MLB The Show 24 has finally hit the diamond and I’m excited to talk about the modes available to the offline player. If you’re interested in the Diamond Dynasty and game play changes to MLB The Show 24, you can check out Court’s review. This will be strictly for the offline gamer, because for the most part, I am one.
I’ve been playing MLB The Show since 2006 because David Ortiz graced the cover and every single year I’ve jumped into either franchise mode, Road to the Show mode (or both) and last year I spent a heavy amount of time in March to October.
While the game is still relatively new, I’ve had a chance to play both Franchise and Road to the Show with little to no time in March to October, but there’s a reason for that. Let’s start with Road to the Show.
Show-time for everyone!
Road to the Show is the best “create a player” mode in gaming. Unlike Madden, it has a little more meat to it, but unlike the NBA 2K series, it isn’t predatory or lengthening its game play by making you do stupid things like run around in a hot dog suit.
Road to the Show is all about your journey from a Single A or Double A (AA) recruit to becoming an MLB Legend. Let’s begin with the create a player function.
The first thing you’ll notice is that you can pick between a male or female ballplayer, a first in the MLB The Show series. It is a monumental change for Sony San Diego given the amount of female gamers that play MLB The Show.
You’re able to change just about every aspect of your player: from their face (ears, eyes, cheeks, etc) to body type. The MLB The Show 24 companion app also allows you to take a picture of your face and import it into the game. I’ve found that this is the best rendering in a sports game so far, with my face looking pretty on point.
If you want to take the time, you’re able to put together a wonderful recreation of what you see in the mirror everyday. The customization doesn’t end with just your skin textures, MLB The Show 24 has a nice compliment of hair and facial hair options available to recreate the look you’d always dreamed of.
Draft Combine and Two-Way Players
New to MLB The Show 24 is the MLB Draft Combine which will put your ballplayer through their paces. Before you hit the diamond, though, you need to figure out what position(s) you’re going to play.
This year you’re able to become a true two-way player in MLB The Show 24. I feel like you were able to label yourself as a two way player last year, but you didn’t get the experience like you do in 24.
I am a starting pitcher first with a secondary position at shortstop. The days I am not scheduled to pitch, I’ve played shortstop or designated hitter. During the days I am scheduled to pitch, I hit DH. It really is a great feeling to both hit and pitch in the same game like Shohei Otahni.
Once your position(s) are set, you’ll take part in day one of activities. These are pretty easy events. For me it was batting practice where I tried to hit as many fair balls as possible. Each hit or homerun would accumulate to a positive or negative change in my prospect’s draft grade. When that was complete, we hit the rubber and threw some simulated pitches with a goal to hit a bullseye.
Days two, three and four are all about playing games and being evaluated. After each game, you’re told where you could fall on the draft board and which teams are interested in taking a chance on you.
Much like previous years, you do have the option to select the team you’d like to play for or roll the dice with the draft. After my four days, I wanted to roll the dice and was selected in the 10th round by the Minnesota Twins.
Post Draft
Once you’re assigned to your club, Road to the Show feels close to MLB The Show 23’s version of the mode. You play baseball at various parks with the goal of making it to the big leagues. To do this, you need to perform. Everything you do, good or bad, will have a direct impact on your rating. Just like in 23, you’ll be given random objectives to increase certain attributes.
One breath of fresh air in The Show 24 is new minor league commentary. Dan O’Dowd and Sarah Langs are in the booth during your minor league games and draft combine to do commentary. After the doldrums of the same commentary team for years, it is a nice change of pace to hear different folks talking about different topics with a different cadence.
RIP “IN-surance”, at least until you’re called up.
Franchise Fancies
Franchise hasn’t gotten many upgrades from its 2023 counterpart outside of two major changes:
You can now scout two-way players.
Looking to draft the next Shohei? MLB The Show 24 has implemented two-way prospects in drafts. To unlock any potential secondary positions, you need to scout players to at least 25%. This is a big change from where your pitchers were just pitchers and your hitters were just hitters in 2023. This opens the door for how you look at players and how you’ll prioritize scouting.
The second change almost eliminates the need for March to October. I present the “Custom Games Entry” bar.
The Custom Games Entry tool has completely changed the way you can play franchise. Previously, I used to do a “Play1, Sim 5” strategy so I could always have a rotation between my starting pitchers but not have to play 162 games. Baseball has a long season and with games potentially an hour based on your style of play, that is a lot of time to get through one year of a franchise. This eliminates that. With these custom entry conditions, you’re able to figure out what is the perfect entry point during a simmed game for you to step in and take control. For me, it was seventh inning or later with a high situation importance. This will estimate the number of games you'll play during the season. In the picture above, 127 games are simmed, that’s a massive amount of games you’re going to allow the AI to play; and that’s ok!
You can also enable or disable player highlight moments. This will allow you to step into a player’s cleats when something special is about to happen. Things like no-hitters or career milestones like 1,000 hits are something you’ll want to experience and now you can quite easily. This has really negated the need for March to October for me which acted as a pared down version of Franchise in MLB The Show 2023. Now I have that, but with the option of the full control I like in a Franchise mode.
Storylines Season 2
Making History
Last year, MLB The Show 23 introduced their first season of “Storylines”, which documented the stories of eight Negro League players, narrated by the Negro League Baseball Museum’s President Bob Kendrick. This year, MLB The Show 24 has expanded on that on their telling of the Negro Leagues, with four incredible stories telling the tales of Buck Leonard, Henry Aaron, Josh Gibson and the one of the first professional female baseball players in Toni Stone.
The Captain Is Back
MLB The Show 23 celebrated Derek Jeter returning to the game with an excellent “Captain’s Edition” of the game. This year, they’re focused on his career with the Yankees. Along side the Negro Leagues is the first half of Jeter’s career, spanning 1995-2000.
Sony San Diego has come out and stated that players will be able to skip any moments they like in both storylines and can just watch the videos if they’d like.
Overall, I love the offline package in MLB The Show 24 this year. The game is giving people something to sink their teeth into while changing bits and bobs of the formula to make it feel fresh. Needed additions like two-way players and the custom game entry give the players the ability to play the game the way they want. As a skeptical offline player, I already feel like I’ve gotten my money’s worth out of the offline offerings and I’m excited to jump into my “main” franchise when a minor’s roster is available!
