MLB The Show 20 once again brings back its career mode, titled Road to the Show, which sees you create your player and steadily improve their abilities on the baseball field to make their way into baseball history.
There are quite a few moving parts in Road to the Show. First of all, you need to be regularly producing to improve your stats continually. Interacting with your teammates can also affect your performance on the field and how you train on the side.
Here is an essential guide filled with information you need to know to succeed in Road to the Show.
The personality system
When creating your character, one step that will be important for your future is selecting his personality traits. You will choose three of these when creating your character, and they will provide different responses to your teammates and coaches in dialogue options between games. They also offer perks while on the field that can be the difference in pitcher-batter matchups.
Related: How to get called up in MLB The Show 20: Road to the Show
Your first two personalities chosen will allow you to choose from one of two perks under each personality. The third one you want will have perks you need to unlock later through discussion choices.
Lightning Rod
The Lightning Rod personality means that you can energize your team through sudden, random bursts of production. If you want your character to thrive for the big moments, either in bases-loaded situations or near the end of a close game, you will want to look at Lightning Rod.
Starting perks for Lightning Rod are Jump Start, which improves your ability to hit in 0-0 counts, and Eye of the Storm, which allows the player to use slow motion for one at-bat per game.
Maverick
A Maverick player is one that thrives when put up against a tough opponent. They live for creating rivals and honestly believe themselves to be the absolute best. Whether facing off against divisional or personal rivals, your player will show up to play, at the cost of not being liked much by others.
The first starting perk for Maverick is Territorial. This improves your hitting attribute against divisional opponents. The second one is Up In Arms. It ensures an inside pitch is thrown if the player calls time twice before the first pitch is thrown, so you will have a good idea of where to aim your swing.
Captain
The Captain personality trait means you will be very familiar with your teammates, and it sets you up for success in certain situations.
The first starting perk is called Homefront, which gives you better hitting ability while playing as the home team. Second is Clear For Takeoff, which increases the power of your normal swing in hitter-friendly counts like 2-0 and 3-1.
Heart and Soul
Heart and Soul is essentially the complete opposite of Maverick. Instead of setting out to carry the team on your back, you create bonds of friendship with your teammates and gain benefits when playing alongside a few great friends.
The first starting perk is Inner Peace, which gives easier hit timing for pitches right down the middle. Defibrillator is the second perk and improves hitting when facing 2-0, 2-1, 3-0, and 3-1 counts.
As your player progresses through the minors, they can enter multiple personality trees to pick up traits and unlock synergies between personalities. While you can focus on one personality, you will need to use your other two as well to grow as a player.
Performance
How your player performs in games will be the primary way to improve their abilities, but this mostly comes down to your choices in-game. If you are swinging at pitches out of the zone regularly, plate vision and discipline will decline. This can be okay for someone who chose to be a pure power hitter (if they are at least getting some home runs) when creating their character, but if you’re a utility fielder and always striking out, your character won’t progress quickly.
It is also going to be important which position you are choosing to play and how well you do there. If there is a better option ahead of you on the depth chart, it can be challenging to find your playing time as you progress. This isn’t as big of an issue if you choose to let any team draft you, but for example, if you are a Rockies fan, there’s a good chance you will not be taking Nolan Arenado’s spot on the team anytime soon.
Also, be sure to take full advantage of training opportunities in Road to the Show. On off days your player will be offered chances to train either by themselves or with a teammate. Be sure to explore what areas of the game you need to improve the most in and pay attention to what your coach says you need to focus on. If he would like you to add more power to your game, this means there’s a chance to move up in the lineup if you start hitting more extra-base hits.
Road to the Show is more of a marathon than a sprint. Your player isn’t going to get up to the bigs in one sitting, so be sure to look at your strengths and weaknesses and decide the best trip for you to the majors.
