There are over a dozen different pitches in MLB The Show 25. Choosing the best among them isn’t easy, as any pitch in a capable pitcher’s hands can be delivered with deadly precision and frustrate any hitter. That said, MLB The Show 25 is a video game. And like all video games, there is a meta — or rather a select amount of pitches that have proven to be the most effective over the years, especially in an online setting.
But what are these pitches? And what makes them so effective? Here are the five best pitches in MLB The Show 25.
The Best Pitches In MLB The Show 25
Operation Sports App
Your ultimate companion for sports gaming. Access in-depth coverage, thoughtful discussion, and a community built around the games—and sports—you love.
Your ultimate sports gaming companion.
Sinker
A sinker is essentially a fastball, but with arm-side and downward break. A longtime favorite of many MLB The Show players, the sinker is extremely effective for dotting inside corners against facing opposite-handed hitters, or breaking in on the hands of same-sided hitters. If you’re using a pitcher with a high-velocity fastball, the sinker can be used for some extremely effective tunneling.
Cutter
Like the sinker, the cutter is a variant of a fastball. Unlike the sinker, however, the cutter breaks away from the pitcher’s dominant hand, creating opportunities to jam opposite-handed batters or be a back-door strike. It’s also effective if you’re tunneling with the fastball on the inside edge of the plate against same-sided hitters.
Circle Change
Changing speeds on a hitter is one of the most reliable and effective ways to keep hitters off-balance in MLB The Show 25. And when it comes to changing speeds, fewer pitches are better than the circle change. The circle change differs from a standard changeup in that it has sharper movement. When thrown off a fastball, it can keep even the strongest hitters in the game from locking in. It’s especially good as a waste pitch below the zone to set up something else.
Sweeper
We’ve already gone in-depth on the sweeper, the newest pitch added to the MLB The Show series. To summarize, it’s a variation of the slider, but with some distinct differences. For one, a sweeper is thrown a bit slower than a pitcher would typically throw a slider. But it also has a bit more horizontal sweeping break on it, hence the term “sweeper.” If a pitcher uses this in conjunction with a slider, the tunneling opportunities will be seemingly endless. It’s an incredibly effective pitch and a welcome addition to this year’s game.
Screwball
One of the most difficult pitches for a hitter to square up, the screwball is an off-speed pitch with sharp, downward movement and even a hint of some arm-side action. Having seen a resurgence in popularity following the emergence of Devin Williams and his signature “air bender,” the screwball is best used belt-high on the corners of the plate, away from the slam zones at the bottom of the zone. If you can effectively locate it and tunnel it off of quicker pitches, hitters are in for a bad time when a pitcher has the screwball in their rolodex.
Published: Apr 8, 2025 03:09 pm