============================================================================== MLB '08:THE SHOW Fielder Career Mode FAQ(Version 1.0; March 27th '08) Written by: Aj_the_one ============================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Table of Contents ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Denotes nothing changed from last years game A.Version History B.Introduction C.Legal Stuff D.Creating A Fielder E.Fielding Positions F.Ratings G.Starting your Career G1.Spring Training H.Regular Season and Playoffs H1.Schedule H2.Around the League HH1.Standings HH2.Statistics HH3.Team Overview HH4.Team Rankings HH5.Who's Hot HH6.League Roundup HH7.League Leaders HH8.Accolades H3.Player Management I.Career Home Menu I1.Locker Room I2.Contract I3.Interactions I4.Training J.Off-Season K.Retirement L.Batting/Fielding Tips M.Fielder Career Progress N.Points Needed to MAX Ratings O.The Art of Base Stealing P.The Art of Home Run Hitting Q.The Art of Defense R.Credits ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A.Version History ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Version 1.0-FAQ Completed Version 1.3-Updated Career Progress and made some changes to all 3 Art Of sections. Version 1.4-Made some corrections and Updated to the FAQ and updated my career progress. Version 1.5-Updated Career Progress and added a section for the number of points needed to max out ratings. Also added a new fielding tip. Version 1.6-Updated career progress after a long delay Version 1.7-Made some changes and updated career progress ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ B.Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Awwwwyeah!!!!You know it's baseball season and you know that brings us a new wonderful game from Sony. This years iteration is better than the last and there are a couple of worthwhile additions this year. Enough with the intro though, let's get to it!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ C.Legal Stuff* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ My FAQ may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal or private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site except for www.gamefaqs.com and www.ign.com or as part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. Copyright 2008 Armand Sellers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ D.Creating a Fielder* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is where you will make your future Hall Of Famer(Hopefully). Much like the pitcher section you choose your batters age, height weight, number, position, handedness, batting stance and ratings. Most of the changes are cosmetic with the exception of your position and your ratings. Since these are all cosmetic I have no suggestions except for going with what you like. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ E.Fielding Positions ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As you all should know there are 8 positions that can be played and as such that you can choose from. I will give a brief description of each position and I what you should expect in that position. IMPORTANT!!! I didn't add any points to plate discipline because I will be controlling my batter and I can choose whether to swing at a pitch or not. Also with all positions I prefer to have speedy contact hitters. IMPORTANT!!! Each rating can only be increased by 5 points and you have a total of 50 points to distribute to all your ratings. Catcher His main job is to call the pitches that the pitcher should throw then actually catch pitches thrown. In addition to this he also has to catch weak fly balls behind the plate and also throw out baserunners trying to steal. Generally aren't fast but need to be durable. Rating Recommendation-Contact/Power=+5, Arm Strength/Accuracy=+5 Durablity=+5 Plate Vision=+5,Fielding Ability=+5, Clutch=+5. 1st Baseman He presides over the other "hot corner". Most of your throws in the game will come to your 1st baseman to get outs. In addition to this he also will keep runners in check or will play the foul line to spear hard line drives. Another position which doesn't require much speed but great reaction time. Rating Recommendation- Contact/Power=+5, Durability=+5, Arm Strength/ Accuracy=+5,Reaction=+5, Fielding Ability=+5,Clutch=+5, Vision=+5 2nd Baseman He will be busy throughout the course of the game because he will catch alot of the balls thrown to second base and he is also responsible for guarding the middle of the field(shared with the Shortstop). As a result of this he will turn alot of Double plays and should have good speed and reaction time and an accurate arm. Rating Recommendation-Contact/Power=+5, Durability=+5, Arm Strength/ Accuracy=+5,Reaction=+5, Fielding Ability=+5,Speed=+5 Shortstop Like the second baseman he also has a similiar position only from the other side of the 2nd baseman(from the catchers perspective the left side of the field). He also will chase down shallow fly balls and hits to the short outfield in addition to turning double plays. Like the 2nd Baseman, speed and reaction are important as is arm strength so the ball can get across the field to 1st base faster. Rating Recommendation-Contact/Power=+5, Durability=+5, Arm Strength/ Accuracy=+5,Reaction=+5, Fielding Ability=+5,Speed=+5 3rd Baseman He presides over the "Hot Corner" so called because most Right Handed hitters will pull the ball hard to this area. He must also catch fly balls in fair and foul territory and will also throw to second to start double plays. Since balls will frequently be hit hard at him he should have a good amount of reaction to jump on bunts and also a strong arm so throws can get to 1st base faster. Rating Recommendation-Contact/Power=+5, Durability=+5, Arm Strength/ Accuracy=+5,Reaction=+5, Fielding Ability=+5,Clutch=+5 Left Fielder As the corner infielder closest to the plate he will back the 3rd baseman in making plays home in addition to fielding both fair and foul balls. Generally doesn't need a strong arm but is always helpful. Should have good fielding ability and also a fair amount of speed. Rating Recommendation-Contact/Power=+5, Durability=+5, Arm Strength/ Accuracy=+5,Reaction=+5, Fielding Ability=+5,Speed=+5 Center Fielder Is the "captain" of the outfield and is responsible for covering the most ground to get ot fly balls and also coordinating with other outfielders to avoid collisions. Since he hase the most ground to cover he should possess a great amount of speed and fielding ability and good reaction time also. Arm strength normally isn't paramount but as with all other positions, it helps alot. Rating Recommendation-Contact/Power=+5, Speed=+5, Fielding Ability=+5 Reaction=+5, Arm Strength/accuracy=+5, Durability=+5 Right Fielder As the other corner outfielder he will back up the 1st baseman on balls in his direction. Also has alot of ground to cover so he should be reasonably fast and should have a very strong arm because he is farthest from 3rd base and good fielding ablility so he can actually catch the ball. Rating Recommendation-Contact/Power=+5, Speed=+5, Fielding Ability=+5 Reaction=+5, Arm Strength/accuracy=+5, Durability=+5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ F.Ratings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now this is the meat and potatoes of your player. This is where you will develop his ratings strarting out. Needless to say this is extremely important because how your player starts off is crucial to getting a head start on being the best player you can be. Your ratings will be balanced though because you can only increase each stat by 5 points and you have 50 points to spend. IMPORTANT!!!It is crucial for you to try and achieve the goals that your manager sets for you. If you fail the goals you'll lose points and that will be detrimental to your player development. CONTACT(Left and Right handed)- As it's name implies this rating determines how easy it is for you to make good contact with the ball. If this rating is low you could time your swing perfectly and still not get a good hit. This will also make it easier for you to hit to all fields. IMPORTANT- All postions Starting Point- Maxed out(5 points this year) POWER(Left and Right Handed)- Like contact except this determines how hard you can hit the ball. If your power rating is high then you will find it easier to hit homeruns and hard line drives. IMPORTANT- 1st/3rd Base,Right/Left Outfielders Starting Point- Since it only takes 5 points to max this out why not? BATTING CLUTCH- This rating is basically a test of your mettle or how you perform in pressure situations(Runner in scoring position, game on the line). This is important but not as important as some other ratings which are harder to raise. IMPORTANT- All positions Starting Point- Leave it alone BUNTING ABILITY- This determines how well you can lay down a bunt. This is kind of important because if you lay down a good bunt it's easy for you to get on base. If your fast it becomes even easier. IMPORTANT- All positions(I guess) Starting Point- Leave it alone DRAG BUNTING- This is the same as bunt only it is layed down while the pitch is in motion and is meant to fool the infielders. Important- All positions(I guess) Starting Point- LIA PLATE VISION- This determines how much of the plate you can basically see or cover with a swing. The better this stat becomes wider the narrower the strike zone becomes and the eaiser it is for you to see pitches and get hits. Vlad's plate vision is crazy(Hence the reason why he can knock a pitch that's close to the dirt out of the park. IMPORTANT- All positions Starting Point-+5 PLATE DISCIPLINE- This determines how patient you batter is at the plate. Obviously this rating doesn't matter if you are controlling your player because his discipline is determined by you(you choose what to swing at).If you are simulating games then this rating becomes important but if not don't bother. IMPORTANT- None(If you are controlling the player) Starting Point- LIA BASE RUNNING ABILITY- This detemrines how well your player rounds the bases. Basically this is a measure of he turns back and forth(say if he's running to second base but has to retreat to first). It also measures how fast you take off when trying a steal attempt. IMPORTANT- Fast players Starting Point- LIA(Won't be more important than speed or Batting) BASE RUNNING AGGRESIVENESS- This is a measure of how aggresive you player is rounding the bases. Like plate discipline this rating doesn't matter if you are controlling the player because you choose how aggressive you are when you want to steal a base. IMPORTANT- None(You control your player) Starting Point- LIA DURABILITY- This rating determines how many games you can play back to back and how often you get injured. Players with great durability have long seasons and careers which should be what you are shooting for. If your durability is low you won't play in many back to back games because you'll be too tired and if you can't play then you can't get any points. IMPORTANT- All Positions Starting Point-+5 SPEED- As it's name implies it's how fast your player is in the field and on the base paths. Depending on the position you would want to have a fast player because that makes it easier to get to balls and turn plays. IMPORTANT- 2nd Base/Shortstop, Center Fielder Starting Point- I would say Max this out for all positions since it's only 5 points and I can't think of any other rating to increase in place of this. ARM STRENGTH- This rating determines how strong you player throws the ball in the field. This is crucial for Catchers and Corner Outfielders because they will almost always be in a position to catch a runner(either stealing base or trying to tag from 3rd base). IMPORTANT- All positions Starting Point-+5 ARM ACCURACY- This determines how accurate your throws are. This should be proportionate to you Strength because a ball thrown hard will no accuracy will normally do more harm then good. IMPORTANT- All positions Starting Point- +5 REACTION TIME- This determines how fast your player reacts when the ball is in play. This important for everyone because the faster you react to the ball the higher the chance you will get an out. IMPORTANT- All positions Starting Point-+5 FIELDING ABILITY- This determines how well you layer fields the ball and how often he will make an error. As a result of this you should want all your player to have good fielding ability especially the 1st baseman because that's where most of your throws in a game will go to. IMPORTANT- ALL Positions Starting Point-+5 BLOCKING ABILITY- This determines how well you catcher can block a wild pitch from rolling to the back stop and out of his reach. Important for catchers because this will cover up some of the mistakes your pitcher will make. IMPORTANT- Catchers Starting Point- LIA The starting point for catchers is fine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ G.Starting your Career* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once you have finished making you fielder you will be prompted to select what team you want to go. Depending on what position you chose to play, your ideal team will differ. If you want to spend some time in the minors then I would recommend you go the Yankees or any team that is strong at your position. The reason for this is that during spring training you will be playing the MLB Team and you play almost eveyrday to get some points before the regular season starts. G1.Spring Training You will only have the opportunity to do spring training in your first year. There are ways to get around this limit though. Whenever your contract is up decline the offer from the teams and choose to go into the season without a team. You will get the chance to pick what team you want to play for then you will be able to do spring training all over again. Your goal in spring training is to do good enough to make the team(You will never make the MLB team from spring training. You will always start in the minors). This is good because you get to play with the Big Boys and get alot of training points to improve your fielder. Just focus on getting your hits and HR's and you'll do fine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ H.Regular Season and Playoffs* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once spring training is done you will enter the regular season and a number of menu options available for you to cycle through. I will give a synopsis of the options and also go into depth a little bit. I'm going to assume that everyone who is playing this game knows how the regular season progresses so I'm not going to explain that in this section. Not a whole lot of changes that I noticed this year. H1.Schedule As it's name implies this is where you see your teams schedule and where you have to go to play your games. The greatest feature of THE SHOW is the ability to simulate innings and games. If you want to advance to your next game you would simply hit X and then hit the option that says sim to next appearance. The game will simulate all other games until you the one you are playing in. This will allow you to progress through your career alot faster than if you had to play every single game. H2.Around the League This is basically your stats central. If it's a stat it can be found in this menu. I will break this down section by section to make it easier to read and more comprehensive. HH1.Standings This is where you come to check the standings in the league. You can see what your overall record is, How many runs your team has scored, Runs given up, Winning Streak,record of last 10 games played,Record against division, Home record,Away record, Day record and Night Record. Yeah I know it's a lot of stats and you probably won't look at them through most of the season. HH2.Statistics In this screen you can see the individual statistics for the entire league, broken down team by team. There is a very comprehensive list of stats and if I listed them all this section would be alot longer so I am going to name the primary ones which are:Games Played,At-Bats,Batting Avg,Hits,Runs scored, doubles,triples,homeruns,Runs Batted In,Stolen Bases,Times Caught Stealing, stolen base percentage,Base on Balls, Strikeouts,Slugging Percentage, and On-Base Percentage.For the pitchers it is:Games Played,Wins,Losses,Earned Run Average,Games Started,Complete Games,Shutouts,Saves,Blown Saves,Innings pitched,Hits allowed,Runs,Earned Runs,HomeRuns,Bases on balls and Strikeouts. HH3.Team Overview This screen will show your entire organiztion, affiliates and all and the state of mind your organization is in whether it's rebuild or push for the playoffs. Not very useful though. HH4.Team Rankings In this screen you can see what your team is ranked in every offensive and defensive category an also see the top the three players on your team in that category. HH5.Who's Hot Here is where you can see who's hot in the league or who's been on a tear in the past month. This is useful for seeing who you should avoid when you play a particular team. HH6.League Roundup This is where you can monitor all the transactions in the league. Signings, trades, releases everything involving the movement of players either from the DL or to another team or even moving up and down from the minors. HH7.League Leaders Here is where you can see who is leading the league in a good portion of the statistics that were listed above. If you are a stat nut(as most of us are) then you will spend alot of time in this menu option looking at and glossing over your stats. HH8.Accolades It is in this menu screen that you see who the front runners are for the yearly awards and also look at the MLB single-season and career records in addition to being anle to look at the list of all the players inducted into the Hall Of Fame. You can also see where everybody is in terms of the All-Star voting. Depending on how good your numbers are you will spend some time in the awards and the All-Star voting sections. H3.Player Management In this screen you see your team's batting order and pitching rotation but since your a player not a manager you can't mess with any of the lineups or rotations. This means you have to rely on the manager putting you in the game which can be very frustrating. By pressing O you can see your player card which has your information on it such as your stats for the current season and the one before it,all of your ratings, your contract info and your scouting report which can be interesting to read. This is where you can see where you measure up with the rest of the league. The scouting report tells you about your player. It's also interesting to see what they are saying about you as a player.Since you can't edit the rosters the only reason for you coming here is to see how much better or worse you are than your teammates which can affect your playing time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I.Career Home Menu ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I decided to dedicate a whole section to this area of the game because it has some really important options that need to be discussed in depth so everybody can have a good understanding of how they work. As I will break this up into sections for ease of reading. NEW CHANGE- When you go to this screen you will see that the layout has been completely changed from last year. The Home menu now alternates between your season and last game stats, your scouting report and contract information. I1.Locker Room Not much has changed in this section of your career mode. You can check messages from your manager or teammates, see your game or career stats, see your personal list of achievements and a graph charting your stats throughout your career. I2.Advancement Goals New to this years game are the advancement goals. These basically boil down to the things you need to do to move your way up. From what I've seen so far they consist of improving specific ratings to to a point and also keeping a certain feilding %. For a fielder you will see things like drive in a certain number of runs or collect a certain number of bases. It's important to try and meet these goals, if you don't you will either be booted from the lineup or dropped in the order. I3.Interactions Much like last year you will see situational interactions like when you aren't getting enough playing time or are in the lower half of the batting order. RETIRE-"Retire from major league baseball and ride off into the sunset like a true professional." Reaction- Retiring will allow you to look at your plaque with a statement of how you did in the league. You will be able to look at your numbers one last time but you won't be able to play with your player anymore and you will also have to start another career mode. I4.Training Okay!! This is where you will spend most of your time in your career because it is here where you will make your pitcher better by using the training hours that you accumlate through completing the in-game tasks. Now you only have one primary rating that is trained and 2-3 secondary ratings trained. IMPORTANT!!! Whereas last yeat it mattered whether your team won, this year it doesn't mean anything. If you go 5 for 5 in a losing effort you will get the same amount of points you would have if you won. Batting Cages vs. RHP- "Fine tune your hitting skills in the cage". Primary Attributes- Contact R Secondary Attributes- Contact L Batting Cages vs. LHP- "Hit off southpaws in the batting cage" Primary Attributes- Contact L Secondary Attributes- Contact R Weight Room- "Beef up your power by hitting the weight room" Primary Attributes- Power R, Power L Seconday Attributes- Power L, Power R Batting Coach- "Work with your coach to improve your swing" Primary Attributes- Vision, Plate Discipline, Clutch Seconday Attributes- Discipline/Clutch, Vision/Clutch, Vision/Discipline Bunting Drills- "Learn to bunt with presice accuracy" Primary Attributes- Bunting Ability Seconday Attributes- Drag Bunting Drag Bunting- "Learn how to bunt for hits consistently" Primary Attributes- Drag Bunting Seconday Attributes- Bunting Ability/Speed Stretching- "Keep yourself limber and loose to avoid injuries" Primary Attirbutes- Durablity Secondary Attributes- Reaction Time Sprints- "Sprints will help you improve your speed" Primary Attributes- Speed Seconday Attributes- Base Running Ability Long Toss- "Long toss will improve your arm strength" Primary Attributes- Arm Strength Seconday Attributes- Arm Accuracy Infield Drills- "Improve your fielding skills" Primary Attributes- Throwing Accuracy, Fielding Ability Seconday Attributes- Throwing Strength, Reaction Time Shagging Fly Balls- "Learn to take better routes to the ball" Primary Attributes- Reaction Time Seconday Attributes- Fielding Ability Base Running Drills- "Improve your skills on the base paths" Primary Attributes- Base Running Ability, Base Running Aggressiveness Secondary Attributes-Speed, Base Running Aggressiveness/Base Running Ability I5.Batting Performance New to this years game is the tracking of your batting performance. Depending on whether he gets alot of hits or frequently strikes out or rarely gets on base he will recieve a bonus or decline in his hitting ability. This can have a very dynamic impact on your career and makes it all the more important to try and be consistant. My player is hot and now when I see fastballs in the zone I hit homeruns(though my swing is timed right and I have little to no power and not much contact either). This should testify as to how important this can be. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ J.Off-Season* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ For all the stuff you have to do during the season you would the off-season would be worse right? Well you'd be wrong you have 4 options to look at in the off-season menu which are Retirements,Hall of Fame inductees,Career progression and end off-season. There really isn't anything to do except look at a numerical representation of how much better you got. Outside of that just continue on to end off-season and start the next year. If you are in a contract year then you will have the option of resigning with your old team or accepting a contract from a new team. Regardless of what you do, you can get alot more then what they are offering(depending on how good your player is). Make sure that you save your game before you go into the off season so when you negotiate your contract you can see how much money you can get out of them. This area has remained unchanged from last year. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ K.Retirement* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you choose the retirement option in the Career Home menu your manager will Will give you a message basically supporting your decision to retire. After that message you will see your plaque which will have a paragraph basically outlining how great or poor you were in your career. IMPORTANT!!!In order for you to get into the Hall Of Fame it doesn't matter how filled up your bar is, your status symbol must Hall Of Fame instead of All-Star. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ L.Hitting/Fielding Tips ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I've kept this section the same because from what i've seen so far all of these tips still apply in this year's game. Tip#1- WAIT FOR YOUR PITCH!!!I can't stress how important this is in terms of getting hits and HR's. Wait for a pitch that you are comfortable with hitting. For me it's pitches that come on the inside. I wait until the pitch is thrown to that location then I jump on the pitch. Everybody has different hitting styles and zones so stick with your favorite and most comfortable zone and you will rack up the hits!! Tip#2- BE PATIENT AT THE PLATE!!! This is actually an extension from the first tip but equally as important. Everytime I have went into a hitting slump this was the cure. Guess your favorite pitch and location and wait for the pitcher to throw either(Depending on the zone and the pitch you will guess both right at the same time)to your location or your pitch. This gives you wider plate coverage and makes it easier to hit the ball. Tip#3- ON INSIDE PITCHES PULL THE BALL!!!Since the ball is already coming toward you, use the momentum to launch the ball out of the park or at least get a hit. This is the easiest way to hit a Home run especially when swinging with Power. Tip#4- LAY DOWN A DRAG BUNT TO GET EASY HITS!!!I should note that this only works with a VERY HIGH speed rating. I have done this at least 50 times and haven't gotten caught yet. And my drag bunting rating is 0. If you need to continue a hit streak or want to start one, try to lay down the bunt on your 1st AB. Tip#5- THIS MIGHT NOT WORK FOR EVERYBODY!!!GUESS THE PITCH DIRECTION OPPOSITE OF WHERE YOU ARE COMFORTABLE HITTING THE BALL!Since I see the ball better when it is moving away from my batter(and he's a switch hitter) I guess to the inside when batting against a RHP and guess to the outside against a LHP. I basically do this to cover my plate vision. If I guess right then I see where the pitch is going. If i'm wrong I know the pitch isn't coming inside and I can adjust my swing. Tip#6- TRY TO GET HITTING STREAKS!!!Although most of you have already been trying to do this, TRY HARDER!!! because the game rewards you handsomely for lengthy hitting streaks. I get 100 points every game even I get a base hit. You really start to see the difference once you get to 10 games. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ M.Fielder Career Progress ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once again I'll chart my career progress to give you an idea of how I develop my player. IMPORTANT!!!!In this years game you only have 50 points to spend to start your career!!! You can't decrease any stats either as I guess the goal was to make your player as balanced as possible from the outset. This is actually a benefit in disguise because you can improve all the important stats starting out. Throws/Bats=Right/Right Position=Centerfielder/OF Batting Stance=Ken Griffey Jr. Contact L/R=+5 Power L/R=+5 Speed=+5 Durability=+5 Plate Vision=+5 Speed=+5 Arm Strength=+5 Arm Accuracy=+5 Fielding Ability=+5 All Others-None I chose to start my career with the Yankees, me being a fan and all. Spring Training with the Yankees April-I had a fairly good April considering the playing time that I got. I didn't hit any home runs but I did steal a couple of bases. G=16 AB=52 Avg=.365 H=19 R=9 2B=3 RBI=4 SB=12 CS=5 BB=1 K=6 OBP=.370 Total Points=525 points Batting Cages(RHP)-325 points Batting Coach=50(Vis,Disc/Clt) Stretching=50 points Sprints=50 points Long Toss=50 points May-I petitioned for a start in the beginning of the month and got one and haven't looked back since. I hit 7 HR's and my avg went up to .443. I'm also starting to see pitches better. G=38 AB=40 Avg=.443 H=62 R=27 2B=13 3B=1 HR=7 RBI=25 SB=32 CS=17 BB=2 K=10 OBP=.451 PO=76 E=0 Inn=282.2 Total Points=1111 points Batting Cages(RHP)=150 points Batting Coach=121 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Weight Room(RH)=100 points Bunting Drills=160 points Stretching=200 points Sprints=200 points Long Toss=100 points Infield Drills=80 points(Fld,Reac) June- G=61 AB=237 Avg=.460 H=109 R=37 2B=26 3B=1 HR=8 RBI=44 SB=54 CS=31 BB=5 K=15 OBP=.469 PO=127 E=0 Inn=476.2 Total Points=1328 points Batting Cages(RHP)=153 points Batting Cages(LHP)=150 points Weight Room(RH)=100 points Batting Coach=70 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Bunting Drills=50 points Stretching=255 points Sprints=200 points Long Toss=300 points Infield Drills=50 points(Fld,Reac) July-I made the All-Star team and got 250 extra points for it!! I also hit a couple of milestones this month also which is the reaosn for me having so many points. I got 150 hits and stole my 75th base. G=88 AB=359 Avg=.449 H=161 R=54 2B=43 3B=2 HR=12 RBI=76 SB=75 CS=41 BB=5 K=21 OBP=.454 PO=212 E=0 Inn=726.2 Total Points=2182 points Batting Cages(RHP)=580 points Batting Cages(LHP)=137 points Weight Room(RH)=90 points Batting Coach=100 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Batting Coach=150 points(Disc,Vis/Clt) Bunting Drills=75 points Stretching=450 points Sprints=200 points Long Toss=300 points Infield Drills=100 points(Fld,Reac) August-I would say I had I really good month getting 3 HR's and 35 RBI's and swiping 28 bases while raising my average 10 points. I got some points for getting 200 hits, 50 doubles and stealing 100 bases also. G=118 AB=497 Avg=.461 H=229 R=82 2B=60 3B=6 HR=15 RBI=111 SB=103 CS=51 BB=6 K=30 OBP=.466 A=5 PO=281 E=0 Inn=1004.2 Total Points=2160 points Batting Cages(RHP)=550 points Weight Room(RH)=115 points Batting Coach=245 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Batting Coach=100 points(Disc,Vis/Clt) Bunting Drills=100 points Stretching=400 points Sprints=100 points Long Toss=450 points Infield Drills=50 points(Acc,Arm) Infield Drills=50 points(Fld,Reac) September-We won the division and we'll play the Binghamton Mets in the Division game. Durability=63 points Division Series vs. Binghamton Mets Game 1-Hager vs. Burr(Win 2-1) AB=4 H=2 2B=1 RBI=1 SB=2 K=1 Game 2-Grimm vs. Connoy(Win 4-1) AB=3 H=2 RBI=3 SB=1 Game 3-Lockett vs. Schreiber(Win 5-0) AB=4 H=1 R=1 SB=1 We swept the mets and I got Player of the game in the 1st and second game. I also got 390 points in the series since all the goals and the point you get from them are amplified. EL Champpionship vs. Altoona Curve Game 1-Connoy vs. Abe(Loss 2-0) AB=4 H=2 SB=2 Game 2-Hillman vs. Emery(Win 7-1) AB=4 H=3 RBI=1 R=3 SB=3 Game 3-Hager vs. Gutierrez(Win 2-0) AB=4 H=3 SB=1 R=1 Game 4-Grimm vs.Dumatraut(Win 7-5) AB=5 H=4 RBI=2 3B=1 We won the EL Championship and I had a pretty good run in the playoff racking up 926 points. Playoff Stats G=7 AB=28 Avg=.607 H=17 R=6 2B=2 3B=1 RBI=7 SB=10 OBP=.586 PO=15 INN=63.0 Batting Cages(RHP)=300 points Weight Room(RH)=200 points Batting COach=50 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Stretching=50 points Sprints=100 points Long Toss=226 points Career Progression(Rookie Year) Age=24 Overall=+15 Con LHP=+14 Con RHP=+25 Pow L=+5 Pow R=+14 Clutch=+4 Bunting=+11 Drag Bunt=+3 Dur=+24 Vis=+13 Disc=+7 Speed=+9 Fld=+4 Arm Str=+19 Arm Acc=+8 Reaction=+10 BR Abl=+6 The Yankees offered me a 2 year contract for $675,000. I changed the contract to 1 year for $340,000 since i'll be much better next year. It's also for a AAA starting position. 2nd Season(AAA Yankees) April-Started the season on a good note keeping my avg in the 400's and getting on base frequently. G=17 AB=75 Avg=.440 H=33 R=7 2B=7 3B=1 RBI=6 SB=16 OBP=.444 PO=40 INN=136.0 Total Points=758 points Batting Cages(RHP)=258 points Weight Room(RH)=200 points Batting Coach=50 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Stretching=50 points Sprints=50 points Long Toss=100 points Fielding Drills=50 points(Fld,Reac) May-Continued my dominance of the AAA pitching racking up 55 hits and stealing 33 bases. G=45 AB=205 Avg=.429 H=88 R=33 2B=19 3B=2 HR=2 RBI=25 SB=49 OBP=.427 PO=105 INN=393.0 Total Points=1442 points Batting Cages(RHP)=200 points Weight Room(RH)=100 points Batting Coach=142 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Bunting Drills=50 points Stretching=300 points Sprints=300 points Long Toss=250 points Infield Drills=100 points(Fld,Reac) June-I got called up to the Yankees due to Andy Pettite getting injured in the middle of the month. As a result I didn't spend too many points this month as I wanted to save them in case I came up short in the majors. AAA G=63 AB=271 Avg=.417 H=113 R=43 2B=24 3B=6 HR=4 RBI=31 SB=62 OBP=.418 PO=138 INN=526.1 MLB G=5 AB=16 Avg=.250 H=4 R=1 2B=1 3B=1 RBI=1 SB=1 OBP=.250 PO=12 INN=35.2 Total Points=809 points Batting Cages(RHP)=174 points Batting Cages(LHP)=100 points Batting Coach=98 points(Disc,Vis/Clt) July- After a rough start in the bigs I would say my player has adjusted nicely to the majors getting 29 hits in the month though I need to work on my power so my shots that reach the wall can get over it. G=27 AB=97 Avg=.340 H=33 R=9 2B=4 3B=1 HR=1 RBI=16 SB=20 BB=3 OBP=.349 PO=77 INN=219.1 Batting Cages(RHP)=158 points Batting Cages(LHP)=163 points Weight Room(RH)=150 points Batting Coach=100 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Bunting Drills=50 points Stretching=100 points Sprints=50 points Long Toss=160 points Infield Drills=50 points(Fld,Reac) August-I turned the plate coverage indicator on in the middle of the month and subsequently saw my hitting dramatically improve. I would strongly recommend this if you are struggling at the plate. I hit 3 HR's and making contact is so easy now. I'm also the front runner for Rookie of the year. G=47 AB=194 Avg=.381 H=74 R=25 2B=15 3B=3 HR=4 RBI=38 SB=33 BB=3 K=6 OBP=.389 PO=132 INN=398.1 Batting Cages(RHP)=223 points Batting Cages(LHP)=160 points Weight Room(RH)=155 points Batting Coach=100 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Bunting Drills=40 points Stretching=60 points Sprint=50 points Long Toss=202 points Infield Drills=50 points September-Melky Cabrera came off the DL and I got benched as a result although i'm batting .390. I soon petitioned to the manager and he gave me back my start and I continued on the same torrid pace that i've been on and i'm still in the lead for Rookie of the year. Regular Season Stats G=73 AB=302 Avg=.384 H=116 R=42 2B=24 3B=5 HR=6 RBI=53 SB=62 BB=4 K=9 OBP=.395 PO=189 INN=626.1 Total Points=1657 Batting Cages(RHP)=208 points Batting Cages(LHP)=209 points Weight Room(RH)=238 points Batting Coach=200 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Bunting Drills=50 points Stretching=350 points Sprints=200 points Long Toss=200 points Infield Drills=50 points(Acc,Arm) Infield Drills=100 points(Fld,Reac) October-We finished the season 109-53 and won our division. We'll be playing the A's in the divisional playoffs. Divisional Playoffs vs. Oakland A's Game 1-Chamberlain vs. Harden(Loss 6-2) AB=4 H=1 2B=1 K=1 Game 2-Wang vs. Blanton(Win 6-4) AB=4 H=2 R=2 2B=1 3B=1 Game 3-Pettitte vs. Gaudin(Win 8-2) AB=5 H=1 2B=1 R=1 RBI=1 SB=1 Game 4-Ohlendorf vs. Teicheira(Win 6-1) AB=5 H=3 R=2 RBI=1 2B=1 SB=3 AL Championship vs. Cleveland Indians Game 1-Pavano vs. Byrd(Loss 8-5) AB=4 H=3 R=1 2B=1 SB=2 Game 2-Chamberlain vs. Sabathia(Win 3-2) AB=4 H=2 R=2 3B=1 RBI=1 SB=3 Game 3-Wang vs. Lincecum(Win 5-0) AB=4 H=0 RBI=1 K=1 Game 4-Pettitte vs. Westbrook(Win 9-3) AB=4 H=2 R=2 RBI=2 SB=2 Bunting Drills=50 points Game 5-Ohlendorf vs. Sanchez(Win 3-2) AB=4 H=1 R=1 K=1 World Series vs. Philadelphia Phillies Game 1-Pavano vs. Youman(Loss 3-1) AB=3 H=1 RBI=1 Game 2-Chamberlain vs. Hamels(Win 3-2) AB=4 H=2 SB=2 Game 3-Wang vs. Myers(Win 1-0) AB=4 H=2 SB=1 Game 4-Pettitte vs. Castro(Win 6-5) AB=3 H=1 IBB=1 Game 5-Ohlendorf vs. Patton(Loss) DNP Game 6-Pavano vs. Youman(Win 12-10) AB=5 H=3 R=2 RBI=1 SB=2 Playoff Stats GP=14 AB=57 Avg=.421 H=24 R=12 2B=6 3B=2 RBI=8 SB=16 BB=1 K=3 OBP=.424 A=1 PO=49 Inn=126 We won the World Series and I got the AL Rookie of the Year, Gold Glove OF, AL Playoff MVP and the World Series MVP. I also accumulated 1246 points in the playoffs. Total Points=1246 Batting Cages(RHP)=200 points Batting Cages(LHP)=1046 points Career Progression(2nd Year) Age=25 Overall=+12 Con LHP=+22 Con RHP=+18 Pow L=+6 Pow R=+13 Clutch=+3 Bunting=+8 Drag Bunt=+3 Dur=+10 Vis=+10 Disc=+4 Speed=+6 Fld=+5 Arm Str=+10 Arm Acc=+5 Reaction=+5 BR Abl=+4 I told the Yankees that I wanted to stay with them in the middle of the season and they offered me a 5 year contract for $2.6 million but I made it a 1 year contract for $555,000 since I know i'll be worth more next year after playing a full season as a starter in the Majors!! 3rd Season(MLB Yankees) April-I started the season out batting leadoff. After two games I got dropped to sixth wehre I stayed most of the month. I can't complain though because I had alot of chances to drive people in and that's why I had 11 RBI's. G=22 AB=85 Avg=.400 H=34 R=12 2B=4 HR=1 RBI=11 SB=15 K=4 OBP=.395 A=2 PO=48 INN=165.2 Batting Cages(LHP)=244 points Weight Room(RH)=125 points Batting Coach=100 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Stretching=100 points Sprints=100 points Long Toss=200 points May-I had a really good may getting 43 hits and driving in 20 runs while swiping 27 bases. I'm also in line to get another Gold Glove and a shot at the All-Star game. G=47 AB=184 Avg=.419 H=77 R=29 2B=13 3B=3 HR=3 RBI=31 SB=42 K=7 OBP=.423 A=3 PO=115 INN=355.0 Total Points=818 Batting Cages(LHP)=100 points Weight Room=200 points Batting Coach=93 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Bunting Drills=40 points Sprints=100 points Long Toss=200 points Infield Drills=85 points(Fld,Reac) June-I had great June smashing 6 HR's and piling on the hits. I don't know where the surge came from but I'm swinging the bat and the ball is leaving the park. G=71 AB=283 Avg=.424 H=120 R=44 2B=20 3B=6 HR=9 RBI=50 SB=57 K=8 OBP=.429 A=5 PO=167 INN=549.0 Batting Cages(LHP)=390 points Weight Room(RH)=163 points Batting Coach=100 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Bunting Drills=44 points Stretching=83 points Sprints-200 points Long Toss=200 points Infield Drills=100 points(Fld,Reac) July-Had a great July in which I raised my average by 20 points and drove in 27 runs. I made the All-Star Team and got 500 points for it also. This raised my Status to All-Star so I put the difficulty up to All-Star from Veteran. I'm also leading the race for the Silver Slugger, Hank Aaron and Gold Glove awards in addition to being 3rd in the the MVP race. G=93 AB=383 Avg=.444 H=170 R=60 2B=30 3B=6 HR=11 RBI=77 SB=79 K=10 OBP=.449 A=5 PO=222 INN=733.0 Total Points=1472 Batting Cages(LHP)=115 points Weight Room(RH)=249 points Batting Coach=100 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Batting Coach=100 points(Disc,Vis/Clt) Bunting Drills=46 points Stretching=152 points Sprints=300 points Long Toss=300 points Infield Drills=110 points(Fld,Reac) August-I got my 200th hit and 100th stolen base this month which gave 200 points to spend. I'm on pace to break Ichiro's hit record though i'll have to push it. G=115 AB=479 Avg=.443 H=212 R=73 2B=39 3B=10 HR=12 RBI=98 SB=108 K=14 OBP=.449 A=5 PO=281 INN=925.0 Total Points=2848 Batting Cages(LHP)=236 points Batting Coach=200 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Bunting Drills=50 points Stretching=168 points Infield Drills=125 points(Fld,Reac) September-I had a pretty good september and am on the verge of breaking the record for hits in a season. I also am in the 3 spot now since A-Rod got hurt. I won the Silver Slugger and A Gold Glove award. I also broke the single season hit record with 263 and got 1000 points for it. Season Stats G=141 AB=595 Avg=.442 H=263 R=97 2B=48 3B=14 HR=15 RBI=122 SB=126 K=19 OBP=.452 A=7 PO=360 INN=1154.0 Batting Cages(RHP)=200 points Batting Cages(LHP)200 points Weight Room(RH)=800 points Batting Coach=200 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Bunting Drills=43 points Stretching=226 points Sprints=300 points Long Toss=469 points Infield Drills=110 points(Fld,Reac) October-We finished the season 112-50 and won the division. We will play the Los Angeles Angels in the divisional. Divisional Playoffs vs. Los Angeles Angels Game 1-Chamberlain vs. Lackey(Win 4-3) AB=4 H=1 RBI=1 SB=1 Game 2-Carmona vs. Escobar(Loss 3-2) AB=4 H=3 RBI=1 2B=1 SB=3 Game 3-Wang vs. Weaver(Loss 5-1) AB=4 H=0 Game 4-Pettite vs. Garland(Win 5-0) AB=5 H=2 RBI=1 2B=1 SB=2 Weight Room(RH)=349 points Stretching=300 points Sprints=500 points Long Toss=400 points Game 5-Pavano vs. Saunders(Win 8-5) AB=4 H=1 RBI=1 SB=2 AL Championship vs. Cleveland Indians Game 1-Chamberlain vs. Lewis(Loss 11-8) AB=5 H=1 SB=1 K=1 Game 2-Carmona vs. Sabathia(Win 11-0) AB=5 H=3 RBI=3 2B=1 SB=4 Game 3-Wang vs. Lincecum(Win 3-2) AB=3 H=1 RBI=1 2B=1 SB=1 IBB=2 Game 4-Pettite vs. Westbrook(Win 2-1) AB=5 H=3 2B=1 SB=2 R=1 Game 5-Pavano vs. Hughes(Loss 8-1) AB=4 H=2 SB=1 CS=2 Game 6-Chamberlain vs. Lewis(Win 6-3) AB=4 K=1 World Series vs. Atlanta Braves Game 1-Carmona vs. Carlyle(Loss 5-3) AB=4 H=0 K=1 R=1 SB=3 Game 2-Wang vs. Smoltz(Win 6-5) AB=4 H=2 RBI=1 CS=3 Game 3-Pettite vs. Hudson(Win 5-1) AB=3 H=2 HR=1 R=2 RBI=2 BB=1 SB=3 Game 4-Pavano vs. Jurrjens(Loss 13-5) AB=5 H=4 2B=1 R=2 Carl Pavano is a bum and I still can't figure out why he's on the team... Game 5-Chamberlain vs. Acosta(Win 4-1) AB=4 H=1 HR=1 RBI=2 R=1 IBB=1 Game 6-Carmona vs. Carlyle(Win 5-2) AB=4 H=2 R=1 3B=1 SB=1 Playoff Stats G=17 AB=70 Avg=.400 H=28 R=10 2B=6 3B=1 HR=2 RBI=13 SB=26 K=3 OBP=.440 A=1 PO=52 INN=152 Total Playoff Points=2398 Batting Cages(LHP)=300 points Weight Room(RH)=700 points Stretching=300 points Sprints=598 points(MAX) Long Toss=500 points We won the World Series and I was formally awarded the Silver Slugger and Hank Aaron awards, another Gold Glove, the AL Playoff MVP and the World Series MVP. Career Progression(3rd Year) Age=26 Overall=+16 Con LHP=+15 Con RHP=+6 Pow L=+14 Pow R=+29 Clutch=+4 Bunting=+4 Drag Bunt=+2 Dur=+13 Vis=+10 Disc=+4 Speed=+17 Fld=+7 Arm Str=+20 Arm Acc=+10 Reaction=+8 BR Abl=+11 The Yankees offered me $14,600,000 for 8 years but that's not enough money for me so I took 2 years at $3,850,000. 4th Season(MLB Yankees) April-As you can see from the number of Doubles and Triples that I have, my power has increased but my long balls aren't getting over the wall. I did steal 40 bases though and i've made the decision to try and get the single season record for steals. G=21 AB=86 Avg=.477 H=41 R=21 2B=3 3B=3 HR=1 RBI=13 SB=40 BB=2 K=4 OBP=.489 A=2 PO=46 INN=182 Batting Cages(RHP)=59 points Weight Room(RH)=180 points Batting Coach=357 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Batting Coach=200 points(Disc,Vis/Clt) Bunting Drills=60 points Stretching=200 points Sprints=40 points Long Toss=100 points Infield Drills=100 points May-I got benched in the middle of the month for not completing my goals and didn't get my start back until the end of the month severely hurting my productivity. G=41 AB=156 Avg=.436 H=68 R=31 2B=8 3B=6 HR=3 RBI=20 SB=54 BB=3 K=7 OBP=.447 A=5 PO=88 INN=318 June-Had a vicious slump in the first half of the month with my average dropping to .397 by me going 2 for 20. After a couple of days rest I got back in the swing of things and started hitting HR's and Triples. Batting Cages(LHP)=77 points Weight Room(RH)=436 points Batting Coach=100 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Batting Coach=100 points(Disc,Vis/Clt) Bunting Drills=40 points Strecthing=100 points Sprints=40 points Long Toss=80 points Infield Drills=40 points(Acc,Arm) Infield Drills=40 points(Fld,Reac) July-I got sent down to AAA on the 8th for some reason which really pissed me off cause I was going to the All-Star game and I didn't get my points bonus for getting there. This also left me without enough bats to contend for the silver slugger or Hank Aaron awards. AAA Stats G=15 AB=62 Avg=.484 H=30 R=15 2B=2 3B=7 HR=3 RBI=12 SB=16 BB=1 OBP=.508 PO=34 MLB stats G=72 AB=280 Avg=.411 H=115 R=58 2B=15 3B=11 HR=12 RBI=57 SB=77 BB=6 K=10 OBP=.423 A=8 PO=186 INN=574 Batting Cages(LHP)=100 points Weight Room(LH)=333 points Batting Coach=100 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Batting Coach=100 points(Disc,Vis/Clt) Bunting Drills=100 points Strecthing=200 points Sprints=40 points Long Toss=80 points Infield Drills=160 points(Acc,Arm) Infield Drills=100 points(Fld,Reac) August-I got called back up to the majors and got right back in to my groove getting 51 hits for the month and hitting 7 HR's and driving in 33 runs. G=96 AB=381 Avg=.433 H=165 R=81 2B=26 3B=18 HR=19 RBI=90 SB=94 BB=8 K=12 OBP=.444 A=9 PO=239 INN=779.1 Total Points=2087 Weight Room(RH)=300 points Weight Room(LH)=300 points Batting Coach=200 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Batting Coach=187 points(Disc,Vis/Clt) Bunting Drills=200 points Stretching=400 points Infield Drills=200 points(Acc,Arm) Infield Drills=100 points(Fld,Reac) September-Continued to hit the ball well racking up great numbers and making myself the front runner for MVP, Hank Aaron and Silver Slugger awards. I'm also in line for another Gold Glove. G=122 AB=494 Avg=.445 H=220 R=103 2B=38 3B=22 HR=26 RBI=122 SB=124 CS=45 BB=14 K=16 OBP=.461 A=10 PO=322 INN=1002.1 Batting Cages(LHP)=71 points Batting Coach=200 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) Stretching=661 points Sprints=40 points October- We finished the season 108-54 and won our division again. We will be playing the Detroit Tigers in the Divisional playoff. Divisional Series vs.Detroit Tigers Game 1- Chamberlain vs. Hamels(Win 11-8) AB=5 H=1 HR=1 RBI=2 Game 2-Haren vs. Willis(Win 10-5) AB=5 H=4 R=1 RBI=4 CS=2 2B=2 3B=1 Game 3-Carmona vs. Bonderman() AB=4 H=1 SB=2 Weight Room(RH)=400 points Weight Room(LH)=400 points Bunting Drills=48 points Infield Drills=100 points(Fld,Reac) Championship Series vs. LA Angels Game 1-Wang vs. Wright(Win 3-2) AB=4 H=0 Game 2-Igawa vs. Wright(Win 5-4) AB=3 H=1 RBI=2 BB=1 SB=3 Game 3-Chamberlain vs. Lackey(Loss 4-3) AB=4 H=2 R=1 HR=1 RBI=1 Game 4-Haren vs.Weaver(Loss 7-6) AB=4 H=3 HR=1 RBI=3 Game 5-Carmona vs. Garland(Win 3-2) AB=5 H=2 SB=1 Game 6-Wang vs. Escobar(Win 2-1) AB=4 H=1 SB=1 World Series vs. LA Dodgers Game 1-Igawa vs. Penny(Loss 8-1) AB=4 H=0 R=1 SB=1 Batting Cages(LHP)=42 points Weight Room(LH)=300 points Batting Coach=200 points(Vis, Disc/Clt) Stretching=100 points Sprints=40 points Infield Drills=360 points(Acc,Arm) Infield Drills=200 points(Fld,Reac) Game 2-Chamberlain vs. Tran(Loss 13-5) AB=4 H=2 HR=1 RBI=3 SB=1 Game 3-Haren vs. Schmidt(Win 19-4) AB=4 H=3 R=3 RBI=1 BB=2 Game 4-Carmona vs.Lohse(Win 3-2) AB=4 H=2 HR=1 RBI=1 SB=1 Game 5-Wang vs. Billingsley(Win 4-3 13 innings) AB=6 H=2 2B=1 3B=1 Game 6-Igawa vs. Penny(Loss 4-3) AB=5 H=1 Game 7-Chamberlain vs. Tran(Win 1-0) AB=4 H=0 Weight Room(LH)=389 points Batting Coach=200 points(Vis,Disc/Clt) We won the World Series after a grueling 7 game series with the Dodgers but I will say that'sthe hardest series i've ever played in this game. I was formally awarded the AL Playoff MVP, AL MVP, Hank Aaron Award, Silver Slugger award and my 3rd Gold Glove. Career Progression(4th Year) Age=27 Overall=+8 Con LHP=+3 Con RHP=+1 Pow L=+27 Pow R=+18 Clutch=+8 Bunting=+12 Drag Bunt=+7 Dur=+17 Vis=+17 Disc=+14 Speed=+2 Fld=+8 Arm Str=+5 Arm Acc=+11 Reaction=+10 BR Abl=+2 I decided to exercise my option with the Yankees and come back for next season since i'll get more money next year. 5th Season(Yankees) April- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ N.Points Needed to MAX Ratings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Since i'm constantly trying to think of ways to improve my FAQ I came across the idea of finding out how many points are needed to max out each rating. I figured this would be useful to some of you who read the FAQ so enjoy. I should note that I added up all the points I spent in my RTTS career although most of my ratings aren't Maxed out yet(they're close though). The only one that is maxed out right now and therefore has the most accurate number is my speed trained by doing Sprints and nothing else. IMPORTANT!!!For Contact and Power I will include the points that I spent in total for both, since they are raised together. Also since i'm a CF my contact was higher when I started so these totals are for CF's though they can be applied to all positions with some increases/Decreases) CONTACT vs.LHP/RHP=8000 points Spent=7229 vs. LHP=3550 vs. RHP=3679 POWER RH=6000 points(I only trained my Power vs. RHP, which is why this number is lower than the contact) Spent=4009 RH=4009 SPEED=3598 points Spent=3598 LONG TOSS=5000 points Spent=4607 INFIELD DRILLS=3000 points(Acc,Arm) Spent=100(+4607 from Long Toss since it trains Acc also) DURABILITY=5500 points Spent=3594 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ O. The Art of Base Stealing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I've been spending some time trying to figure out what I can add which would be useful to both 1st time viewers and frequent visistors to my FAQ. I came up with stealing bases!! Since i've become fairly adept at stealing bases I decided to make a seciton revelaing my tips base by base. IN THE BATTER'S BOX You should be watching the pitchers delivery to see how long it takes which will be the biggest indicator how easy it is to steal a base. If you can see how he throws from the stretch, even better. STANDING ON FIRST BASE This is the easist base to steal and also the most commonly attempted. I have found it most effective if you take one step away from the bag(Hit R1 once). Most of the time the pitcher will try to pick you off as soon as you move so be prepared. Once you see the pitcher's leg show any sign of movement hit R2 to make your player take off. If done correctly, by the time the ball is in the catchers glove you should be at or near the bag sliding into your successful steal!!!! STANDING ON SECOND BASE Now you should pay even more attention to pitcher's delivery than when you were standing on first base because now the catcher has a shorter distance to throw. The second method from last year hasn't worked so far so I removed it from the FAQ. NOTE:You should always have a decent speed rating if your attempting to steal bases. My speed is a 3/4 full but I get close calls alot and I have good timing. So I would recommend your rating at least be a B before you try to steal consistently. Much like stealing from first base, take two steps away from the bag and beware of the pickoff because it is likely to come after you take the second step. AS SOON AS YOU SEE THE PITCHER MOVE AT ALL HIT R2. I can't stress how important timing is for stealing third base. If done correctly you player should take off as soon as the pitcher moves and be 3/4 of the way to the bag before the catcher throws it making it easy for you to slide head first into the bag safely. STANDING ON THIRD BASE I haven't successfully stolen Home plate yet but I do know the glitch in last year's game has been removed so you can no longer steal home that easily. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ P.The Art of Home Run Hitting ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Although i'm only 2 months into my season I can say with some confidence that most,if not all, of these tip still work in this years game. IMPORTANT!!! I feel compelled to tell everyone that your Power rating is for whenever you swing the bat. IF YOUR POWER IS HIGH YOU CAN HIT HR'S WITH CONTACT SWINGS!!! It's not always necessary to swing for power to knock the ball out of the park. ROOKIE LEVEL Much like last year I had little success batting on rookie. I'm quite sure why this is but I just can't do it. It's 100% timing so if your comfortable with just timing the pitch and not directing it anywhere you should just swing when you guess the pitch correctly. VETERAN LEVEL Although the level is higher, it's much easier to hit HR's on Veteran. Not only can you guess the pitch but you can guess the location too. Like most things this is good and bad. It's great because if you guess both right your more likely to hit a HR. It's bad because if your wrong(on either although it's better to get the location right and the pitch wrong)then your plate coverage shrinks making it harder to hit the ball. That being said I'd recommend a couple of things: NOTE!!!The first tip will be the same on all levels because it's that important Tip#1-GO WITH THE PITCH!!!! I can't stress enough how vital this is to you hitting Home Runs. Almost all of HR'S have been hit by me going with the ball. There have been plenty of times where have I have seen(or guessed) that the ball was coming low in the zone and took a swing while holding the left analog down(and to whichever side of the plate the ball was coming to) and just watched the ball sail out the park. Wherever the pitch is going, swing with the pitch, not against it. If it's in the upper half of the zone, hold the left analog up. Lower half, hold it down. This tip will generate you the most HR'S out of all the others. Tip#2-GUESS FASTBALL EVERYTIME!!!Remember this: The faster is comes in, the faster it goes out!!! This basic principle is a gold mine when it comes to hitting HR's on Veteran. Also since it's veteran, if you guess wrong your Plate coverage won't take that much of a hit making it easier for you to hit the ball. Most of the time the FB is their strikeout pitch or their best pitch so guess it and goodbye!!! Tip#3-GUESS DOWN IN THE ZONE!!!Most of the time pitchers will try and stay down in the zone as a general rule. As a result of this you will get the location right maybe 40% of the time. The key is to recognize what the pitch is and to swing at the right time. ALL-STAR LEVEL Tip#1-GO WITH THE PITCH!!!! I can't stress enough how vital this is to you hitting Home Runs. Almost all of HR'S have been hit by me going with the ball. There have been plenty of times where have I have seen(or guessed) that the ball was coming low in the zone and took a swing while holding the left analog down(and to whichever side of the plate the ball was coming to) and just watched the ball sail out the park. Wherever the pitch is going, swing with the pitch, not against it. If it's in the upper half of the zone, hold the left analog up. Lower half, hold it down. This tip will generate you the most HR'S out of all the others. Tip#2-GUESS DOWN IN THE ZONE!!!Most of the time pitchers will try and stay down in the zone as a general rule. As a result of this you will get the location right maybe 40% of the time. The key is to recognize what the pitch is and to swing at the right time. I should also add that the amount of the plate that you cover when you guess is the same as it was on veteran. HALL OF FAME LEVEL Tip#1-GO WITH THE PITCH!!!! I can't stress enough how vital this is to you hitting Home Runs. Almost all of HR'S have been hit by me going with the ball. There have been plenty of times where have I have seen(or guessed) that the ball was coming low in the zone and took a swing while holding the left analog down(and to whichever side of the plate the ball was coming to) and just watched the ball sail out the park. Wherever the pitch is going, swing with the pitch, not against it. If it's in the upper half of the zone, hold the left analog up. Lower half, hold it down. This tip will generate you the most HR'S out of all the others. Tip#2- SIT ON YOUR PITCH!!! This tip should apply for all difficulty levels but it really applies on HOF because guessing the pitch wrong or guessing the wrong location will almost always get you a ground ball or a fly out. I find it easiest to hit 4-Seam FB's(Because the pitch has little movement and the speed of the ball)and Sliders(Since my player is a switch hitter the pitch always slides inside making the pitch easier to pull) out of the park. These are my preferences as you may like to hit different pitches. My point is sit on a pitch you are comfortable hitting and your success is virtually guaranteed. Tip#3- TIME YOUR SWING!!! This is another very important tip. If you've hit a HR look at where the ball hits the bat. Almost always it is on the sweet spot of the bat(Right in the middle from where the bat starts to get fat and the tip). There have been countless times where I guessed location and pitch correct and still hit a ground ball. Reason being I didn't get it on the sweet spot. This is still as important as ever on all difficulty levels. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Q.The Art of Defense ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As I keep thinking of ways to make my FAQ more comprehensive(and after I recieved a E-mail about defense) I decided to add a section strictly for defense at each position. IMPORTANT!!For this section I will assume that you are playing Road to the Show and you only control your player. IMPORTANT!!In this years they have added the ablitily to move around the diamond before the pitcher goes into his delivery. This can be a great asset or an extreme hindrance so use it accordingly!!! Catcher In reality this is a very hard position to play. Calling pitches, actually catching the ball. Unfortunately you won't be doing any of this. The only time you will control your player on defense will be either when the ball is popped up by the hitter or he lays down a bunt. You do get to throw people out if they try to steal though. Tips- STAY ALERT!!! Although most of the action will be high fly balls, there will be some drag bunts and also some hits that you will need to run as soon as the ball gets hit to grab it. BEWARE OF PASSED BALLS AND WILD PITCHES!! Pitchers can and will throw a couple of wild balls every now and then. When this happens make a beeline for ball and throw it the to the base in front of the baserunner to make sure he stays put. 1st Baseman Who doesn't love those fantastic plays where a bad throw is on it's way to 1st base and then the 1st baseman makes a great stretch to catch the ball and get the out. In the game you will need quick reflexes because most of the balls that are hit at you will be hit hard, making it easy for one to roll down the baseline. Fun position though. Tips- STAY VERY ALERT!!! Since almost all the balls hit at you will be coming hard you won't have much time to see where it's going and cut it off. Always press up(towards home plate) so you can get a jump when the ball comes off the bat. TURNING DOUBLE PLAYS!! Since you'll most likely be close to the ball when you get the ball you should step on the 1st base bag then throw to second to turn the double play. If you try to throw to 2nd when he throws the ball back you won't be ready on the bag and the runner will most likely be safe. 2nd Baseman If you chose to play this position then you should be ready for alot of action because most of the balls hit at you will require quick reflexes. Some of the balls will be routine slow grounders which you will easily have enough time to react and get the out. There will be a lot of plays in which hard grounders will give you little time to react and you must know what your going to do as soon as the ball comes off the bat. Tips- PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE SPEED OF WHOEVER IS ON BASE!!This will let you know how much time you have to make a play(although you should throw the ball as soon as you get it and not play around). TURNING DOUBLE PLAYS- Most of the time you will have 2 options when you try to turn a double play. The first will be for you to throw to second and then let him throw to first to complete the double play. This is almost always the better choice because most of the time you won't be close enough to step on the bag and throw to first and still catch the runner. The second way is for you to run on the bag at second and then throw the ball to first to complete the play. I think this looks better but your fielder must be fast AND have a strong and accurate arm otherwise you will have alot of errors on that throw to 1st. CHOOSING WHERE TO THROW THE BALL- I recommend that you almost always go for the easy out, which most of the time will be at 1st base. THE ONLY time you should try to catch the runner at 3rd is if the ball comes at you really fast and the baserunner took off late. I have tried to get the runner at 3rd many times and have almost always failed. Shortstop This position is my favorite in the infield. It's very similiar to 2nd base except your on the right side instead of the left. This makes a big difference though. Since you have further to go to 1st your arm will need to be stronger and more accurate otherwise you will throw alot of errors(I know trust me) Tips- PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE SPEED OF WHOEVER IS ON BASE!!This will let you know how much time you have to make a play(although you should throw the ball as soon as you get it and not play around). TURNING DOUBLE PLAYS- Most of the time you will have 2 options when you try to turn a double play. The first will be for you to throw to second and then let him throw to first to complete the double play. This is almost always the better choice because most of the time you won't be close enough to step on the bag and throw to first and still catch the runner. The second way is for you to run on the bag at second and then throw the ball to first to complete the play. I think this looks better but your fielder must be fast AND have a strong and accurate arm otherwise you will have alot of errors on that throw to 1st. 3rd Baseman They don't call this position the hot corner for no reason. This is another fun position to play if you like getting alot of action because like the 1st baseman the balls hit at you will be hard and will give you little time to react. Also since 1st base is on the other side of the diamond you also have further to throw to get to 1st base making your arm strength and accuracy that much more important. You will also be the first to rush down the line to pick up bunts. Tips- STAY ALERT!!I know I keep repeating this but it's really important for these positions because slacking off or not paying attention could easily be a hit or they can sneak a bunt by you. TURNING DOUBLE PLAYS!!!The most effective way for you to turn a double play from this position is to throw it to 2nd base as soon as you get the ball. If there's a runner at second then you can try to tag him then throw to 1st base. TURNING A TRIPLE PLAY!!!I should note that i've only done this once but it's a great feeling when you do it though. To do this you have to tag the runner on his to 3rd then fire the ball to 2nd who then in turn will fire it to 1st hopefully in enough time to get the outs. You will rarely have time where you will actually be able to pull off a triple play but I just figured I should note it anyway. Left Fielder You won't see too much action at this position because most of the balls hit to the outfield will be to the center fielder who has the most field to cover. This also is a fun position because you can make some fantastic looking plays in the outfield. IMPORTANT!!!I have noticed in this year's game you will get alot more chances at playing defense. I have led the league in putouts in my first season and see alot of defense plays. Tips- TRACK THE BALL!!It took me awhile to get used to doing this because I couldn't focus enough to see where the ball was. This is nonetheless a very useful skill which you should learn because if you don't you will be missing alot of balls that are hit to you. You also have the assistance of the ball tracker(if you left the option on) to help you find out where you need to go. KNOW YOUR LIMITS AND WHERE TO THROW THE BALL!!!There have been plenty of times where I thought my player had a cannon for an arm and he actually had a water pistol. This resulted in alot runs crossing the plate because my player couldn't throw the ball hard enough to get anybody out. Be aware of long it takes for you throw to reach the infield. If you misjudge then it could very well be the difference between a run and 3 runs. LEARN HOW TO CLIMB THE WALL!!!When there is a HR that you can catch the cursor will be red and will have concetric circles showing you how close the ball is (a nice addition to this years game). Use this as it's much easier to catch a would be HR now. Center Fielder This is my favorite position in the game(and also that of my favorite player Bernie Williams). Most of time you will be standing in the outfield while your teammates get balls that are supposed to get to the outfield. There are two types of balls that will be hit to you. The first is a Fly Ball. These can be either routine or potential Home Runs. Routine fly balls are easily taken care because they are,after all, routine. Potential HR's on the other hand are the most exciting plays you will face. Believe me when I say there is nothing better than robbing the CPU of a HR. This takes alot of practice but once you do it you'll be satsified trust me!! Next are grounders that find there way into the outfield. For these you need to know where you are going with the ball before you pick it up to minimize the damage of the hit. All in All very fun position to play. IMPORTANT!!!I have noticed in this year's game you will get alot more chances at playing defense. I have led the league in putouts in my first season and see alot of defense plays. In my second year I won the gold glove although I only played in 73 games. It's official that you'll get much defensive play this year. Tips- TRACK THE BALL!!It took me awhile to get used to doing this because I couldn't focus enough to see where the ball was. This is nonetheless a very useful skill which you should learn because if you don't you will be missing alot of balls that are hit to you. You also have the assistance of the ball tracker(if you left the option on) to help you find out where you need to go. KNOW WHEN TO USE THE CUTOFF MAN!!! I have seen countless runs scored because the centerfielder chose to throw to the cutoff man instead of going straight to home plate. If you aren't deep in the outfield(and your CF has a good arm) throw straight home or to the base where the runner is going, it will pay dividends. LEARN HOW TO CLIMB THE WALL!!!When there is a HR that you can catch the cursor will be red and will have concetric circles showing you how close the ball is. Use this as it's much easier to catch a would be HR now. LOOK AT THE BATTER TENDENCIES!!!Before the pitcher goes into his motion hit select to see where he hits the ball. If the shift is great(45% or more) then you can cheat in that direction with some certainty that the ball will go there. I should warn you though that this won't always work and when it doesn't it will turn a double into an inside the park HR. Right Fielder I like to call this position the throw em out' position(Mainly from all the times Vlad threw me out at home plate). Your main job in the position will consist of you supporting the right side of the field. Most of the time runners will try to tag from 3rd base if the ball is caught by you. If your arm is strong enough you should be able to gun people out at the plate and at 1st and 2nd(though I've caught someone at 1st once). IMPORTANT!!!I have noticed in this year's game you will get alot more chances at playing defense. I have led the league in putouts in my first season and see alot of defense plays. Tips- TRACK THE BALL!!It took me awhile to get used to doing this because I couldn't focus enough to see where the ball was. This is nonetheless a very useful skill which you should learn because if you don't you will be missing alot of balls that are hit to you. You also have the assistance of the ball tracker(if you left the option on) to help you find out where you need to go. LEARN HOW TO CLIMB THE WALL!!!When there is a HR that you can catch the cursor will be red with concentric circles. Wait for last circle then jump and you should bring the HR back. This is a little more important for Right Fielders because the right field wall is low in alot of parks. As you may have noticed I only gave a general description of duties and tips that I think will help you become a better defensive player and get that gold glove. Remember though practice makes perfect and I would recommend that if you find any of this hard then you should play a regular game and become better at those angles then take what you learned and apply it in RTTS. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ R.Credits ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -Sony for making this wonderful sequel again -Gamefaqs for posting my guide -Wikipedia for providing me with some info on the positions -My fellow gamers for reading and using this FAQ Any questions or comments please E-mail me at: Koolkid11434@yahoo.com