While it may look like a lot on the screen, mastering the nuances of MLB The Show 26 Road to the Show isn’t all that hard. But for those starting, we’ve constructed a comprehensive guide that glosses over all that you need to know, including high school & college, player upgrades, & as well as promotions & trades, among other things.
High School & College
Just like in MLB The Show 25, players can experience a limited high school & collegiate baseball career. Individuals will play out the final few games of a high school career (and yes, use metal bats), and then have the option to either go pro or head to university.
Those high school games offer a chance to impress both college recruiters and MLB scouts. Doing well in those contests will, as one would expect, improve both the MLB Draft stock and standing among the D1 schools in the game.
From that point onward, one can commit to a university, enter the MLB Draft Combine if selected, and then be selected by an MLB team.
Now, it’s important to note that not every school will offer a scholarship. At the beginning of the career mode, though, there will be a scene that will allow the player to choose a favored university and MLB team by dialog.
Should one commit to college, one will receive several bonuses ones for exposure and skill development. Here’s a look at how each breaks down among the 19 schools in Road to the Show:
Position Players
| Name | Exposure | Skill Dev | Package | Perk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 5* | 4* | Common | Power |
| Cal State Fullerton | 4* | 5* | Common | Contact |
| Clemson | 4* | 5* | Common | Contact |
| Florida | 4* | 4* | Common | Power |
| Florida State | 5* | 3* | Gold | Power |
| Fresno State | 4* | 5* | Gold | Speed |
| LSU | 5* | 3* | Gold | Perk |
| Michigan | 3* | 4* | Common | Defense |
| Oregon State | 5* | 3* | Gold | Contact |
| South Carolina | 4* | 4* | Common | Contact |
| Stanford | 4* | 5* | Common | Contact |
| Tennessee | 5* | 4* | Common | Contact |
| TCU | 3* | 5* | Common | Power |
| Texas | 5* | 3* | Gold | Defense |
| UCLA | 3* | 4* | Common | Speed |
| UNC | 5* | 4* | Common | Contact |
| UVA | 4* | 5* | Common | Power |
| Vanderbilt | 4* | 3* | Gold | Contact |
| Wake Forest | 3* | 5* | Speed | – |
Pitchers
| Name | Exposure | Skill Dev | Package | Perk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 3* | 4* | Common | Velocity |
| Cal State Fullerton | 3* | 5* | Common | Control |
| Clemson | 3* | 5* | Common | Control |
| Florida | 5* | 4* | Common | Velocity |
| Florida State | 4* | 3* | Gold | Break |
| Fresno State | 3* | 5* | Gold | Break |
| LSU | 4* | 3* | Gold | Break |
| Michigan | 4* | 4* | Common | Control |
| Oregon State | 4* | 3* | Gold | Control |
| South Carolina | 4* | 4* | Common | Break |
| Stanford | 4* | 5* | Common | Velocity |
| Tennessee | 3* | 4* | Common | Velocity |
| TCU | 4* | 5* | Common | Break |
| Texas | 4* | 3* | Gold | Break |
| UCLA | 5* | 4* | Common | Control |
| UNC | 3* | 4* | Common | Break |
| UVA | 3* | 5* | Common | Break |
| Vanderbilt | 5* | 3* | Gold | Velocity |
| Wake Forest | 4* | 5* | Velocity | – |
This is (kind of) random. Go into the college selection screen, and one will see the recruitment difficulty. Some schools are harder to get into than others.
Should you go to college?
It depends.
Since Road to the Show players are not eligible to be used in Diamond Dynasty, this is all for the flavor & experience. So, if you want the experience, albeit the limited one, of being a college player, go right ahead. Just keep in mind that it is very short.
But for those who want to make it to the Majors fast, and have more runway to “get good” quickly, take the high school route.
As we noted in our MLB The Show 26 review, all going to college will get players in Road to the Show a small amount of Tokens (I’ll get to that in a minute), plus the aforementioned perks above.
The high school route includes a limited 2x Token boost, some tokens right away, and to enter the pro circuit three years earlier. And I’ll tell you this: those who go the pro route will likely be anywhere from an 80-90 OVR player by the time one turns 21 after spurning university.
How to upgrade RTTS players
Players can upgrade a Road to the Show avatar with Tokens.
Tokens can be obtained in numerous ways. The obvious one is playing well, either as a pitcher or a hitter. Pitchers can obtain Tokens by called & edge strikes, scoreless innings, and strikeouts. For hitters, think hits, RBIs, working counts, as well as fielding accomplishments like assists, etc.
At the top-left of the screen after an event, one will see either a green + or a red – indicator, which will show whether one made progress towards a Token unlock or not. Keep in mind that it goes in intervals, as one will need 100 Points to unlock a new Token.
There are also other ways to unlock Tokens. On some occasions, Dynamic Challenges will pop up. For some, a multiplier for Token points can be offered. Or, a straight-away Token bonus. Boss Challenges, meanwhile, may also offer straight-up attribute boosts if completed.
Once Tokens are earned, go to “” to add them to a player. This can be done to either a group of attributes (i.e., Contact, Power, etc.) or individual attributes.
Obviously, attributes matter. Aside from the RNG-necessary bonuses, more Stamina will mean longer outings. More velocity for all pitches will, obviously, mean harder pitches.
Perks
Like in Diamond Dynasty, Perks act as bonuses that activate in certain situations. There are Perks for batting, pitching, fielding, and baserunning.
Batting
| Name | Boost | How to unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Lead Off Magic | Gain a boost to Contact when leading off | Record a hit leading off an inning in Minors |
| Wake Up | Gain a boost to Vision after striking out three times in a row | Strike out three times in a row |
| Rattled | Opponent fielders have a higher chance of making errors in key situations | Speed of 75+, CON L/R of 80+ |
| Sizzling Hot | Gain a boost to Vision after three hits in a row | Reach a hit streak of games |
| Inner Peace | Gain a boost to Contact when hitting pitches thrown down the middle | Tally 10 career XBH |
| Heart Attack | Gain a boost to exit velocity when your team is down & trying to rally | Hit a walk-off home run in an MLB game |
| Down But Not Out | Gain a boost to Contact when your team is down & trying to rally | Finish a season with the highest AVG in your lead |
| Rally Time | Gain a boost to Contact late in the game | Hit a walk-off base hit in an MLB game |
| Jump Start | Gain a boost to Contact on inside pitches early in the count | Vision of 80+ |
| Green Light | Gain a boost to your exit velocity while ahead in the count & your team is winning | Power L/R of 85+ |
| Running on Fumes | Gain a boost to Contact on pitches down in the middle while opposing pitcher is running low on energy | Tally 75 hits in home games in a season |
| Fore! | Gain an exit velocity bonus when your team is losing with runner(s) on base | Win the MVP |
| Top Floor | Gain an exit velocity when your team is winning with runner(s) in base | Tally 500 career RBI |
| Bunt Cheese | Gain a boost to your Drag Bunt to help move a runner over | Tally one sac bunt |
| Oppo-Taco | Gain a boost to Contact on outside pitches with runners in scoring position | Hit an opposite field Home Run |
| Life Line | Gain a boost to Contact late in the game while your team is losing | Hit a walk-off base hit |
| Insider Info | Gain a boost to Contact on pitches thrown inside while there’s less than two outs | Tally 1000 career hits in MLB |
| Eagle Eye | Gain a boost to Vision to pull out of a tough situation | Tally 10 hits in a series |
| Clear for Takeoff | Gain a boost to your exit velocity when significantly ahead in the count | Hit a home run with a 3-0 count |
| Spark Plug | Gain a boost to your swing timing late in the game while your team is losing | Tally 250 career RBI, Vision of 70+, Contact L/R of 70+ |
| Off the Rader | Gain a boost to Contact on pitches slightly outside of the strike zone while ahead in the count | Tally 60 hits vs. LHP, Tally 90 hits vs. RHP |
| Ice-Water Veins | Gain a boost to your exit velocity in pressure situations | Finish season with OPS of .900+ |
| Defilbrillator | Gain a boost to Vision while your team is losing | Tally 80 BB in season |
| Scorched | Gain a boost to your exit velocity late in close games | Have career SLG of .500+, Tally 1,500+ PA in career |
| Frozen Rope | Gain a boost to Contact during close games | Tally three hits in a playoff game |
Pitching
| Name | Boost | How to unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Battle Tested | Gain a boost to pitch Break in tight situations when low on Stamina | 200+ K, 100+ GP in career |
| Lone Wolf | Gain a boost to pitch Control to help close out innings | 500+ IP in career |
| Cannon Arms | Outfielders throw harder when your team is down | Tally 15 strikeouts in a month |
| Hotshot | Gain a boost to pitch Velocity when your team is down | Win the Cy Young Award |
| Theft Detection | Gain a boost to pitch Control during day games with runners on | Pitcher CLT of 75+ |
| Last Stand | Opposing batters hit with less PWR late in game with runner on bases | HR/9 of 80+ |
| Corner Painter | Gain a boost to pitch Control to come in clutch for your team | Control of 80+ |
| First Strike | Gain a boost to pitch Break early in any at-bat while the game is tied | Finish a season with K/9 of 8.0+ |
| Recharge | Gain a boost to pitch Velocity while your stamina is low during home games | Tally 500+ strikeouts at home |
| Pulse Pounder | Gain a boost to pitch Velocity after striking out a certain number of batters on the road | Tally 250+ strikeouts on road |
| Precision Strike | Gain a pitch Accuracy bonus in tight situations | 200+ strikeouts with RISP |
| Conductor | Gain a boost to pitch Break to help put away batters | 500+ career strikeouts |
| Flamethrower | Gain a boost to pitch Velocity to get out of tough situations | Raise average VEL of pitches to 85+ |
| Filthy Break | Gain a boost to pitch Break to shut down the opposing offense | Win World Series MVP |
Fielding
| Name | Boost | How to unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Slick Fielding | Gain a boost to Fielding to help close an inning | FLD of 80+ |
| Safety Net | Gain a boost to Reaction to help back up your pitcher while your team is winning | REAC of 70+ |
| Flashing the Leather | Gain a boost to Fielding to help mitigate damage with runner on first | Arm Strength of 70+, Arm Accuracy of 70+, Fielding of 70+ |
| Stronghold | Gain a boost to Arm Strength to help keep the game tied at home | Tally 500 career games |
| Lockdown | Gain a boost to Reaction while your team is losing | REAC of 80+ |
| Cannon Arm | Gain a boost to Arm Strength while there is a runner on base | Tally 20 assists in a season, Arm Strength of 80+ |
| Pinpoint Accuracy | Gain a boost to Arm Accuracy while the opposing team has traffic on the bases | Arm Accuracy of 80+ |
| Stout Defender | Gain a boost to Fielding to help keep runners off the basepath | Tally 1,000 career putouts |
| Defensive Stalwart | Gain a boost to Arm Accuracy while the game is tied, and there is a runner on first | Tally 100 career assists |
Baserunning
| Name | Boost | How to unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Base Commander | Gain a boost to Speed when stealing while your team is losing | Break single-season Stolen Base record |
| Quick & Easy | Gain a boost to Speed while stealing to put pressure on your opponent early in the game | Stealing of 70+ |
| Swift Bandit | Gain a boost to Speed while stealing to keep the pressure on your opponent | Speed of 70+ |
| Agile Reflexes | Gain a boost to Speed when stealing early in away games | Tally five stolen bases in a series |
| Breakaway Speed | Gain a boost to Speed while stealing during day games while your team is winning | Steal two bases in a game |
| Crowd Favorite | Opposing fielders have a greater chance of making an error late in close home games | Tally 50 XBH in a season |
| High-Risk, High-Favorite | Gain a boost to Speed when stealing in extra innings and the opposing pitcher is low on stamina | Tally 40 steals in a season |
| Fleet-Footed | Gain a boost to Speed when stealing on the road while your team is losing | Tally 100 career steals |
| On Your Mark | Gain a boost to Speed when stealing in tight situations | Steal 10 bases on one month, Speed of 65+ |
The unlock requirements are just to have possession of said perk. However, Tokens can be used to level up those Perks to activate in more frequent situations.
Equipment
Equipment can be changed in the “Ballplayer” screen. For those unaware, Equipment does not have the fixed attribute boosts like in MLB The Show games where avatars can be used in Diamond Dynasty. Instead, those now boost Perks.
For example, a Diamond Equipment can offer a 6% Boost to specific Perks (cleats, for example, jack up Baserunning & Pitching), 4% for Gold, and 2% for Silver.
Aside from packs in The Show shop, one can unlock a free box of random Equipment items after every 10 games. This is called a Care Package. And yes, one can also purchase specific items through the Diamond Dynasty Marketplace.
How to make the Majors
At the start of a pro career, you will be able to see how one stacks via the Outlook screen, found in the “Legacy” section. At the bottom-left, there will be a progress bar indicating how close a player is to a promotion, either to Triple-A or the Majors.
Now, is this bar that important? Yes, and no.
Realistically, aside from getting the white circle in the green bar — done by playing well, in short — the absolutely important part is to upgrade attributes & the OVR. That matters, because if the Outlook screen indicates readiness, a low OVR is not going to help.
Hall of Fame progression
Hall of Fame progression is simple to explain.
Get called up, play well, win awards, and Hall of Fame trajectory will go up.
How to get traded
Forcing a trade in MLB The Show 26 Road to the Show is far simpler compared to past games.
One, your agent will call every so often to check up and ask whether you’re happy with the team. Here, you can ask for a trade request.
But aside from that option, click on the message icon on the top-right of the home screen. Select Stephanie Saunders, the default agent in MLB The Show 26, and request a trade.
When can I go to free agency?
Road to the Show follows the same rules as Major League Baseball with respect to free agency. Players are granted free agency after six years of big-league experience.
Players can attempt to negotiate big deals as a pre-arbitration player or as an arbitration-eligible player. But be mindful: don’t expect a significant contract, as these players typically don’t have the leverage of a free agent-eligible one.
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