Pull hitters, spray hitters, and power to the opposite field

[spit_bubble]

Something needs to be done to make a distinction between pull hitters and spray hitters, as well as guys with or without power to the opposite field.

The latter issue is the more significant one. It's too easy to go deep the other way while hitting, and while pitching it takes away from the strategy. You should be able to pitch away to most guys without having to worry about giving up an opposite field HR.

Off the top of my head I think a good addition might be to add two hitter attributes: 1. contact to the opposite field, and 2. power to the opposite field. Just like how they have splits for versus left and right, just add one underneath for opposite field that would cover the opposite field gap to the opposite field foul line.

So for power hitters who mainly pull all their HRs, their "power to the opposite field" would be low, and when you're up at the plate with that hitter you'd want to try to pull everything when trying to go deep. And then some guys might be good spray hitters with some pull power, so they'd have a high "contact to the opposite field" but slightly lower "power to the opposite field" so as to better represent their true ability.

Making a distinction between these types of hitters would both look and feel a lot more realistic.

[Vashyron.]

I totally agree that there needs to be a distinction between pull hitters and inside-out hitters. I posted my following ideas in another thread on how it could be implemented:

You can't really make certain hitters pull the ball because if the user is late on the swing, you kinda have to have the ball be hit the other way. Maybe make it so pull hitters have a very small margin for error on hitting outside pitches the other way, you have to time an outside pitch just right to hit it with authority the other way. Therefore, you force the user to want to pull the ball with these hitters as their chance for getting a opposite field hit is greatly reduced. Also, making pull hitters' swings even faster would also go a long way to having them pull the ball more often. I know some hitters do have faster swings, like Carlos Pena has a quicker swing than Tyler Colver. However, the difference should be more noticeable.

Opposite power has always been ridiculous in this series. I've seen contact hitters hit opposite field HRs on pitches on the inner 3rd of the plate. I don't think there is a hitter that can hit and opposite field HR on a pitch on the inner 3rd of the plate. I don't think there needs to be separate attributes. You can hit a ball farther if you pull it, it's just how it is. Say Albert Pujols can hit the ball 500 feet if he puts an absolutely perfect swing on a pitch. Now if Pujols puts a perfect swing on a pitch on the outer 3rd, his power probably maxes out at about 400 feet or so. So make it that a hitter can only hit the ball the other way say 80% of his max pull distance. And there should be even a lot more negatives on hitting inside pitches the other way, make it then 50% of max pull distance so Pujols would only be able to hit the ball the other way 250 feet max if he hits a pitch on the inner 3rd to the opposite field. It seems pretty easy to program in proper opposite field power. I feel my idea is very simple (I realize my percentages probably aren't perfect but they are probably close to realistic) and would yield realistic results as well.

[spit_bubble]

Quote: Originally Posted by Vashyron.

...I don't think there needs to be separate attributes. You can hit a ball farther if you pull it, it's just how it is...

There would need to be separate attributes to help shape and define individual players and how they played.



In fact they'd have to code it so the CPU used these hitters right, so that a CPU controlled power hitter with low "power to the opposite field" tried to pull the ball more often against you.

Then they'd have to code CPU pitchers to pitch to each style of hitter appropriately as well, with them avoiding a power pull hitter's wheelhouse more often for example.

But it would all be well worth the time and effort. The game doesn't quite capture the concept of pitching in and out, and hitters trying to pull the ball.

[Vashyron.]

The game already has the spray charts to determine pull hitters, I don't think another batting attribute is needed. If the guy is a pull hitter (based on the spray chart) just apply penalties to his contact, power, and plate vision attributes when he hits the ball the other way. It can be done using the current system.

[spit_bubble]

^ Yeah but the spray charts don't address contact and power individually. Some guys use all fields but don't have power the other way, while some guys use all fields with power the other way. There needs to be a difference between the two.

[rudyjuly2]

I think they do need to have power ratings for opposite field in all baseball games to help tone down the opposite field HRs. But if we do this they also need to let us change how close we stand to the plate (maybe choose normal, cheat outside and cheat inside when at the plate). Batters will cheat up to the plate so they can pull the outside pitch. That's why pitchers will throw it up and in to back them off.

I don't think anyone wants to see a baseball game where a pitcher simply pitches to the outer third of the plate and doesn't face any dangers of HR balls other than to the 30+ HR hitters. While I don't want to see guys hitting the ball the opposite way for HRs, if you choose to cheat inside you should be able to still turn on those pitches for HRs.

[Vashyron.]

Quote: Originally Posted by spit_bubble

^ Yeah but the spray charts don't address contact and power individually. Some guys use all fields but don't have power the other way, while some guys use all fields with power the other way. There needs to be a difference between the two.

The reason certain players don't have opposite field power is because they don't put good swings on outside pitches. Carlos Pena is a pull hitter that hits very few opposite field HRs but he has the opposite field power when he puts the right swing on an outside pitch, it's just that he very rarely puts the proper swing on outside pitches to hit HRs to left field. Oddly though, Carlos Pena is great a pulling outside pitches for HRs. So I say you give him penalties or just greatly lower the chance of him hitting the ball solidly when he is late on the pitch. I would say his power isn't reduced to the opposite field, it's just his chance of solidly hitting the ball is much lower, which makes it seem like he doesn't have much opposite field power. I think the spray charts alone can provide all the data you need to give pull hitters penalties on hitting the ball the other way.

[spit_bubble]

Quote: Originally Posted by Vashyron.

...I think the spray charts alone can provide all the data you need to give pull hitters penalties on hitting the ball the other way.

Well, again, there are guys who hit the ball to all fields... But who don't have power the other way. So their spray chart would be even to represent their hitting the ball to all fields, but what would keep them from hitting HRs the other way? There needs to be a distinction between power and contact.

I'm just repeating myself here.