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EA SPORTS - IT'S IN THE GAME
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MVP Baseball 2005 (PS2)
The Complete Strategy Guide
Version: 0.2 - 03/06/05
By Jim Chamberlin
red_phoenix_1@hotmail.com
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<< Disclaimer >>
This document may be freely distributed so long as it is not edited or
or altered in any way, I am given credit, you do not charge for viewing
this guide; this includes, but is not limited to websites, cds, dvds,
magazines, etc.
This document was made for personal use only. No part of this document may
be copied or used in any form of media without the express written consent
of Jim Chamberlin. Unauthorized use of any information herein is a direct
violation of Copyright Law, and legal action will be taken.
This document is Copyright © 2005 Jim Chamberlin. All Rights Reserved.
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<< Online References >>
MVP Baseball 2005's Official Site http://www.mvpbaseball2005.com
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Contacting Me
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I am NOT hiding any information, however if your question has not been
properly answered in this FAQ, email me. Be sure to read through the FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions) section, as that is where I answer questions
that either will or have made me answer multiple times. When emailing me,
put "MVP Baseball 2005" or "MVP 2005" in the Subject. Doing that will get
you a faster reply...hint, hint.
If you don't want to use email, an alternative is a message board. Below
is an address for the MVP Baseball 2005 (PS2) message boards on GameFAQs.
There are others who visit that forum, who I am sure can and will help answer
any question you may have.
http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/gentopic.php?board=925211
I would also recommend checking out MVP Baseball 2005 fan sites, just do a
Google search, and I'm sure you'll be able to find some of them.
If you have a strategy or tip for MVP Baseball 2005, please feel free to
submit it, by emailing me. As mentioned above, please include
"MVP Baseball 2005" in the Subject Line. If your tip is used in this guide,
you will be given credit. If you don't want your Email-Address listed
in this guide, for fear of getting SPAM, please mention this in your
email, and I'll happily just include your name/alias.
If you like this guide and just want to comment on the guide, please feel
free to email me as well.
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Author's Notes
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Over time, links or URLS (Uniform Resource Locators) may become out-of-
date. Unfortunately, this does tend to happen with the Internet, so I
must remind you that the addresses originally in this document did in
fact work. If you find a link that doesn't work properly, please let
me know, and I'll see if I can either find a replacement for it, or
include some sort of notice stating the problem.
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Revision History
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Version 0.2 - March 06, 2005 - 19 KB
I just added a few Frequently Asked Questions to the FAQ. If you have
tips you'd like to share, send them on in.
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Table of Contents
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Introduction
MVP Baseball 2005 Features
Controls
Game Modes
Player Positions
Pitching
Team Profiles
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Appendices
Glitches
Links
Revision History
Final Words...
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Introduction
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There is just something about Baseball that has kept Americans interested
in baseball for oh so many years. I'm not sure if it's the players, the
home runs, the bottom of the 9th suspense, or the fields the players play
on. Whatever it is, it's kept me watching baseball for several years, and
there's no signs of me stopping.
MVP Baseball has been around for several years now, but its future is unclear
at the moment because of a series of exclusive contracts game manufacturers
have made with the major sports organizations. This will be the last baseball
game from EA Sports in the series, unless they go either with some sort of
fictional league (and players) or go the college route. To the best of my
knowledge, no one has made a college baseball game before; this could be a
great thing for EA Sports to try given their experience with other collegiate
sports titles.
Most of the FAQs I've written have been for Strategy titles, this is the first
Sports game I've written for (if you exclude Wrestling), so it's going to be
a challenge. If you have anything you'd like to contribute, big or small,
don't hesitate to send me an email. There is a lot to include in this FAQ,
and I could certainly use the help.
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MVP Baseball 2005 Features
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Own the Plate
Change your position in the box to adjust to where the pitcher is working
you, or keep the defense honest with a bunt for a hit.
Precision Pitching
Paint the corners or send a message with the new Precision Pitch Meter, or
catch runners napping with unparalleled pickoff control.
Enhanced Big Play Control
Make an underhand toss to the pitcher as he sprints to cover first, slide
around a tag at home, and make user-controlled stretches and dives. While
leading off base, exercise your reflexes by beating pickoff throws with the
all-new manual leadoff control.
Build an Empire
Control every aspect of your organization in all-new Owner Mode. Create your
line-up based on player progression during Spring Training, or help build
player attributes by competing in a variety of mini-games.
All-New Create Ballpark
In Owner Mode, build a pitcherÃs paradise or a hitterÃs dream. Will you
spend your earnings to upgrade your ballpark or to sign that key free agent
who could bring you a championship?
Expanded Minor Leagues
Advanced Single A squads and additional stadiums have been added to round
out the list of teams available in the minor league system.
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Controls
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Before playing MVP Baseball 2005, get familiarized with the controls in
the game. If you wish, feel free to customize the controls to better suit
your needs. Consult your manual for the listing of controls.
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Game Modes
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MVP Baseball 2005 has more than just one or two different game modes. Below
you will find a brief description as to what you can expect to find while in
that part of the game.
I'm going to fill this in soon.
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Player Positions
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There are a number of positions for players to play at. If you aren't at
all familiar with baseball, this section will give you a much better idea
of who does what on the field.
Pitcher (P) - Charged with delivering the ball to the plate in a manner
difficult for a batter to hit. Good throwing speed is good indication of
a pitcher, but accuracy is more important. They should be tough, smart,
and retain their composure when faced with a challenging situation. Will
be required to 'cover' home plate on a short pop fly or foul when there
are runners on third.
Catcher (C) - Generally the team leader while on the field since they
are the only player facing all the other players. The catcher will: track
the count on the batter; track the number of outs; remind fielders of
their position on the field; back up 1st base on every infield play; and
generally spend most of the time getting up and down from the squat
position. Makes my calves hurt just thinking about it! This player should
be your most rugged and quickest thinking individual.
First Base (1B) - The perfect place for a 'lefty' who can catch the ball
well. Balls will be bouncing in, flying in, on target and off target, so
their primary responsibility will be to catch and/or stop the ball.
Strength and size are also strong determining factors. Strong concentration
skills will also be a necessity, as they will potentially be involved in
every play.
Second Base (2B) - Size and stature are of little importance. Speed,
quickness and good fielding will be the determining factors. Must be able
to 'think-ahead' when there are base runners, I.e. "If the ball is hit to
me, I will touch second base, or tag the runner, and then throw to first".
Third Base (3B) - This player should have excellent forward and lateral
speed, as most balls hit at them will be short, and/or to the players'
left. They should be able to throw the ball on a dead-run and be able
to field the ball barehanded. They are the furthest from first, so a
strong throwing arm is required.
Shortstop (SS) - This player has more ground to cover than any other
player does and must be fast, quick, agile and have a strong throwing
arm. The shortstop will potentially field more ground balls, in more
off-balance positions, than any other player. Being able to 'think-ahead'
is required for this position as well. This position will backup the
second baseman on any throws to second.
Left Fielder (LF) - Of all outfield positions, this player should have
the weakest arm, as they do not generally throw the ball as far. They
still require good fielding and catching skills and backup third on
pick-off attempts from the catcher or pitcher.
Center Fielder (CF) - This will be the player that has the best
combination of speed and throwing distance. Like shortstop, they cover
more 'grass' than any other player and, most likely, will catch the most
fly balls. They must backup second on all bunts and throws from the
catcher.
Right Fielder (RF) - As well as the requirements above should be a
good 'think-ahead' player. This player backs up first base on all
throws from the catcher and all bunted balls, since the catcher must
be available for fielding the ball. They backup second on any ball
thrown from the left of the diamond. I.e. shortstop, third base or
foul territory.
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Pitching
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Between Pitching, Fielding, and Hitting, I'm best at pitching, although I'm
by no means superb at it. It's something that you must work on, like any
other aspect of the game.
In order to pitch well, you're going to need to know your pitcher, among
other things. Chances are, your pitcher doesn't have a great ability to
throw all of his pitches. He likely excels at one or two, but the other one
or two probably don't break much over the plate. Other than how much the
ball breaks, pitch placement is also important.
If you're going to be successful, you're going to have to paint the corners,
as it's called. Throwing pitches to the edges of the pitching box will
increase the likelihood you'll either strike the batter out or see him pop
out.
Regardless of where you throw the ball, you will also need to mix up your
pitches. Even if you have one of the finest pitchers in the game, you're
not going to do well is you only throw fastballs. Throw curveballs, fast-
balls, splitters, whatever is in your arsenal or pitches.
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Team Profiles
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Below you'll find complete profiles for the teams available to you in the
game, which includes a full roster.
Note: This section will be added to slowly because of trades, free agent
signings, etc. Also, minor league player lists haven't been made available
as of the first edition of this FAQ.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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This is the section I've dedicated to questions that I deem are asked
quite a bit, and instead of receiving the same questions over and over,
they will be asked and answered below. Be sure to read this section
prior to asking me a question.
Q: I lost my manual - can you send me yours?
A: No. This kind of question is one I don't like to answer. Far too
many people are using pirated copies. If you use a pirated version,
obviously there's no printed manual.
Q: Can retired players become managers?
A: No.
Q: Why isn't Barry Bonds in the game?
A: Barry Bonds, for one reason or another, decided not to sign with the
player's union. Because of this, EA Sports cannot legally include
him in the game. They did, however, include him, but under another
name. He's Jon Dowd. If you want him to look like Barry Bonds,
you'll have to edit his face, jersey number, etc. In case you
need help with this, try this information submitted to me by Eddie W.
Face: 14
Hair Color: 1
Hair: 1
Facial: 1
Bat Color: 7
Glove: 3
Elbow: 1
Shin: None
Wrist: 3 (too bad they aren't black)
Socks: Low
Batting Gloves: On
Stance: E.Chavez
Q: What's up with the red/green fielding circles?
A: When the ball is in the air, the red color is indicating to you to
get ready to catch it. Green means you should jump to rob the batter
from a home run (obviously this is when you are next to the wall).
Q: When I lead off, I keep getting picked off. Please help!
A: Well, when you lead off, you do run the risk of getting picked off.
Perhaps you should go into the Options and choose Automatic Retreat
instead of Manual Retreat. This will give the retreat option to the
computer to do, instead of relying on you.
Q: Where can I find updated rosters?
A: EA has a downloadable roster update through the PS2 online adapter,
and I'm sure there are ways for people to download official rosters
for their XBox or PC. If you're looking for a Sharkport or Max Drive
roster update, check out sites like http://www.ps2rosters.com,
http://www.geekrosters.com, or http://www.gamefaqs.com
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Glitches
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All known glitches will be found in this section. If you know of a glitch
or bug in the game, send me an email.
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Links
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This is where you'll find MVP Baseball 2005-related sites or pages. Some
links may take up two or more lines because of their length, making it
impossible to cut and paste them in a web browser.
MVP Baseball 2005's Official Site http://www.mvpbaseball2005.com
Official MLB Site http://www.mlb.com
National Hall of Fame http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/
Baseball Almanac http://www.baseball-almanac.com/
The Coaching Corner http://www.thecoachingcorner.com/
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Revision History
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Version 0.1 - February 28, 2005 - 16 KB
Just a few days after the game being released, the first version if
finished. There is still a great deal of information that needs to be
added, and I hope to have it complete as soon as possible, including
rosters. Feel free to send me email, asking questions, offering comments
on the game or FAQ, and offering information for the FAQ. Your email is
appreciated.
Version 0.2 - March 06, 2005 - 19 KB
I just added a few Frequently Asked Questions to the FAQ. If you have
tips you'd like to share, send them on in.
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Final Words...
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Credits
ØØØØØØØ
Jeff "CJayC" Veasey for hosting my FAQs.
Dave Allison for hosting my FAQs.
The Coaching Corner (http://www.thecoachingcorner.com) for help with the
player positions.
Eddie W. for the Barry Bonds edit information.
This FAQ was writen entirely using the GWD Text Editor: (shareware)
http://www.gwdsoft.com/
____________________________
Misc Facts about the Author:
ØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØ
Email Address: red_phoenix_1@hotmail.com
Other FAQs: Check out http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/2717.html
<< Disclaimer >>
This document may be freely distributed so long as it is not edited or
or altered in any way, I am given credit, you do not charge for viewing
this guide; this includes, but is not limited to websites, cds, dvds,
magazines, etc.
This document was made for personal use only. No part of this document may
be copied or used in any form of media without the express written consent
of Jim Chamberlin. Unauthorized use of any information herein is a direct
violation of Copyright Law, and legal action will be taken.
This document is Copyright © 2005 Jim Chamberlin. All Rights Reserved.
