MLB The Show 26 Player Tests Suggest Directional Hitting Power Problem

Over at our Operation Sports forums, we often have ongoing discussions about MLB The Show 26‘s gameplay. Recently, one of our forum users, who goes by “Therebelyell626,” started a thread claiming that Directional Hitting is suffering a power deficiency this year. After playing at All-Star difficulty and having trouble hitting out of the park, the user ran a series of tests to determine whether there was a power issue with directional hitting.

The player’s testing with the Chicago White Sox showed a high number of warning-track doubles despite strong exit velocities, specifically balls hitting the warning track with high exit velocities that refused to clear the fence. This led the user to theorize about a “power ceiling” or a mechanical bug affecting the Directional and Timing interface in the game’s latest iteration. 

The user first tried three games and didn’t hit a single home run in any of them. After bumping up the human power slider by one notch, they finally hit one home run in one of their three games. By adjusting the slider further by two, they hit a home run in all 3 games. For the user, this suggests that the base settings don’t necessarily align with their simulation expectations. However, many in the community disagree. 

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What Do Other Players Think Of This Issue?

The replies under the original post are very divided on whether this is a technical issue or an individual variance. In response to the report, several other players chimed in, stating they have had no such trouble. One user reported hitting nearly 100 home runs in 54 games on Legend difficulty using the same interface, while another suggested that the perceived lack of power could be a trade-off for increased contact sliders in the engine. 

Another member on the forum warned against “Slideritis,” suggesting that most players should avoid overhauling power settings and instead focus on their core hitting. To conclude, the evidence and the “test” itself are highly anecdotal. While the thread highlights the delicate balance that SDS must maintain between its hitting engines, it’s unclear if this is a mechanical issue or simply a run of bad luck for a few specific users. 

If you wish to join the conversation, we’ve attached the forum post to the comment section.