OS Roundtable: Excitement Level for MLB The Show 20?

OS Roundtable: Early release starts Thursday night, so where’s the MLB The Show hype level at right now?

Phil Varckette: I’m excited because it’s baseball on the precipice of baseball season. Baseball is by far my favorite sport so I always get pumped this time of year. I’m excited to try the revamped March to October. It seems like it’s 100 times better this year. Being able to make trades any time is a big plus, in addition to having real minor league players. I love, love, love prospects. I’m a prospect guy. I plan on using MTO as a jumping off point for a rebuild of the Indians. I will probably look to trade some players to pick up some prospects. I haven’t decided if I will trade Lindor yet, but I am excited to see what teams would offer for him. Then when the season is over, I will transition into franchise mode and go forward from there. I do actually wish you could play multiple MTO seasons. Hopefully, that will be something we see in the future.

Bob Kollars: I have taken the same approach with The Show for the last decade. Fire it up and see what’s under the hood. For me there are so many nuances to the game of baseball. At times, SDS has done an amazing job of capturing that, but they have also struggled with it at times in other versions. The improvements are nice to see, and while I wish there were more to franchise, I understand the analytical approach that Sony has taken and provides numbers to back up where they enhance the newest edition the most.

I know this, full minor league rosters out of the gate is a big deal to me, and it allows me to to jump into franchise within days instead of weeks (or months). Also, while not quite fully fleshed out at this juncture, the team relocation/rebranding is a nice edition, and one that I expect many upgrades to with the new systems dropping soon. The bottom line is that baseball runs through my veins and playing The Show every year only enhances the summer experience for me.

Josh Houtz: For many years, I was naive to the sport of baseball. I was a football guy, so I shunned MLB The Show, much like I did the sport. And then I gave it a chance, and boy am I glad I did. As we’ve discussed in the past, there’s no better representation of any sport than MLB The Show. And as someone who admittedly has taken a step back over the last few years (kids will do that), I’m excited to dive in to the new features this season.

Besides the obvious improvements to gameplay, the thing I’m most excited for is Road to the Show. Every year, I would create my pitcher Kenny Powers and watch him work his way up from minor league dud to MLB stud. With the changes to relationships, instant gratification and the enhanced challenge system, I couldn’t be more excited to dive right in.

I’m also a guy who used to live for online play, and remember playing along side Nemesis and others on OS for many years. I’m not sure I can devote the time like I once could, but I’m definitely interested in building a Diamond Dynasty team and taking my mediocre skills to the online stratosphere. Lastly, full minor league rosters for the first time in franchise history is a game changer. I look forward to building a full roster from the ground up and doing everything I can to bring the Commissioner’s Trophy home. Typing this out makes me realize I’m more excited than I thought about MLB The Show and I can’t wait to experience the nostalgia once again.

Jeff Botkin: I’m very excited for MLB The Show 20. As a franchise guy, I am really looking forward to franchise relocation. This will allow me to start off with a fresh feel and the opportunity to bring home a World Series to a new city. Franchise relocation will have me taking a deep dive into my roster and farm team to build a strong core and develop a farm system that can be utilized throughout the long haul. I am also looking forward to some of the graphical improvements like player animations and overlays. MLB The Show has always delivered the most realistic version of baseball, and I look forward to the next version from San Diego Studios.