At the plate, there’s less to do; conversely, there’s almost no time to do it. It takes microsecond-level judgment to determine when and if to swing, and if so in which direction. Using a “Batter’s Eye” helps a tad, but with no visual cues as to the pitch type, you’ll need a lightning quick eye along with a bit of luck to turn your Rob Deer impersonation into something resembling Ichiro's record-breaking hitting consistency.

Inside Edge scouting tools return this season, giving you vital info that can help turn baserunners into runs scored (and vice versa when on the mound). While the Edge is a nifty feature, it’s hardly foolproof; Ryan Howard, Manny Ramirez, and the like can and will jack some homers when they get a hold of ‘em no matter how good your pitches are.

This ain’t Baseball for Dummies - mastering your skills takes practice, but we like that. If it were easy, there’d likely be little reason to play for long. As it is, we’re addicted to both our franchise and online play; 2K Sports’ famously robust internet leagues and websites return to embarrass all other comers’ usually feeble online offerings.