NY Mets pitcher got a real-life power-up from MLB The Show

If there is one thing every sports fan can agree upon, it is that sports video games leave a lot to be desired. It feels like every year, when a new game is released, fans are quick to point out the flaws in how unrealistic the game is, or something essential to the sport that is missing. Many New York Mets fans are quick to complain about the player rankings, claiming that the Mets' rankings are too low and teams like the Yankees, Braves, and Phillies are too high.

However, despite what fans think, newly acquired Mets pitcher Justin Garza loves these games, specifically MLB The Show. In fact, in a recent interview with Mitch Fink of the New York Post, Garza credited the baseball video game for saving his career. But how did The Show help Garza become a better pitcher?

How MLB The Show has help Justin Garza be a better pitcher

Garza has been using The Show as a training method since 2020. Back then, Garza was a struggling pitcher in Single-A, having just pitched to a 4.99 ERA over 119 innings with 109 strikeouts to 56 walks and a WHIP of 1.529. With the minor league season being canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Garza had to find another way to improve his craft that didn't involve facing live batters.

It was during the pandemic that Garza picked up MLB The Show and saw the potential the game had. According to Garza, the game taught him how to pitch because of its realistic gameplay. Garza used Diamond Dynasty, one of the most popular game modes, to experiment with his pitching arsenal. With the different camera angles, he could see how the pitches moved and what they looked like for the batters. This allowed him to come up with various strategies in order to get batters out.

This unique training method worked like a charm as Garza had his best season in 2021. In 23 and 2/3 innings between Double and Triple A, he had a 1.52 ERA with 32 strikeouts to 15 walks and a WHIP of 0.972. He also earned a call-up to the MLB, where he had a 4.71 ERA over 28 and 2/3 with 29 strikeouts to 18 walks, and a 1.570 WHIP for Cleveland. This was a massive improvement from where he was just two seasons ago.

It's safe to say that MLB The Show saved Garza's career. He has not been the dominant pitcher like he was in the minors during 2021. He's shown he can be a serviceable MLB reliever. With all the talk about how the Mets can develop pitchers thanks to their pitching lab, maybe this is a new strategy they can implement. If it was able to work for Garza, other pitchers should be able to get the same value out of it.