What is the real goal in Showdown?

A lot of players treat Showdown like a home run contest. That’s usually why they lose.

The real goal is to score runs with limited outs, not to hit highlight clips. Sometimes the best at-bat is a walk. Sometimes the best swing is a simple contact hit. You don’t need to dominate every moment—you just need to avoid wasting outs.

In most Showdowns, the final boss mission is where everything matters. All the earlier moments exist to give you two things:

1. Runs added to the final showdown score

2. Better players and perks to help you finish

If you treat every early moment like it’s life or death, you’ll swing too much and play too tight. You should play earlier moments clean, but you don’t need to be perfect.

How should you approach drafting hitters?

Drafting hitters is the most important part of your run, and most players do it wrong.

Should you draft based on overall rating?

Not really. Overall rating is less important than swing comfort and matchup advantage.

In Showdown, you’re usually facing high-velocity pitchers with good breaking stuff. That means you want hitters who:

• Have quick swings

• Handle inside fastballs well

• Have high contact (especially vs the pitcher’s handedness)

A common mistake is taking a high-power slugger with low contact. Those hitters strike out too often, especially when you’re under pressure and the pitcher is throwing outlier fastballs.

What hitter types perform best?

In practice, the best Showdown hitters are:

• High contact + decent power

• Balanced hitters with good vision/discipline

• Players with smooth swings you personally hit well with

Also, don’t ignore speed. Speed turns singles into doubles and makes double plays less likely.

How important is handedness in Showdown?

Handedness matters a lot, especially late in the run.

Most Showdown bosses are tough enough that you want every advantage possible. If you know the final boss is right-handed, prioritize left-handed bats with strong stats vs RHP.

Even if the stats are similar, a lineup stacked with same-handed hitters tends to struggle because breaking pitches move away from your barrel. A mix of lefties and righties makes it easier to adjust.

In real gameplay terms, lefties are often easier to hit with because the ball is easier to see coming out of many right-handed pitchers.

Which perks are actually worth taking?

Perks decide Showdown runs more than most people admit. The best perks reduce strikeouts, improve timing, and reward solid contact.

What perks help the most?

The most reliable perk types are:

• Exit velocity boosts on normal swings

• Contact boosts when behind in the count

• PCI size boosts with two strikes

• Timing window boosts

If a perk helps you on every swing, it’s usually strong.

Which perks are overrated?

Perks that only trigger under rare conditions can be bait. Things like boosts only on “perfect-perfect” contact are not consistent enough unless you’re an elite hitter.

Also, perks focused on bunting or stealing can help sometimes, but they don’t win runs as often as pure hitting perks.

How do you stop striking out so much?

Strikeouts are the biggest reason players lose Showdown.

To cut strikeouts down, you need a plan before the pitch even comes.

What’s the best hitting mindset?

The simplest approach is this:

• Sit fastball early

• React to breaking pitches

If you try to guess every pitch type, you will be late on fastballs and roll over offspeed pitches.

Most CPU pitchers in Showdown will challenge you with fastballs when you’re behind in the count. If you’re ready for it, you’ll get a lot of hard-hit balls.

Should you swing early in counts?

Not always. But you should swing early if you get a pitch in the middle of the zone.

A big practical tip: if you take too many first pitches, the CPU starts getting comfortable throwing strikes. You don’t want to be passive. You want to be selective.

The goal is not “take pitches.” The goal is “only swing at hittable pitches.”

How do you manage pressure when you’re low on outs?

This is where most runs fall apart. Players start rushing because the out counter feels like a timer.

What’s the best way to stay calm?

Slow the game down.

Step out of the box. Take a breath. Look at the pitcher’s confidence and energy. A lot of Showdown bosses get weaker if you foul off pitches and extend at-bats.

In practice, the best comeback innings happen when you stop trying to hit a 3-run homer and start stacking baserunners.

What if you’re down and the pitcher is dealing?

Then your job is to raise pitch count and force mistakes.

Even if you make outs, long at-bats reduce the pitcher’s effectiveness. Once their confidence drops, you’ll start seeing more pitches leak into the middle of the zone.

Should you bunt in Showdown?

Bunting is situational, but it can absolutely win runs.

When is bunting a smart move?

Bunting works best when:

• You have a fast runner

• The infield is playing back

• You only need one run

• You’re trying to avoid a double play

If you bunt just because you’re nervous, you’ll waste outs. But if you bunt with a purpose, it’s a strong tool.

A common winning tactic is bunting your leadoff runner on base to second, especially when you’re close to the target score and don’t need multiple runs.

How do you avoid double plays?

Double plays kill Showdown runs more than anything else.

The easiest way to reduce double plays is:

• Don’t swing at low pitches

• Avoid early-count groundball swings

• Use contact swing with slow hitters in double-play situations

If you have a slow runner at the plate and a man on first with less than two outs, you should be thinking “hard line drive” or “fly ball,” not “pull-side grounder.”

Sometimes it’s smarter to take a strike than to roll over a sinker.

What’s the best way to handle the final boss?

The final boss mission is where your entire run is decided. The CPU pitcher will often have high velocity, nasty breaking pitches, and strong confidence.

How should you start the final showdown?

Start with patience, but not passivity.

You want to see the pitcher’s release and pitch mix. Usually after 5–10 pitches you can tell:

• Do they spam inside fastballs?

• Do they rely on sliders away?

• Do they throw changeups in hitter’s counts?

Once you recognize the pattern, you can sit on one pitch location.

Should you power swing?

Most players overuse power swing.

In Showdown, regular swing is the most consistent. Contact swing is useful with two strikes or when you just need the ball in play. Power swing should be saved for obvious hanging breaking balls or 3-0 meatballs.

If you power swing at everything, you’ll pop up and strike out, which is exactly what the CPU wants.

What lineup order works best?

Lineup order matters because you want your best hitters getting the most plate appearances.

A practical Showdown lineup setup:

• Top of the order: contact + speed

• Middle: your best overall hitters (balanced power/contact)

• Bottom: weaker bats and defensive fillers

Also, if you have one hitter you personally rake with, bat them second or third even if their card rating is lower. Showdown rewards what works for you, not what looks good on paper.

Is it worth restarting early if things go badly?

Yes, and experienced players do it all the time.

If you lose an early mission and your lineup feels weak, restarting can save time. The worst Showdown habit is forcing a bad run to continue, then getting stuck at the final boss with no perks and no hitters you trust.

You don’t need to restart every time something goes wrong, but if your perk choices are poor and your draft didn’t go well, it’s often smarter to reset.

Some players also restart because they want better rewards faster, and others do it because they want to save time instead of grinding out a low-probability run. That’s also why some people choose to buy MLB The Show 26 stubs xbox series when they want quicker access to players, instead of repeating the same modes for hours.

What are the most common mistakes players make in Showdown?

If you want to improve quickly, avoid these mistakes:

Swinging at pitcher’s pitches

If the pitch is on the corner or below the zone, let it go. Outs are more valuable than “almost” hits.

Treating every at-bat like a home run moment

Showdown is about consistent offense. Singles and walks win runs.

Drafting based on big names instead of swing comfort

A card is only good if you can hit with it.

Ignoring two-strike approach

With two strikes, you should widen your focus and protect the plate. Most Showdown losses happen because players refuse to adjust their approach late in counts.

What’s the simplest strategy that wins most Showdowns?

If you want one straightforward plan that works in most runs, it’s this:

• Draft contact hitters with good splits

• Take perks that help on every swing

• Sit fastball, react to offspeed

• Don’t chase low pitches

• Avoid double plays by staying out of the dirt

• Stay calm and stack baserunners instead of forcing home runs

That approach isn’t flashy, but it wins more runs than most “all power” strategies. Showdown rewards players who waste fewer outs, not players who swing the hardest.