With MLB The Show 25 officially in the hands of players across the globe, the MLB The Show 25 Stubs conversation is heating up about the latest gameplay tweaks, equipment updates, and how they affect the different game modes. While many players have plunged headfirst into Diamond Dynasty and its revamped card system, a large portion of the community—myself included—has turned their attention to the long-running fan-favorite mode: Road to the Show (RTTS). But this year, RTTS brings an unexpected twist with the introduction of metal bats.

Naturally, the big question on everyone’s mind: Do metal bats actually make a difference in MLB The Show 25?

To answer that, I’ve taken a deep dive into RTTS with a power-focused build, slider optimization, and a full-on experiment designed to test the raw limits of home run hitting. Here’s everything I found—from exit velocity caps to mysterious bats—and why metal might not be mightier after all.

Setting the Scene: Fred Bing Bong’s Road to Power
To conduct a proper test, I built my RTTS character to be a pure power threat. I created a first baseman—arguably the most power-friendly position in the game—and channeled every attribute, perk, and piece of gear into maximizing slugging. With every token and customization option aimed at building a home run monster, the legend of Fred Bing Bong was born.

Of course, it wasn’t just the player build that mattered. To ensure clean data, I adjusted the sliders:

Hitting Difficulty: Beginner

Human Contact: Maxed

Human Power: Maxed

Human Solid Hits: Maxed

These tweaks essentially turned every pitch into a home run opportunity, allowing me to focus purely on exit velocity and distance rather than skill-based results. In theory, this was the ultimate testing ground for evaluating whether metal bats changed anything.

Swinging Metal: The First Test
My first few games with a metal bat were exciting, but early results were mixed. Here's what the numbers looked like:

First Home Run: 116 MPH exit velocity, 450 feet

Second Home Run: 106 MPH, 401 feet

Third Home Run: 110 MPH, 427 feet

The exit velocities were solid, sure, but not game-breaking. And certainly not what I’d hoped to see from a metal bat that—if mimicking its real-world counterpart—should’ve added some serious oomph. In past MLB The Show entries, I’d seen exit velocities cresting 120 MPH. But in MLB The Show 25, I couldn’t break 116 MPH no matter how perfect the contact or powerful the swing.

This led me to believe that the developers have intentionally capped exit velocity or nerfed the metal bats for balance purposes. It’s a likely and smart design choice, but for those of us chasing jaw-dropping homers, it can feel limiting.

Enter the Myth: The Black Pencil Bat
During this experiment, I stumbled onto an intriguing rumor: the Black Pencil Bat. A sleek, possibly overpowered piece of equipment spotted only in screenshots and whispers across Twitter and Reddit. Allegedly hidden in RTTS, this bat has become something of an urban legend among players trying to min-max their career.

In one game, I spotted a teammate holding the Black Pencil Bat in the dugout, confirming that it does exist in-game. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to unlock or equip it myself—yet. Whether it’s tied to specific achievements, progression, or hidden objectives remains unknown. More importantly, it’s unclear whether it provides any statistical edge or is purely cosmetic.

Regardless, the hunt for the Black Pencil Bat continues, and it may end up being the key to finally breaking that elusive 120 MPH barrier—if the game will allow it.

The College Route: Boosting Power the Long Way
Despite Fred Bing Bong knocking dingers left and right, my draft stock was inconsistent. Even with ridiculous numbers, I saw my projection range from the 2nd to 8th round. To maximize long-term potential, I chose to go the college route, committing to Texas Christian University (TCU) for their 5-star development program.

College not only offers more opportunities to develop your skills and improve your attributes, but it also gives you more runway to experiment with gameplay systems and gear. And sure enough, after some time with TCU, I was able to push my power even further.

Breaking Records: Home Run Limits in MLB The Show 25
Eventually, I did manage to top my early record:

Longest Home Run: 459 feet, 115 MPH exit velocity

While that’s nothing to scoff at, it still didn’t match the jaw-dropping feats we’ve seen in past versions of The Show. Back in MLB The Show 24, it wasn’t uncommon to see players record 120-122 MPH hits and reach distances of 470+ feet, especially when manipulating sliders and perks.

This leads to one of the most critical observations of the whole experiment: There is likely a hard cap on exit velocity and distance in MLB The Show 25. Whether you’re using metal bats, wood bats, or alien space alloy, you’re working within a tuned framework. It’s not about tricking the system—it’s about mastering it.

Final Verdict: Do Metal Bats Actually Matter?
After dozens of games and home run swings, the answer is pretty clear:

No, metal bats don’t make a significant difference in MLB The Show 25—at least not in the way you might expect.

Despite their real-world reputation for increased pop, faster exit velocities, and more carry, metal bats in this game behave remarkably similarly to wood bats. The likely reason? Balance. If metal bats provided even a 5-10 MPH bump in exit velocity, players would be hitting 500-foot moonshots every other at-bat, turning RTTS into a cartoon.

By normalizing bat performance across materials, the developers ensure a more realistic and grounded RTTS experience—even if that means sacrificing a bit of fun for those of us looking to push the game’s limits.

What’s Next for the Fred Bing Bong Saga?
The grind continues for Fred Bing Bong, future MLB Hall of Famer and potential myth-busting legend. Here’s what’s coming up next:

Unlocking the Black Pencil Bat: I’m determined to find it and test whether it has any hidden perks.

Perk Optimization: Certain RTTS perks may still increase exit velocity, and I’ll be testing combinations soon.

Draft Day Domination: After my stint at TCU, I’m looking to be the #1 overall pick—no exceptions.

Whether or not I hit a 500-foot homer, the journey has been a blast, and RTTS remains one of the best single-player sports experiences out there.

What about you? Have you tried the metal bats in Road to the Show? What’s the longest home run you’ve hit in MLB The Show 25? Drop your numbers, share your stories, and let’s keep the conversation going. Fred Bing Bong may be a legend in the making, but there’s plenty of room for more bat-flipping beasts in the league.

And hey—if you’re grinding through The MLB The Show 25 Stubs for sale and need a boost, don’t forget to stock up on Stubs through trusted sellers like MMOexp.com. Just remember: no amount of Stubs can buy heart, hustle, or a 459-foot bomb.

Stay tuned for more RTTS experiments and gameplay breakdowns!