Road to the Show is one of the most popular game modes in MLB The Show 25. The mode allows you to create your own player and ascend the ranks of Major League Baseball to eventually reach the big leagues and make a true name for yourself. There are plenty of different factors that go into making it to the Show, and your player’s batting stance can be one of them.
While it might not sound like a major factor, some players die on the hill that your batting stance can make a huge difference at the plate. Whether it’s due to timing, the look of the swing, or the starting position of the bat, a particular batting stance can be considered “better” than others.
To help you narrow down your choices from the hundreds of batting stances in MLB The Show 25, we’ve listed our top seven stances and why you should use them. The list is in no particular order.
Yordan Alvarez (current player)
We’re starting with one of the more famous batting stances from the past few years in MLB The Show. Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros has become one of the best hitters in baseball and many Road to the Show players have stood by his batting stance since he started to mash balls all over the league. Alvarez’s stance puts the bat on your left shoulder and keeps your elbows fairly even. However, if you want to take the stance to the next level, you can customize the “Forward Foot Offset” to the following:
These settings make your right foot extend way out away from your body, placing more weight on your back foot. While the stance might look a little funky, it delivers a huge leg kick and some true power behind each swing.
Shawn Green (former player)
We can’t take credit for this entry, as the stance and its settings come from a Redditor on the MLB The Show subreddit. However, we felt it had to be included due to how many players have sung its praises over the years. The stance is for Shawn Green, foundational speaking, but it customizes a variety of settings to make it one-of-a-kind in Road to the Show.
Here are the custom stance settings you should use for Shawn Green:
- Hand Offset:
- Offset X: 48
- Offset Y: 70
- Offset Z: 61
- Hand Rotation: 60
- Hand Waggle Rotation: 80
- Back Elbow Offset: 50
- Front Elbow Offset: 50
- Hips Offset:
- Offset X: 77
- Offset Y: 65
- Offset Z: 48
- Front Foot Offset:
Using these custom settings, you create a balanced stance that many Road to the Show players simply call “the one.”
Mark McGwire (former player)
Mark McGwire, with or without the steroids, is one of the best hitters the MLB has ever seen. McGwire utilized a couple of abnormal batting stances during his career, but the first one he utilized is one of the best available in Road to the Show. You can also use a second McGwire stance (1987) that features hands tighter to the batter’s face.
The base McGwire stance is simple, doesn’t have a lot of movement, and has feet that are fairly far apart from one another. It delivers great timing and has a fluid swing that works for both lefties and righties.
Chipper Jones 2008 (former player)
Chipper Jones is the most successful switch hitter of all time in the MLB, and his 2008 batting stance is highly recommended for any Road to the Show player who takes up the switch-hitting mantle. Chipper’s swing also looks better on taller players, as it’s relaxed and makes you stand almost fully upright. The bat is close to resting on your shoulder with little movement, the elbows are even with each other around the chest area, and both feet are pretty close together.
If you’re a switch hitter or want a fully relaxed batting stance, take a look at Chipper Jones’ stance.
Yoan Moncada (current player)
Yoan Moncada’s MLB career hasn’t worked out like many thought it would, but his stance is great for power hitters. It looks similar to Chipper Jones’ stance, but features hands closer to your face and looks a little more focused towards the pitcher. Many Road to the Show players have suggested messing with the custom settings to make Moncada’s feet farther apart, but the upright look works well for the stance, in our opinion.
Ken Griffey Jr. (former player)
Ken Griffey Jr. is one of the most recognizable baseball players in history and he was known to have arguably the smoothest swing of all time. That holds up in MLB The Show 25, as Griffey’s default stance is great for both contact and power hitters as well as both sides of the plate. The stance looks pretty normal but the swing drives through the middle of the plate and the bat ends up right behind the batter with one hand up in the air.
Freddie Freeman (current player)
Rounding out the list is the current reigning World Series MVP, Freddie Freeman. Freeman has always had a smooth swing, but it’s one that works best for lefties in MLB The Show 25. The stance is designed to pull the ball and pull-hitters usually hit from the left side of the plate.
It places the bat behind the batter’s head with the back elbow up a little farther than the front one, which is close to the batter’s face. The right knee is slightly bent to place a little more weight on the left leg so you can really drive the ball into right field. Even if you’re a right-handed hitter, though, don’t feel like you can’t use Freeman’s stance.
And that does it for our top batting stances in MLB The Show 25. Of course, these are just our suggestions, so you can try them to find your preference.
