For just about a decade or so, MLB The Show has been the king of baseball video games. The MLB 2K franchise tried to compete for several years but couldn't live up to Sony's efforts despite the company's success with its basketball series. Chicago Cubs star Javier Báez is the 2020 cover athlete and fans are excited about another installment.
While MLB The Show 19 was another strong edition of the series, things are starting to wear thin. When you're on top for so long, it is easy to get complacent. We're sure this year's game will be good but there are a few things we'd like to see that would improve MLB The Show 20.
10 Improved Stat Tracking
When playing franchise mode in this series, you can bring up a player card. This will show you the stats of the selected athlete for the duration of the franchise. However, it doesn't keep track of enough stats and there are so many more that are possible. The same goes for awards.
If you look at NBA 2K or even the later editions of MLB 2K, they keep track of tons of information. Awards, career-bests, team records, team records, and more. MLB The Show is even behind the text-based computer series, Out of the Park Baseball, in this department.
9 Slight Gameplay Changes
The old adage is, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Part of the reason why MLB The Show has stayed on top of the industry for so long is that the gameplay is strong. It's consistent, feels realistic, and is above the rest of the field. That's why we're not looking for a full revamp of the engine.
That being said, we've kind of been playing the same game for far too long. Little tweaks will ultimately go a long way to making MLB The Show 20 feel fresh. Things like new animations, an improved hitting interface, and an injection of player personalities would be welcome. Especially with the game now available beyond the PlayStation.
8 Fun Mini-Games
As noted, one of the selling points of this series is the realism. We appreciate a good baseball simulation. However, that's not for everyone. A lot of people consider the sport of baseball to be boring. Why not add something to make those people fans of this series?
Sony wouldn't want to completely change the game for these potential new players, so they could work in a mini-game scenario. Something that would play like the old MLB Slugfest games or the 3-on-3 NHL Arcade mini-game that was included in EA Sports' NHL series. It would be a nice change of pace.
7 Classic Teams
The NBA 2K franchise has made a killing with this concept. Over the years, they've consistently added classic teams to the game. They include memorable units like the 2002 New Jersey Nets and championship teams like the 1996 Chicago Bulls. MLB The Show should find a way to follow suit.
Just think about the possibilities. Put the 1998 New York Yankees against the 2001 Seattle Mariners. How about the 2004 Boston Red Sox against the 2016 Chicago Cubs? It would bolster the game's overall roster and give fans plenty of extra options.
6 Realistic Contracts
A major gripe with MLB The Show is the way the contracts are handled. They're not at all realistic. In real life, we've seen guys like Mike Trout sign deals worth over $400 million. The game has strange limits put on these kinds of contracts and we're not sure why. That's only the beginning, though.
For some reason, the game doesn't always start with the real deals in place. Someone who just signed a long contract may randomly be up for free agency two years into your franchise. We'd also like more depth added to the arbitration system. Let us, especially in Road to the Show mode, negotiate our contract.
5 MLB Network Presentation
Technically, we already kind of have this. Games can be played with MLB Network's graphics package. However, we're talking about taking this a step further. Think about the way the NBA 2K franchise brings us a pre-game and halftime show featuring the likes of Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith.
The connection between MLB The Show and MLB Network could yield similar results. Even if it's just a small intro hosted by some members of the crew, it would add to the presentation of the game.
4 Franchise Relocation
There are a handful of options missing from the Franchise mode in MLB The Show (more on that later). A bunch of them could be fixed by simply adding the option to relocate a franchise. Similar to how the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals, this should be possible in a game.
Adding this would open the door for things like creating your own jerseys and designing your own stadiums. There's also the caveat to come up with the name of a new team and the logo. It's a ton of fun in other games. Thankfully, a recent tweet suggested this might be added this year.
3 Stronger RTTS Story
The Road to the Show mode is one of the best things about this series. The ability to create a player and take him through a long career has been a big deal for almost every sports gaming franchise. RTTS has undergone a handful of changes during its run but the story could use tweaking.
Again, they should look to NBA 2K for an idea. They use real voice actors like Michael B. Jordan and Idris Elba to add to the drama. What if we had to deal with a teammate who was on steroids? It could be simpler, focusing on us being a highly touted prospect with huge expectations or a low draft pick fighting for our job.
2 Minor League Rosters
This runs into a similar problem that the classic teams do. There are issues regarding the MLB Players Association holding this back but it's something we'd still love to see. When playing RTTS or franchise, it's grating to see a bunch of fictional players in the minor league system.
Veteran MLB The Show gamers usually wait for other online players to create their own minor league rosters to make things as accurate as possible. It shouldn't be up to us to create these guys. We should be able to use the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. before his callup to the majors.
1 Deeper Franchise Mode
MLB The Show has a solid Franchise mode but it has fallen way behind the competition. Madden has its Owner mode, which allows gamers to handle everything from trades to the prices of concessions. NBA 2K bests everyone with the incredible MyLeague mode that lets you control every tiny detail of your entire league.
We want something similar in MLB The Show. From the aforementioned relocation ability to things like realigning divisions, changing league rules, selecting the rightful award winners, and more. There is so much untapped potential with this mode.