Attack Hitters’ Cold Zones, Not Hot Zones

Spend the first inning collecting information:

Are they early or MLB The Show 25 Stubs late on fastballs?

Do they chase offspeed in the dirt?

Where do they struggle with PCI placement?

Hot Zones = avoid
Cold Zones = exploit

Example:

If their cold zone is bottom left:

Drop sliders and changeups there

Occasional fastball away to keep honest

Finish strikeouts with curveballs under the zone

Even elite hitters struggle when you consistently attack weaknesses.

Understand the Pitching Count Meta

Pitch selection should change by count, not by habit.

Best Pitches by Count

0–0: High fastball, backdoor cutter, sinker running inside
1–1: Sweeping slider, changeup low, knuckle curve
0–2 / 1–2: Waste pitch — slider away, curve in dirt, high fastball out of zone
3–2: Your safest strike pitch (don’t overthink)

Rule of Thumb

Never throw a hittable strike on 0–2.
Never throw a breaking ball over the plate on 3–2 unless your guy has elite control.

Use Outlier Pitchers Correctly (Most Players Don’t)

Outlier is strong, but only if you avoid becoming predictable.

Right Way to Use Outlier

Use it high and above the zone

Pair with low sinkers

Mix in changeups to destabilize timing

Rarely throw center-zone outlier fastballs

Wrong Way (What Losers Do)

Spamming 102 fastballs in the zone

Throwing outlier fastballs on predictable counts

Not mixing eye levels

Even mid-rank players can turn on buy MLB The Show 25 Stubs predictable outlier spam.