a trusty piece that never needs to be revisited in Road to the Show. This is a map for players to make a plan for their gear hunt in MLB The Show 22.
Bats
- Affected attributes: Power, Contact
The most important part of every at-bat is, as expected, the bat. Players who want to have a heavy dose of both contact and power will be pleased to see that most bats give about the same amount of both.
Batting Gloves
- Affected attributes: Power, Contact, Batting Clutch, Plate Vision
After creating the best batting stance, don't allow the entire painstaking endeavor to be undone by weaker gear. Each set of batting gloves gives a bit of each attribute, so it's up to the player to decide the balance between these four attributes.
Fielding Gloves
- Affected attributes: Fielding, Arm Strength, Arm Accuracy, K/9, H/9, BB/9, Stamina, Pitching Clutch
The fielding glove represents a serious opportunity for in-depth customization. Each one has five attributes, two that boost fielding, two that boost pitching, and one more that can boost pitching or fielding. But each fielding and pitching attribute caries. Starting pitchers, relievers, infielders, and outfielders will all wear different gloves depending on their priorities.
Cleats
- Affected attributes: Speed, Stealing, Baserunning Aggressiveness, Reaction, K/9, H/9, BB/9, Stamina, Pitching Clutch
Cleats have even more variance than the batting gloves with their five attributes; two boost baserunning, two boost pitching, and one more that boosts either baserunning or reaction. The right balance of these statistics will be unique for each player and getting those choices right can help the player enough to win the World Series.
Catcher Mask
- Affected attributes: Blocking
Catcher's gear has only one attribute: blocking. Although all catcher's masks are listed as diamond quality, one choice is a little more diamond than the others and gives an additional two blocking.
Chest Protector
- Affected attributes: Blocking
Just like the masks, all of the chest protectors are the same quality, but one of the pieces gives an additional point of blocking.
Leg Guards
- Affected attributes: Blocking
Finally, in line with all of the other catcher's gear, the leg guards are of the same quality. Look out for one particular set that gives an additional point to the blocking attribute.
Elbow Guard
- Affected attributes: Discipline, Durability
Every year, when players figure out the best teams in the game, the tendency is that the healthiest teams are the ones that stayed on top for the year. With the durability alone, elbow guards are as important as any other item.
Shin Guard
- Affected attributes: Batting Clutch, Discipline, Durability
There are three total statistics that shin guards can give bonuses to, but only two at a time. The silver options swap out batting clutch for durability. Generally speaking, especially if the player is controlling the hitter, batting clutch is the more valuable attribute.
Wrist Guard
- Affected attributes: Discipline, Durability
The wrist guard does exactly what the elbow guard does in different quantities. The discipline is nice, but it's the durability that keeps players participating in more games.
Compression Sleeve
- Affected attributes: Durability, Arm Strength, Arm Accuracy
Each compression sleeve gives a boost to all three attributes. There isn't a player on the field that can't use either arm strength or arm accuracy frequently, so even players that want to change positions regularly can take their trusty compression sleeve with them to the new spot.
Bat Grips
- Affected attributes: Power, Contact, Batting Clutch, Plate Vision
The bat grips boost all four attributes in varying amounts based on the item quality. The only gamers that should pass on the bat grips are pitchers that will never go to bat.
Eyewear
- Affected attributes: Plate Vision, Discipline, Arm Accuracy, Fielding, Reaction
With three fielding boosts and two hitting boosts, the eyewear makes all the difference in the world. The player will automatically take them off during night games, but don't worry, the extra attributes will still count.
Socks
- Affected attributes: Speed, Stealing
Baseball players are a superstitious bunch. Even some of the more conservative players have a lucky pair of socks. There's no mystery to the "luck" these socks provide. Some gamers don't plan on stealing bases, but the speed attribute will help with most athletes, especially the outfielders.
Ritual
- Affected attributes: Power, Contact, Batting Clutch, Plate Vision, Discipline, Bunting, Drag Bunting, Durability, Fielding, Arm Accuracy, Arm Strength, Reaction, Speed, Stealing, K/9, H/9, BB/9, Stamina, Pitching Clutch
Rituals can do anything. It's a veritable buffet where players can choose their favorite attribute and stack it up. Many players with the best gear may look very similar regarding most pieces of gear, but favorite rituals are all over the map. Strikeout artists, sluggers, and speed demons will all have a different preferred ritual.
MLB The Show 22 was released on April 5th, 2022, and is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PlayStation 5.