If you love MLB The Show 22 like us, KontrolFreek has you covered with the best tips and products to improve your game and win more. Koogs46 has been one of the top MLB The Show players for years now, and he recently released his Hitting Tips video for MLB The Show 22. Whether you are an MLB The Show rookie or a home run champion, we think everyone should read the tips below to learn how to make good contact consistently, understand the PCI, and improve your game with KontrolFreek products. 

1. Hitting View: Strike Zone 

Adjust the Hitting View setting to whatever feels comfortable to you and your gaming setup. We recommend the “Strike Zone” option, as this zoomed in view makes it a little easier to see the ball, recognize pitches, and make better swing decisions. 

2. Hitting Interface: Zone 

Zone gives you total control of the strike zone and is what feels like the best combination of simulation and user input. There are also Directional and Pure Analog interfaces, but Koogs and most MLB The Show players agree that Zone is the most accurate.

3. Understanding Plate Coverage Indicator (PCI) 

The Plate Coverage Indicator has three parts: the outer, the inner, and the center. The Outer zone of the PCI is your player’s Vision Area. High vision helps the batter make contact even with bad timing or location; useful for hitting foul balls to stay in the count.  

The Inner zone is your player’s Contact Area. Not to be confused as the barrel of your bat, this zone is your swing plane that influences the contact ranging from weak grounders to good line drives depending on the pitch’s position within this zone. The Center zone is as it sounds; this is the barrel of your bat. Positioning this cursor onto the ball results in Perfect/Perfect contact on the hitting meter, meaning Perfect Location and Perfect Timing.  

4. PCI Settings and Styles 

 There are a bunch of new ways to customize your PCI in MLB The Show 22, including the color and shapes in the center zone. There is also setting for PCI Fadeout, which controls which part of the PCI fade out when a pitch is thrown. Default is to fade out just the Vision zone. We recommend using whatever PCI settings you feel most comfortable with, but if you are in a slump and need to rally, try out some new PCI options to find your sweet spot. 

5. PCI Anchor 

The PCI Anchor setting is new to MLB The Show 22. With it turned on, you can choose to adjust the starting point of your PCI for each pitch. If a pitcher has a tendency for a certain location in the strike zone, you can choose to anchor your PCI on that side or in that corner, which will make it easier to lock on to pitches in that zone. 

6. Use Custom Practice Mode 

The best way to hone your skills is to setup the play exactly as you want it to be; hit with any batter, against any pitcher and set the play to repeat.

7. Understand Hitting Feedback 

After any swing, you will see the results of that swing in the feedback. Here you can see Batter Attributes, Swing Timing, PCI, Wind, Launch Angle, and Velocity. Getting familiar with this information is key to hitting better as this will give you an idea of what you can improve at. 

8. Learn When to Take Pitches and Stay Disciplined 

Don't jump on all pitches. Pay attention to a pitcher’s confidence with each pitch and how their energy and confidence drops as you make them throw more pitches. Getting up in the count 2-0 or 3-1 gives your player a better chance to make contact.

9. Don’t Be Afraid of 2 Strike Counts 

Be confident, even when you are in a 2 strike situation. Don’t feel like you automatically have to swing. Look for the pitch you want. If they throw a great pitch and you strike out, brush it off and move on to the next hitter. 

10. Swing Early at Inside Fastballs 

For pitches on the inside of the plate, be early or don’t swing at all. Being what is normally on time or later mostly results in weak contact. Take away the inside of the plate with your PCI to put more pressure on the pitcher to pitch outside where it's easier to make good contact. 

 11. Know Your Weaknesses 

Use the feedback and practice mode to determine your weaknesses and then tailor your settings and swings accordingly. If you are tracking inside pitches and overcorrecting your PCI, then try anchoring your PCI on the inside so you have to adjust less. Use practice mode to target and improve a specific weakness. 

12. Normal Swings Only 

Don’t be tempted to use any swing other than normal. Power Swing and Contact Swing aren’t worth it. You can achieve the swing you are looking for more reliably with Normal Swings. 

13. Higher Difficulties 

Practicing with higher pitch speeds to train your reactions and swing timing. Once you lower back to your standard difficulty, you should be able to read the pitches better and time your swings more accurately. A similar feeling to practicing ping-pong with a spoon and then switching back to a full paddle. 

14. KontrolFreeks 

We recommend using a High-Rise Performance Thumbsticks on the left analog, like FPS Freek Inferno. This added height gives you more arc distance, which allows you to access more precise movements in-between the dead zone and the edge. If you find yourself reacting and pulling the bat too low on off-speed pitches or too high when trying to reach that high fastball, Performance Thumbsticks can help you fine tune those movements to access those smaller adjustments. On the right analog, most just use a Mid-Rise Performance Thumbstick as it is not as precision intensive. If you are playing as a player in the field, you will have to aim with the right stick to throw to first base. But other than that, there is not much use for added height on the right analog. 

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