I’ve been playing in ranked games and tournaments for years, and I have to say, MLB The Show 25 has made some of the most significant changes that directly impact competitive balance. Themlb the show 25 stubs new gameplay systems are more than just visual tweaks; they’re affecting how top players approach the game.



Let’s start with pitching and batting dynamics. Ambush Hitting is a revelation for competitive play. Now that hitters can anticipate and commit early to pitches, there’s more risk for pitchers who rely too heavily on patterns. In previous games, you could throw the same sequence—fastball up, slider away—and get predictable results. Now, if a batter correctly predicts a hanging slider early in the count, that ball is leaving the park. This adds a whole new layer of strategy: mixing speeds, changing locations, and hiding your pitch tendencies.



On the flip side, pitching has been reworked to match this aggression. Pitcher confidence matters more, and the stamina system punishes overuse. As someone who used to abuse bullpen arms late in games, I’ve had to seriously rethink my game management. Tiring pitchers now miss their spots more frequently, even if your timing is perfect, which means you’re incentivized to rotate arms more realistically—just like in real MLB.



Defensively, the game finally rewards skill instead of automation. The enhanced fielding system makes it so you have to anticipate batted balls and position your defenders properly. No longer can you rely on elite ratings alone; your reactions and input make a tangible difference. I’ve had infielders blow key plays because I didn’t anticipate the ball off the bat correctly, which sucks—but also feels earned. You’re in control, and there’s less margin for error.



And let’s not forget baserunning and tags. This year, tag animations have been cleaned up, and you can actually control the type of tag your player makes. That may sound small, but in a high-stakes, competitive scenario, those milliseconds matter. You can throw out a runner trying to stretch a double into a triple—something that felt impossible in past versions due to slow tags.



All of this combined makes MLB The Show 25 far more balanced and skill-based. I’ve noticed players who relied on cheese mechanics last year are struggling to adapt, while smarter, patient players are climbing the leaderboards.



I’ll be honest—there are still some bugs and tuning needed. But SDS deserves real credit for listening to the competitive community and implementing systems that reward baseball IQ and reaction time rather than just meta builds or RNG.