
By creating your own custom player in MLB The Show 23You are quickly presented with numerous options regarding how your player will look and act, one of the most important being his batting stance. Aside from the general appearance of your player, which can resemble you using the face scan option, the most important options like this are found in the other options on the “Create a Player” screen. Once you’ve finished customizing your player’s look, you’ll immediately be given the option to create or choose a batting stance and animation.
Players who decide to create their own batting stance will have an overwhelming number of options to choose from. There’s the hand rotation, hand rotation, and rear elbow offset settings that need to be adjusted, among a host of others. For those who don’t want to mess with these setups, you can also choose a batting stance from a list of generic stances, as well as those of current and former players. This is where most players will be drawn as it allows you to simply choose a batting stance with your existing setup.
However, choosing an existing batting stance comes with its own set of challenges. Certain stances affect your contact and overall power, as well as your swing animation and bat position. If you’re looking for the best overall batting stances that give you the best chance to score a few runs and are low maintenance, we’ve got you covered. Below you can see our picks for the top five hitting positions in MLB The Show 23.
1. Mike Trout
Why not start with the best overall hitter in baseball? Mike Trout has been at the top of the MLB hitting power rankings for a decade, and that’s not stopping in 2023. The Los Angeles Angels’ outfielder has one of the smoothest batting stances and swing animations in MLB. The Show 2023. The stance is incredibly easy to learn and time once you’ve had a few changes to the plate. He is compact, powerful and will send balls flying through the skies as he ascends from the minors to the show.
You can find Mike Trout’s batting stance on page 48 under the “Current Players” batting stance tab.
2. Legend Stance 7

It’s time for a generic player’s stance to step into the spotlight, and it doesn’t get any better than the Legend Stance 7. This batting stance is largely based on the stance of Barry Bonds, and who wouldn’t want to copy the champion of MLB all-time home runs. (controversy aside)? Compared to Mike Trout’s stance, Legend Stance 7 favors power over a combination of power and contact. However, it’s a relatively simple stance to master and you may be surprised at how many home runs he hits as he continues to use it.
You can find the Legend Stance 7 batting stance on page 39 under the “Generic Players” batting stance tab.
3.Shohei Ohtani

The MVP of the World Baseball Classic was not going to be missing from this list. Shohei Ohtani is one of the purest hitters in MLB, and that fully translates to MLB The Show 23. This starts with Ohtani’s batting stance, which is a bit more advanced than Trout’s or Legend Stance 7’s. It will require a bit more time to master as it has the player’s hands and bat higher in the air compared to a more traditional stance. This means that players have to work a bit to get the timing down, but they can adjust their hand position if they really need to. Either way, Ohtani’s batting stance is one of the best you can use in MLB The Show 23 if you’re just looking for some raw hitting ability.
You can find Shohei Ohtani’s batting stance on page 35 under the “Current Players” batting stance tab.
4. Cody Bellinger

While Cody Bellinger has had some down years in the MLB, his batting stance is still one of the cleanest players can use in MLB The Show 23. The stance features a horizontal bat and hand placement around the level of the player’s head and the normal position of the feet. This makes it a simple swing that allows players to reach the ball quickly and can be used in a number of ways. Whether players are trying to go the opposite field or trying to drive the ball over the wall, Bellinger’s batting stance won’t let you down often.
You can find Cody Bellinger’s batting stance on page 4 under the “Current Players” batting stance tab.
5. Jose Ramirez

Lastly, we have Cleveland Rangers third baseman José Ramírez. A 2023 MVP candidate, Ramirez has one of the easiest batting stances to use in MLB The Show 23. The stance puts players in a slightly open stance with the bat overhead facing the field. What makes this stance so easy to use, however, is Ramirez’s front kick that occurs every time you start to swing at a pitch. This leg kick can be used to time shots to great effect, as the leg will usually be in the middle of its motion when the shot arrives. As he continues to practice with the stance and swing, he should be able to time shots much more easily than with other stances.
You can find José Ramírez’s batting stance on page 39 under the “Current Players” batting stance tab.
And that’s it for our top five batting positions on MLB The Show 23.
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