Best Hitting Settings in MLB The Show 21

One of the most electric parts of baseball is stepping up to the plate and whaling the ball over the wall and well into the stands. When it comes down to hitting settings in MLB The Show 21, there are various options to choose from depending on your style of play and level of difficulty. To help you get started, we have broken down the best hitting settings in MLB The Show 21 through a detailed analysis of each setting available. 

Best Hitting Settings in MLB The Show 21

To get to the “batting settings,” you will need to click the gear icon on the top right corner of the main menu. From there, go to “Gameplay.” At this point, you should see “Batting” and “Baserunning” there as your primary options. You can access these during gameplay, as well.

The biggest mistake that players make is to try and utilize “power swings” and put as much force behind the ball as possible. At the end of the day, power swings are most likely just going to destroy your accuracy unless the pitch is hit perfectly. Therefore it is typically recommended to go for “normal swings” most of the time, as this will at least guarantee you getting on base. 

To go into further detail on the best hitting settings in MLB The Show 21, we have broken down the three different hitting settings: Pure Analog Hitting, Directional Hitting, and Zone Hitting. 

Pure Analog Hitting

Pure Analog Hitting is the best hitting setting if you are looking for the most natural hitting experience and for those who prefer to use the sticks rather than buttons. You will find that some people prefer to flick the stick to make contact with an incoming pitch, and if you are one of those people, then using the Pure Analog Hitting is the best choice for you. 

Normal swings require you to flick the right stick forward at the correct time, while Power swings are done by quickly flicking the stick back and then forwards in a strong swinging motion. 

However, once again, it is recommended to stick to normal swings for the majority of your at-bats. Contact is great, but the most important thing is to not strikeout. 

Directional Hitting

Directional Hitting is the best hitting setting for those who prefer to use buttons rather than sticks and those looking for the easiest hitting experience. For this hitting setting, you press X (A for Xbox) for a normal swing, circle (B for Xbox) for a contact swing, or square (X for Xbox) for a power swing. 

However, before swinging, you can use the left stick to affect the result you get. For example, if you push the left stick forwards, you are more likely to hit a fly ball, but if you push it down, it will likely result in a ground ball. You can also push the stick left or right to change the direction you’re trying to hit the ball. 

Zone Hitting 

The final setting is for those looking for the most authentic yet challenging experience, as you will have complete control over the entire swinging motion of your player. With this setting on, you can manually track the ball as it comes towards you, keeping the “zone” over it the entire time. If you complete this correctly, you’ll make perfect contact with the ball (assuming your timing is on point as well). 

Depending on how good your batter is, the zone hovering over the incoming ball will be bigger or smaller. That means a player will have a better or worse chance of making perfect contact with the ball. It is easily the most difficult setting on the list because it requires full control and focus throughout the entire swing (not just your timing).