Mike Lowe MLB The Show 23 Sliders

[Mike Lowe]

Version: 1.7 (9-7-23)
Overview Video

For more details on these sliders, to check out my own franchise, to make a donation, or just to say hello, find me here:

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This year, you're going to see we're very close to default Legend. The game is very well balanced, and there's no reason to force things or make changes for the sake of making changes. Hats off to SDS for having gameplay in a very strong place for us to start from.

FAQs

These will work fine on other difficult levels and whatever hitting/pitching/fielding settings you prefer. My official recommendations are zone Legend hitting, pinpoint Legend pitching, and manual fielding.

V1.0 is up in the Vault. Search for Mike Lowe. Keep in mind that the version in the Vault is not the most updated version. This thread has the most accurate updates.

The slider app still works and is available here: https://simsportsgaming.com/mikeloweshowsliders/

I do move my cursor around, but also keep a simple gameplan in place for each at bat/situation, and try not to over-complicate my ABs.

I pitch on Legend and pitch for the edges to look to get the AI to chase, so walks, HBP, and Ks will happen.

The AI will throw some beanballs, but your HBP will be in-line with the rest of the simulated games.

You will get accurate sim stats too if you revert after a save/sim anytime you see your league totals for complete games going above a total of 6 per month (about 36 total for the entire season).

Introduction

Thanks for checking out my sliders for MLB The Show 23. This is my ninth season working on sliders for this game, which includes multiple seasons of 162 games where all games and all pitches were played. This slider set has been the most downloaded and highest-rated slider set in the MLB The Show Vault for a number of years now. Thank you!

I've been involved in game development as a freelance hobby for years, most recently as a beta tester for Out of the Park Baseball, and I'm heavily focused on details and accuracy of simulation, striving to have a slider set that matches modern-MLB output, but also across the simulated game spectrum.

Goals of this Set (approximates, and won't be every single game)

60% first pitch strikes

62% ball:strike ratio, but 65-68% for higher-end pitchers

.300 team BABIP (use a BABIP calculator)

15-18% foul balls per total pitches

21% swings and misses per total number of swings (misses plus strikeouts)

1.1-1.2+ HRs per game, per team.

HBP should fall in line with simulated games.

Depending on repertoire, varied flyball to groundball ratios.

The rest of your statistical accuracy will come from this output.

Nutshell Explanation

This set is based on accurate first-pitch strikes, ball-to-strike ratios, BABIP, foul ball %, swinging miss %, HR ratios, and groundball-to-flyball ratios. This is also the only slider I set I've seen over the years that will give you accurate HBP totals for played games.

Detailed Explanation

These sliders are designed for people who've found they're in need of a more challenging and realistic set for MLB The Show. I've been playing The Show since the game first came out, and I'd say I'm a good player. Most importantly, I love baseball and am always looking for ways to make The Show as realistic as possible, even if that means I don't win the division every year. I hope you find some value in these sliders.

It's important for you the gamer to take ownership of YOUR sliders and move beyond slider dependency/slideritis and learn how to comfortably tweak them without feeling as though the sky is falling or always needing my approval. I still recommend using the slider app linked above in the FAQ question as a tool to help yourself.

Dynamic difficulty is a brilliant idea, but it's too simplified--instead, take up the challenge to dynamically adjust your OWN difficulty (sliders/settings) as you go. I'm not a fan of "final" or "locked" sliders because you should always be evaluating and tweaking to adjust to your improved gameplay during the season; You're going to be better on game 162 than you are in game 1.

At the same time, this game is clean and balanced enough that you don't need to restart over and over just because you bumped a few sliders up or down. Just play and continually check yourself against the league stats and rankings, and keep sample size in mind.

The game plays well out of the box, and variety AND oddities are a part of baseball; Over the course of 162 games, it will level itself out just fine, and the cream will rise to the top. Don't worry if you're not the cream every season.

Use these sliders as a base and tweak because we ALL play differently and have our own unique skill sets. You don't need to wait to start a franchise to use these sliders, you don't need to start anything over, and you can tweak during your season as you won't be seeing anything out of the realm of possibility, and certainly nothing that won't stand the test of time over 162 games.

Staying locked into a bad slider set for 162 games is the only thing that will skew your results one way or another.

GAMEPLAY

DIFFICULTY

Gameplay Style - Simulation

Hitting Difficulty - Legend

Pitching Difficulty - Legend

Tutorial/New Feature Tips - Off

DECISIONS

Auto Fielding - Off

Auto Throwing - Off

Auto Baserunning - Off

Auto Siding - Off

Auto INF Jump Reaction - Off

Auto INF Dive Reaction - Off

Warm Up Relievers - On or Off

Defensive Shift - Auto (but adjust yourself too if need be. Auto just helps save time.)

RULES

Umpire Accuracy - Personalized

Injuries - On

Ejections - On

Balks - Off (AI will never have one)

Umpire Close Plays - Average

Check Swing Appeals - On

MISC

CPU Pitch Delay - Normal

Post Game Auto Save - Off

Hitting View – Catcher (or whatever non-zoom camera you prefer)

CONTROL

OFFENSE

Baserunning Interface - Analog Select

Swing Input - Buttons

Hitting Interface - Zone

PCI Anchor - Off

Plate Coverage Indicator - Off

Guess Pitch - Off

Vibration - Off

DEFENSE

Pitching Interface - Pinpoint

In-Play View Offense - Broadcast

Pitching Ball Marker- Off

Throwing Interface - Buttons

Accuracy Chevrons - Off

Throw Canceling - On (for manual fielding)

Catch Position Indicator - Drifting Ball

Dive/Jump - Two Button

CAMERA

Hitting View - Catcher

Pitching View - Broadcast

In-Play View Offense - Broadcast

In-Play View Defense - Broadcast


DISPLAY

Fielding Aids - On

Base for Play Icon - Off

Catch Position Indicator Accuracy - Variable

CPU Pitch Suggestion - Off

Route to Ball Indicator - Off

Strike Zone - Off

Hot Zones - Always Preview

Pitch Location - On

Pitch Select Displays - Pitch Descriptions

Confidence/Energy Bars - On

Pitch Feedback - On

Batter Control Display - Minimal

Swing Feedback - On

Off the Wall Ribbon - Off

Baserunning Diamond - On

Player Name Display - Off

Scorebar Display - On

PRESENTATION

Presentation Mode - Broadcast

Pitch Selection Cameras - None

Batter Walkup On

In-Game Ticker - On

SLIDERS

Human Contact 6

Human Power 5

Human Timing 6

Human Foul Frequency 5

Human Solid Hits 5

Human Starter Stamina 5

Human Reliever Stamina 5

Human Pitch Control 3

Human Pitcher Consistency 5

CPU Contact 6

CPU Power 6

CPU Timing 6 (+1)

CPU Foul Frequency 5

CPU Solid Hits 5

CPU Starter Stamina 6 (8 for simmed games)

CPU Reliever Stamina 5

CPU Pitcher Control 5

CPU Pitcher Consistency 5

CPU Strike Frequency 5

CPU Manager Hook 5 (8 for in-game bullpen and simmed games)

CPU Pickoffs 5

Fastball Pitch Speed 5

Offspeed Pitch Speed 5

Fielding Errors Infield 8 (+1)

Fielding Errors Outfield 5

Throwing Errors Infield 8 (+1)

Throwing Errors Outfield 6

Fielder Run Speed 5

Fielder Reaction 5

Fielder Arm Strength Infield 5

Fielder Arm Strength Outfield 5

Baserunner Speed 5

Baserunner Steal Ability 6

Baserunner Steal Frequency 5

Wind 5

Injury Frequency 6 (7 is more realistic but can create depth issues w only 90 players)

Trade Frequency 5

HOUSE RULES (Optional)

I recommend spending a little time balancing each organization's roster as this seems to prevent some of the horrid first month trades.

Try and keep LR spots open for AI teams. I scroll through the AI teams each day and move any LR guy down to an open MR or SU spot.

I would turn the CPU Strike Frequency to 0 when facing a knuckleballer.

Manager contracts - On

If you want the artist-rendition bio pictures, start your franchise with a fantasy draft, and then back out of it before the first selection is made. Rosters will still be intact.

Do not "visit mound" at the very start of an inning.

No going back to the bag on a steal attempt.

Assume the AI teams only want to deal primarily from their trade block and don't abuse the shop player feature.

No changing of coaching staff until the offseason unless AI team does so first.

[bryanm1982]

Welcome back!

[polyduster]

Excited to try these out!

Question - Your FAQ section above you mention your personal recommendation is using Pinpoint pitching and Manual Fielding, yet when looking at the Gameplay options you have Meter pitching and Auto Fielding. Just curious which one is "correct"?

Thanks!

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[Mike Lowe]

Quote: Originally Posted by polyduster

Excited to try these out! Question - Your FAQ section above you mention your personal recommendation is using Pinpoint pitching and Manual Fielding, yet when looking at the Gameplay options you have Meter pitching and Auto Fielding. Just curious which one is "correct"? Thanks! Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Copy paste error. Fixed. There are probably some more, but will check tomorrow. Just wanted to get these posted as promised.

[Mike Lowe]

Added an overview video since the forums were down.

Also, I'll be LIVE tonight at 7pm ET on YouTube with my Nationals franchise.

https://youtu.be/dhBhFTVFM9w

[TripleCrown]

Love what i see here. Without being a sliders specialist like yourself I came to the conclusion the game is playing better with sliders to 5 with a few slight adjustments here and there.

I prefer Meter pitching tho but not expecting any changes still. What do think ?

[baseballguy99]

Are you playing on simulation or competitive ?

[stormchaserck19]

Great stuff as always. Thank you for your time and effort on these and happy to see you’re back playing the show. I’m looking to do a RTTS as a closing pitcher so just had a couple of questions.

1.) Regarding CPU Starter Stamina at 6 (8 for simmed games) I’m assuming I can just always leave it at 8 since I’ll only be playing my appearances as a closer and get the same results, correct?

2.) Regarding CPU Manager Hook at 5 (8 for in-game bullpen and simmed games) I also assume I can just leave this at 8 and get the same results as my appearances will be bullpen only as a closer and everything else will be simmed, correct?

Thanks again and let’s grind the show 23 all year!