Alright, so another year, another MLB The Show. You know how it is. First thing I did, practically before even checking out the new lighting in the major league parks, was dive into the minor league teams in MLB The Show 24. It’s kinda my ritual, you know? I gotta see what’s cooking down on the farm.
So, I got the game installed, fired it up, and pretty much immediately started poking around for the minor league stuff. My main goal, like always, was to see how deep they went this year. Are the rosters reasonably accurate for AA and AAA? What about the stadiums? It’s the little things that make it for me.
My Process This Year
First off, I just went into the team rosters section. I spent a good hour, maybe more, just scrolling through. I’d pick a random MLB team, then drill down into their AAA affiliate, then their AA. I was looking for a few key things:
- Player Names and Ratings: Are the top prospects there? How do their initial ratings look? Sometimes they get these spot on, sometimes it’s a bit of a laugh.
- Likenesses: Okay, I know not every AA player is gonna have a face scan, but for some of the bigger names, you kinda hope. Found a few, but mostly it’s generic faces, which is understandable.
- Equipment: Just curious if they had team-specific gear, or if it was all pretty standard.
After that, I decided to actually play a few games. I set up some exhibition matches, pitting different minor league teams against each other. I wasn’t really trying to win, more just soaking in the atmosphere. I’d pay attention to the commentary, see if they mentioned any specific minor league details, which they sometimes do. It’s a nice touch when it happens.
I checked out a few of the minor league stadiums they have. Some look pretty decent, you know, they capture that smaller ballpark feel. Others are, well, a bit more generic. But that’s always been the case. You can’t expect them to recreate every single minor league park with perfect accuracy. That’d be a massive undertaking.
What I Reckon About It All
So, after spending a solid afternoon with it, what’s my take? Well, it’s pretty much what I’ve come to expect from The Show. The minor league system is there, it’s functional, and for guys like me who enjoy that side of baseball, it offers a good foundation. You can definitely take a minor league team and build them up in Franchise mode, which is always a blast.
The rosters, at launch, are a decent starting point. Of course, the community will do its thing with roster updates, and that’s where the real magic happens for die-hard accuracy nuts. I always wait for those. But out of the box, if you just want to jump in and play with some future stars, it’s not bad.
I didn’t go super deep into creating a player and starting in the minors yet, but that’s next on my list. That’s usually where you spend the most time with these teams. For now, just exploring them and getting a feel for what’s there was my main practice. It’s a part of the game I really appreciate, even if it’s not always perfect. It adds a lot of depth, and for me, that’s what keeps me coming back. Good stuff, overall, if you manage your expectations for the super nitty-gritty details at the lower levels.