Many casual baseball fans may believe that baserunning would be the most simple part of the game, but in reality, when you do it well, you can win a close match, while poor decisions on the base path can lead to you losing. Running yourself into unneeded outs while trying to force the issue is not advisable. Here is a beginner’s guide to baserunning in MLB The Show 22 so you can smartly put yourself on the path to victory.
Controls for team play
There are three baserunning control styles that you can choose from when controlling an entire team. This can be changed at any time in the Settings, and you can practice each method in Options Explorer if you want.
Default
The default baserunning controls have been used for The Show for years and are really popular. L1, LB, or L will advance all runners, R1, RB, or R will have them go back to their previous base, and pointing the left stick in the direction of a runner will give you control over that single player to direct them to go to a base with one of the face buttons. Press down on the right stick to have your player perform a feet-first slide or up to do a forward dive.
To steal, press L2, LT, or ZL. Tapping it will have the AI have them run when the pitcher begins his delivery, but holding it will let you choose when they run when you let go. This can give you a split-second advantage but is really risky if they pick you off.
Classic
Classic controls are similar to default, but the only change is to control a specific runner; you use a face button to select them and then press the d-pad to tell them which base to run to.
Auto Baserunning
As you might expect, Auto Baserunning lets the AI run for you. If you are struggling to make proper decisions on the bases, or maybe you just don’t like this side of the game, you can set this. The AI will rarely be hyper-aggressive, and make smart decisions on the paths. If you do want to make an input, you can overrule what the AI is doing.
Single player controls
The running controls are altered when you are playing as a single player in Road to the Show or Diamond Dynasty missions. You will press up on the left stick to advance, and going back will be down. If you want to steal, you will press right on the left stick, but don’t do it too soon, or you will run into an easy out. The camera is stuck on you by default, so knowing where the ball is can be difficult. Press RB to focus on where it is and decide if you will advance.
Tips
When running on the base paths, it is always good to know where you will go depending on where the ball is. For example, if you are on first and the ball is hit to right field, it is a good idea to try and push yourself to at least third base. Of course, this all depends on who is running and fielding. Suppose you are running with someone with very low speed like Yadier Molina. In that case, you don’t want to test someone with a strong arm like Ronald Acuna Jr. However, if you are an aggressive runner, you can sometimes force the defense into making bad mistakes like throwing errors. Still, you need to be smart about ensuring you can get back to safety if needed.
Another situation we recommend is being aggressive with two outs. If someone with high speed is on second with one out, and the hitter hits a slow grounder up the middle, sometimes that runner can score while the fielder runs a long way to field the ball and throw to first. It can be risky, so we don’t recommend trying something like this with anyone below 90 speed, but choosing your moments to do things like that can spell the difference between scoring or not in an inning. Speed is a weapon that can cause havoc for the defense if used correctly.
