What Kids Can Really Learn from Playing MLB The Show

“It’s just a video game.”

That’s the first thing many parents say when they hear their kid is spending time playing MLB The Show. But what if we told you that video games—especially this one—could actually support a player’s development?

As youth coaches and parents, we’re always looking for ways to connect the love of baseball to everyday life, to make training fun, and to meet kids where they already are. That’s where MLB The Show comes in—not just as entertainment, but as a tool. A tool that sharpens baseball IQ, situational awareness, pitch recognition, and even self-awareness.

Let’s explore the surprising ways this video game can make your kid a smarter, more confident ballplayer.

Baseball Vision, Situational IQ, and Mental Approach

Reading Pitchers: Eye Training Through a Controller

One of the core challenges young players face is picking up the ball early out of a pitcher’s hand. That ability—tracking from release to plate—is a skill that improves with repetition. And while you can’t replicate physical eye tracking with a video game controller, what MLB The Show does teach is where to look and when to shift focus.

Players begin to learn how to:

• Recognize the subtle cues in a pitcher’s delivery.

• Time their eye movement from the pitcher’s hat or shoulder to the release point.

• Anticipate offspeed pitches vs fastballs.

This matters. In real life, when a player is taught to watch the pitcher’s cap or glove before tracking the ball, it’s a mental habit. The Show builds that habit in a low-stakes, repetitive environment. They’re not afraid to guess wrong—they just restart the at-bat.

Situational Thinking: Why Approach Matters

Ask any pro what separates average hitters from great ones, and they’ll say: “the approach.”

MLB The Show simulates count leverage and strike zone awareness better than most backyard reps can. Kids learn:

• What should I be thinking in a 0-0 count?

• Should I swing at that low strike or wait for a better pitch?

• How do I work the count and look for my pitch?

And even better, they see the results. The feedback is immediate. "Swinging early" on a slider down and away results in a weak grounder or strikeout—just like in real life. But when they sit on a fastball middle-in, the game rewards them with a gap shot or bomb.

This reinforces real-world lessons in patience, zone awareness, and discipline.

Data, Decision-Making, and Game-Like Pressure

Understanding Strengths: What Kind of Hitter Are You?

One of the coolest features of MLB The Show is the real-time stat tracking. Players can dig into data after every game:

• Exit velocity

• Contact timing

• Spray charts

• Hot zones

What’s that mean for your kid?

It means they start thinking like hitters. They begin to identify:

• “I drive the ball better when it’s middle-out.”

• “I struggle when I swing early on sliders.”

• “My best hits come when I wait until I see the ball a little longer.”

This level of reflection is rare in young athletes unless they’re tracking game film or stats—both of which aren’t easily available in rec or travel ball. But the game gives them feedback in a fun, non-threatening way. And for visual learners, it’s powerful.

Pressure Without the Consequences

Let’s be real. A live at-bat in front of parents, teammates, and coaches can be overwhelming for young kids. Sometimes, the mental side of the game gets overshadowed by nerves.

But in the game? They get to:

• Practice 3-2 counts

• Face elite pitchers

• Make game-saving throws

• Experience failure without fear

You want your kid to face pressure? Put them in the bottom of the ninth, runner on third, with two outs. Now they feel it. They learn to breathe, slow down, and trust their swing.

That confidence builds over time—and can carry into real-life play.

Fun First, But Never Just a Game

Turning Up the Difficulty: Choosing Growth

When your kid cranks up the difficulty level in MLB The Show, they’re not just chasing trophies—they’re testing themselves.

They’re making decisions:

• Do I adjust my timing window?

• Do I switch to directional hitting vs zone hitting?

• Should I focus on defense in Road to the Show?

These are growth decisions. They force kids to wrestle with challenge, frustration, and eventually: mastery.

That’s the very definition of a growth mindset. And it just so happens to be in a format they love.

Let’s Meet Them Where They Are

We talk a lot in youth sports about making practice fun, about developing love for the game. What better way to blend screen time with baseball time than to treat MLB The Show as a hybrid?

Use the game to:

• Ask questions about approach.

• Talk strategy during dinner.

• Let your player “coach” you on why they swung or didn’t.

• Encourage them to try things in the game they’re afraid to do on the field.

They may not even realize they’re learning—but they are.

Final Word to Parents and Coaches:

No, a video game can’t replace real practice. But what it can do is bridge the gap between instinct and intention.

MLB The Show teaches more than just swing timing—it teaches vision, patience, data awareness, and pressure handling. It gives kids a chance to love the game in a different way. To learn from failure. To sharpen their mind.

Let’s stop thinking of it as a waste of time—and start thinking of it as part of the toolbox.

Because in this game—and in baseball—the best players aren’t always the most talented. They’re the most aware.