It's impossible to give every gamer the best possible stance in MLB The Show 23 since this is a deeply personal decision. Automatically, some players will value contact hitting, power hitting, or a blend somewhere between those two.
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These differences are only made exponentially greater by individual ability. Players with different timing and pitch location preferences in MLB The Show 23 will also need to make small changes to their stance. Thankfully, if players understand each part of the process, making a custom batting stance isn't too difficult and the reward is better than anything mere perks and gear can provide.
Choosing A Batting Stance
Before customizing a stance, players have to choose a template to start with. Oftentimes, it's best to use Generic Stance 1 until understanding what each of the elements means. This stance appears to intentionally be medium in every way.
It can be tempting to use Aaron Judge's stance since he's one of the best right fielders in baseball and an all-time great slugger. But there are elements of his stance that will confuse gamers that don't understand it. He requires a late power swing to use properly. The reason is due to the following factors of his stance.
After gaming for a bit, players will find out what tendencies and demands they have. With that knowledge, go back, choose a matching template, and adjust it accordingly.
Hand Offset
Hand Offset Position | Lower Number Effect | Higher Number Effect |
X | Better contact on late swings | Better contact on early swings |
Y | Better low pitch hitting | Better high pitch hitting |
Z | Better outside pitch hitting | Better inside pitch hitting |
Y and Z are somewhat self-explanatory. If the bat is further out over the plate, players can hit better on the outside but will get bunched up on inside pitches. The opposite is also true for positions closer to the body. J.T. Realmuto is one of the best catchers in the game and his stance is moderately far away from his body and high, making him a greater threat on balls over the plate and up in the zone.
X is a bit tougher as it relates to the distance the bat travels until it connects with the ball. Close to the head and the arms don't go as far back, meaning an ideal arm extension requires an early swing to get in front of the pitch. It stands to reason, then, that as X goes further back, a later swing is better.
Hand Rotation
- Lower Number Effect: Better high pitch contact
- Higher Number Effect: Better low pitch contact
This adjustment has everything to do with the angle of the bat as it swings. With a flat angle, the bat will not need to make an adjustment and will hit high pitches at maximum volume. Conversely, if the angle is high, the bat has a natural loop against lower pitches.
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The best example of this is Yordan Alvarez, one of the best left fielders whose angle is so low the bat is at a negative angle. He's lethal against any pitch high in the zone.
Hand Waggle Rotation
- Lower Number Effect: Better high pitch contact
- Higher Number Effect: Better low pitch contact
Because of the way the bat is gripped, high and low numbers for hand waggle tend to look the same despite the different outcomes. Players who want to see the difference can see it on generic Stance 15. Waggle essentially "prepares" a type of swing, with higher numbers preparing the bat to move vertically through the zone and lower numbers preparing the bat to move horizontally.
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The pattern of the hand waggle is entirely dependent on the batting stance selected. Move to Mike Trout, one of the best center fielders alive, and note his unique double-loop pattern.
Back Elbow Offset
- Lower Number Effect: Better contact swing
- Higher Number Effect: Better power swing
The back elbow placement determines the speed at which the bat goes through the zone. Higher numbers mean a faster and stronger swing but this comes at the expense of having a shorter zone to hit the ball ideally. Lower numbers will make it easier to have great contact but the slower bat speed will result in fewer home runs.
For example, Trea Turner is an amazing contact hitter. It's one of the reasons he's considered one of the best shortstops in the league. He keeps his elbow very low to accomplish the goal of hitting for average.
Front Elbow Offset
- Lower Number Effect: Better low pitch contact
- Higher Number Effect: Better high pitch contact
The back arm determines the strength behind the swing but the front arm is all about guiding that swing. A low elbow will adjust the swing downward while bringing it up levels the swing for higher pitches.
Take a look at Manny Machado, one of baseball's elite talents at third base, and note his tucked front elbow. Machado is lethal at hitting low and inside pitches because of this stance.
Hips Offset
Hips Offset Position | Lower Number Effect | Higher Number Effect |
X | Better contact on late swings | Better contact on early swings |
Y | Better high pitch hitting | Better low pitch hitting |
Z | Better inside pitch hitting | Better outside pitch hitting |
Hips are closely correlated with hand positions. Once again, Y and Z are simple to explain. Y moves the hips up and down and the player's sweet spot will move with it. Z moves the hips forward and backward, changing outside and inside hitting prowess.
X determines the weight distribution between the front and the back. Players out in front of balls will want that their weight on the front foot while those who like to swing later will find better contact with weight on the back leg. Shohei Ohtani, one of the best starting pitchers since Babe Ruth, slightly favors his weight on the back leg.
When it comes to the direction that the hips are facing, like the hand waggle, this comes entirely from the batting stance. Hips toward the pitcher are the equivalent of having the leg in an open stance while hips facing away has the closed stance effect.
Forward Foot Offset Position | Lower Number Effect | Higher Number Effect |
Z | Pulls hits more frequently | Pushes hits away more frequently |
X | Better contact on late swings | Better contact on early swings |
The Z-axis for the forward foot is one of the most important things to get right for the entire stance. If players find they are hitting too many foul balls to one side of the other, this is the first place to go. With a closed stance (low number), dead pull hitters will find they can open up the entire field. Players who keep fouling to the opposite side should raise this number. Top-tier second baseman Jose Altuve uses this latter open stance.
The X-axis is similar to hip weight distribution. With a tight stance (low number), the player will hit late balls better. Those out in front will get more power on early swings by putting their front foot further forward.
Animations
The prior sections are technically all there is to a batting stance but this is wildly misleading. Animations may sound like flavor options but they dramatically affect how the ball comes off of the bat.
Changing the batting stance will reset the animations, so these two categories must be reset every time the stance is adjusted.
Swing Type
- Default: Balanced swing
- One-Handed Swings: Better power, poor contact
- Two-Handed Swings: Better contact, poor power
The type of swing will alter how the ball comes off the bat on power and contact swings. The default swing is a mix of power and contact. There are a variety of one and two-handed swings and each of those numbers have a blend of contact and power.
For example, the One-Handed Style 1 swing leans toward power but does not sacrifice too much contact. One-Handed Style 3 has the most power with the largest penalty to contact while Two-Handed Style 5 has the best odds of hitting for contact with the greatest penalty to power. The best teams in the league try to find players with a variety of swings to balance out their lineups.
Stride
- Default: Balanced swing
- Style 1: Better contact, poor power
- Style 2: Better power, poor contact
Finally, the stride completes the swing. Style 1 is a light step for a lighter swing with better contact odds and less power. Style 2 is a huge step for maximum bat speed, giving the potential for tremendous power while also making the odds of solid contact decrease. Default balances these two philosophies.
MLB The Show 23 is available now for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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