Directional vs. Timing Hitting

Timing Advantage: Simplicity—just press swing.

Timing Drawback: No directional influence, heavily stat-driven.

Directional Advantage: Lets you influence outcomes strategically.

Directional Drawback: Slightly more to MLB The Show 25 Stubs learn than Timing.

In short: Directional is the perfect balance—more depth than Timing but far easier than Zone.

Where Directional Hitting Excels

If you’re considering Directional hitting, you should know where it works best.

1. Road to the Show (RTTS)

Grinding through RTTS with Directional is smooth because you don’t need pinpoint precision to rack up stats. Instead, you can focus on enjoying your player’s journey.

2. Franchise Mode

Managing a team and playing multiple games is time-consuming. Directional hitting keeps the pace fun and approachable, allowing you to influence key at-bats without slowing the game down.

3. Casual Online Play (Co-op, Friendlies)

If you’re playing online casually with friends, Directional keeps things even. You don’t need to sweat PCI movement or practice for hours just to be competitive.

4. Learning Baseball Strategy

For new fans, Directional hitting teaches the basics of situational baseball—when to aim for a ground ball, when to swing for the fences, and how to advance runners.

Limitations of Directional Hitting

While Directional has plenty of upsides, it’s not perfect. Here are its main limitations:

Competitive disadvantage online: In Ranked Seasons or Diamond Dynasty, Directional hitters are at a big disadvantage against Zone users.

More RNG: Success often depends on player ratings and game physics rather than pure skill.

Less feedback: Unlike Zone, where you can see exactly where your PCI was, Directional doesn’t give you as MLB Stubs for sale much feedback on mistakes.