MLB The Show 20: Gameplay Trailer and Twitch Schedule Easter Eggs

The reveal trailer for MLB The Show is an annual spectacle, providing hidden nuggets for the masses to digest leading up to the launch of the game. Developers will assuredly speak at great length on some of the changes coming to the game during the live Twitch streams in the coming weeks, but these are always a nice tease. With that in mind, this will serve as an MLB The Show 20 trailer breakdown (with some added notes from the livestream schedule).

Yes, San Diego Studio also elected to release the road map to the aforementioned Twitch schedule at the exact same time the gameplay trailer dropped, doubling the fun.

Here’s a short list of some of the new additions and Easter eggs coming to the game this season.

Diamond Dynasty + Leagues

• David Ortiz, Mariano Rivera, Shane Victorino, John Franco and Gary Sheffield were all confirmed as new additions to this year’s game. They’ll be popular options in Diamond Dynasty.
• Dynamic on-field relationships are mentioned. At first glance, I’d think this means this year’s iteration will now include defensive buffs to players who are playing next to a former teammate, or fellow countryman. Madden and FIFA have long-included benefits in focusing your lineup and defensive setup around team chemistry, so maybe that makes it in this year.
• “Custom Leagues” with your friends will be added into the game. This will get further definition on February 27. This could fall into online franchise maybe, but since it’s worded this way it seems like it will stop short of being a full-on franchise.

Franchise

• One of the more interesting changes coming to MLB The Show 20 will be the ability to change your team’s name, location and logo — essentially a relocation package. It doesn’t sound like create-a-stadium will come into play this season — or they really want to keep it a surprise — but the ability to move your team and customize your team will add a new level of immersion to the game. More info on that is coming February 13.
• Side note to that, the franchise mode improvements being moved up in the Twitch schedule is a good sign one would think. Usually it’s been a little later in the year, but maybe the earlier look at it means they’re more confident in what they’re doing with it this season.
• Full minor league rosters are in, but we’ll see what that means. Whether this means the game will be adding more minor league team licenses for High-A and Low-A ball is still in question, but at the very least it probably means we will finally be able to exceed 90 total players. A big step in the right direction for authenticity and player development.
• March To October will be introducing a new trade hub. Undoubtedly, franchise players will be begging this makes it into their mode as well. More info on that is coming March 4.

Hitting

• Perfect-perfect swings will now guarantee a player’s “peak performance” at the plate. Time will tell what exactly that means in terms of results, but it’s been made a huge focal point for this year’s game. 

Defense

• New animations have been included for defenders getting handcuffed on short-hops in the outfield. This could/should conceivably chain to different defensive animations based on defensive ability.
• A new extreme catch indicator may lead to more diving plays. The trailer certainly highlighted diving plays, and with the new warning/color indication icon as the ball is falling, it suggests highlight reel catches may be more commonplace in 2020.
• Button accuracy input has been revamped.

Signature Style

• A signature tag from Javier Baez where he points at the catcher mid-tag can be seen in the trailer. This could mean Baez simply got the star treatment, or something more. MLB The Show 19 saw a ton more no-doubt home run animations for stars, as well as postgame celebrations for certain teams/players. Could MLB The Show 20 add a new element of signature flair on the defensive side of the ball?
• Juan Soto’s take-pitch shuffle animation has also made it into the game, so we can assume some personality at the plate will be a new addition this year. There’s not a whole lot of examples beyond Juan Soto, so it remains to be seen how many inclusions will actually make it into the game.
• Tim Anderson’s home run bat flip (throw) made it into the game.
• Additional dugout and outfield celebrations and dances were definitely brought into the game this year. Player personality has really been a focal point the last two seasons.
• Dynamic on-field relationships. Again, whether this is alluding to personalization between players, or whether it’s more geared toward diamond dynasty performance will be unveiled during Twitch streams.

Miscellaneous

• Black Mets alternate jerseys have been confirmed.
• The Nike logo will be included on all jerseys.
• A number of distinct billboards and ads in the outfield of several stadiums suggest San Diego Studio either got the rights to new company logos, or customizable billboards/signage will now be a thing.
• This year’s game will introduce a ton of new ways to earn rewards, as well as different types of rewards to earn.

Final Thoughts 

Twitch streams begin January 29 and will run up until the launch of the game. These streams always do a thorough job of uncovering what’s new in the game. They’re also a fun way to discover the new legends coming to Diamond Dynasty in this year’s game.