MLB: The Show 16 Trophy Guide & Road Map

MLB: The Show 16
MLB: The Show 16 Trophy Guide

Road Map

Overview:

Estimated trophy difficulty: 9.5/10 (Dependent on skill).
Offline trophies: 27 (11, 6, 9, 1)
Online trophies: 6 (Legendary, Branching Out, Taking Risks, Building Steam, Arm Yourself and Victorious!). Note: Servers are closed.
Approximate amount of time to platinum: 40+ hours (Dependent on skill. Could very well take a lot more time).
Minimum number of playthroughs: Numerous games across many modes.
Number of missable trophies: 0
Glitched trophies: None reported
Does difficulty affect trophies?: Generally no. However, Legendary increases difficulty as you progress. Trophies in Conquest mode may require you to play on specific difficulties en route to those three trophies.
Do trophies stack?: Yes (PS4 and PS3)
Do cheat codes disable trophies?: There are no cheats.

PSA: The servers for this game are closed as of July 28, 2020. Thus, any online trophies are now unobtainable.

Introduction:

Welcome to the 2016 edition of MLB: The Show! Currently the only MLB sim on the market. This year's game boasts some new features such as ShowTime mode as well as the additions of Conquest mode and Battle Royale mode in Diamond Dynasty. Yes, there are trophies tied to all three of these modes.

Luckily, this year's trophies don't require you to edit stats or download a roster to make your life easier (though they can still help). Also, only one trophy I'd consider luck based. However, there are two trophies that are skill based making this one of the most difficult platinums in the series. Grab your favorite team, or build your own, and enjoy one of America's greatest pastimes!

Disclaimer: I have yet to earn Victorious!. Victorious requires a skill level currently above my own.

Walkthrough:

Step 1 – Pregame

Getting The Hang Of It, I'm A Show Vet and The Show Master are trophies that are earned by reaching certain levels of XP. You will gain XP doing virtually anything in the game. This XP is tied to a specific Captain in Diamond Dynasty. Reach a certain level and you'll have access to certain rewards. Your Captain is Josh Donaldson by default. You can change your Captain however, but before you start a new Diamond Dynasty.

Step 2 – Challenge of the Week

There's no right order to these steps as you can approach this however you want. There's only one trophy tied to this. I suggest keeping an eye out for Challenge of the Week match ups you may favor. Challenge of the Week is a mode where you try to build the largest hit streak possible. You have three outs to work with. Your streak will continue so long as you don't get a non-foul strike. You're allowed to take pitches for balls and foul off as many pitches necessary. After every three hits, the difficulty jumps up a rank. A new match up starts every Monday. I've placed this in Step 2 because I feel it really helps get a feel for batting in this game. The more you play, the better you'll get. It's a great way to improve and you'll have added pressure to boot.

Step 3 – Road to the Show (and Player Lock)

ShowTime is a new addition to year's game that will slow down time during key moments. There are four trophies tied to this. While there are no trophies tied to Road to the Show, the ShowTime trophies are easiest to obtain in that mode and may very well come naturally. You can start a Road to the Show as an infielder to get the defensive related ones within a few games. You'll also get a chance to bat for another trophy. Afterward, quickly start up a game while player locking as a pitcher. Finish off a strikeout using ShowTime.

Step 4 – Conquest Mode

A new addition to this year's game. This mode is within Diamond Dynasty and resembles the game of Risk. There are three trophies tied to this mode. If you capture a stronghold, you'll earn the other two trophies in the process. See Branching Out, Taking Risks and Building Steam for more details.

Step 5 – Battle Royale

There are two trophies tied to this mode. Start by drafting a team for Arm Yourself. You'll then need to take this team and win 20 games online. You cannot lose more than once or you'll have to start over. This trophy, Victorious!, is the hardest trophy in the game. Not many players will be able to earn this one.

Step 6 – Miscellaneous Clean Up

You may have some trophies remaining such as Strategic and All Me. Clean up any trophy you have remaining and the Platinum will be yours! You can earn these at anytime.

[PST Would Like To Thank mcolwander90 for this Roadmap]

Complete Game

Earn all of The Show™ 16 Trophies.
Congratulations! If you earn this, you deserve the respect of many!
Free Swings

In Home Run Derby™, get awarded bonus time in any round.
To get awarded bonus time in a Home Run Derby, you must either hit two Home Runs totaling at least 420 feet in a single turn or hit one Home Run totaling at least 475 feet. This isn't all that difficult as the name of the game is hitting Home Runs. Just keep swinging and it'll come naturally.
Home Run Advantage

In Home Run Derby™, win a tiebreaker round. Must play all your selected player's at-bats without fast-forwarding.
This Home Run Derby format has players facing off 1v1. Hit as many Home Runs as your opponent to enter a tiebreaker round. This can easily be done by setting the Derby to two user controlled participants. Set the time for one minute and then wait. In the tiebreaker round, decide who you want to win and hit one home run. After that, wait it out.
Collect 'Em All

In any game mode, hit for the cycle. Must play an uninterrupted game against the CPU without switching sides or fast-forwarding (excluding RTTS).
To obtain a cycle, you must get a Single, a Double, a Triple and a Home Run with one player in a game. The order you get them doesn't matter. You are also allowed to get outs with that player. You can adjust Sliders to give your team better contact, power and more speed on the bases. Playing on Beginner also helps as most pitches you'll see are easier to hit. You shouldn't need to update any player's stats. Adjusting Sliders are more than enough. If you're using Sliders, avoid Power swings (which is ). You'll hit a lot of Home Runs and not enough of the other three. I suggest playing in a larger park susceptible to giving up Triples such as Comerica Park (Detroit, MI). At Comerica Park, hitting the ball in right center field will almost certainly result in a Triple.
Firing Darts

Strike out 3 batters on exactly 9 pitches. Must play an uninterrupted game against the CPU without switching sides or fast-forwarding (excluding RTTS).
This doesn't have to be in one inning (otherwise known as the Immaculate Inning). You can get one Strikeout to end the first inning and proceed to strike out the first two batters in the second inning. Adjusting Sliders and playing on Beginner will make fairly easy. It doesn't matter if the batter fouls a ball off so long as he strikes out in three pitches. Not more and not less.
Clutch Punches

Record a strike out for the last out of each inning, in a full 9-inning game. Must play an uninterrupted game against the CPU without switching sides or fast-forwarding (excluding RTTS)
This trophy is a little tedious, but very doable. You can get this while trying to gearn Firing Darts as you'll be trying to strike out as many batters as possible in the process. The last out of each inning must be a strikeout. The other outs do not matter. If a batter puts a ball in play with two outs, avoid the ball with your fielder. Or don't throw the ball if it's grounded to your defense. The only thing you need to worry about is when a ball is hit directly to a baseman. You won't have time to avoid catching it.
Strategic

Throw out a runner stealing after using a Slide Step delivery. Must play an uninterrupted game against the CPU without switching sides or fast-forwarding (excluding RTTS).
To perform a Slide Step, select your pitch. Then hold and to throw. When the pitching meter disappears (if that's the pitching style you're using), hold the button of the base you're throwing to. Your controller will vibrate when you're preparing a throw. The catcher will throw to that base. For this trophy, you need to do this and catch a runner stealing a base. You'll most likely get this throwing out a runner trying to steal second base. The game will indicate when you're in a situation where the runner may go. The manager will whistle and you'll see a prompt that says that this is a steal situation.

If you want to try to get this out of the way, adjust your Sliders. You'll want Baserunner Speed, Baserunner Steal Ability, Baserunner Steal Frequency, Throwing Errors Infield and Fielding Errors Infield all the way to the left. Also move Fielder Arm Strength Infield and Fielder Reaction all the way to the right. You could adjust other Sliders such as CPU Contact and Fastball Speed. The ones I listed are the notable ones. Play against the Miami Marlins at home. Dee Gordon will lead off for them and has high stealing stats, so he's more likely to run. Set the Pitching Difficulty to anything besides Beginner (I used Legend). Intentionally walk Gordon ( + ). With the subsequent batter(s), try to set up a good run count (such as 2-2). At some point in the inning, you should be notified when Gordon is likely to run. This is when you use a Slide Step. If you don't get an opportunity in this inning, restart the game and try again. It may take a few attempts.

If that doesn't suffice, M-Easy has another way:

"This is the easiest way to unlock the Strategic Silver Trophy in MLB 16 The Show. Download the "MEASYTROPHIES" corrected rosters and follow the instructions:

Play a tied ball game until the 8th inning. From here on out the CPU will attempt suicide squeezes with the bases loaded and less than 2 outs.

You will need to load the bases and then throw pitches out of the strike zone. Now you need to throw out a runner on the triple steal. You cannot tag the runner stealing home."

Credit to M-Easy for the method, the video and the rosters.
All Me

Turn an unassisted double play. Must play an uninterrupted game against the CPU without switching sides or fast-forwarding (excluding RTTS).
The most common way for an unassisted double play to occur is a batted ball lining out to a baseman for the first out. That baseman then touches the near base to record the second out. You'll need a man on base to pull this off. Pitching low will help keep the ball in the infield, so try throwing fastballs mid to low. This is mostly luck and could happen quickly or take long time. If you play Road to the Show as an infielder, the game will jump to all of your defensive opportunities. At some point this scenario will play out.

If that doesn't suffice, M-Easy has another way:

"This is the easiest way to unlock the All Me Bronze Trophy in MLB 16 The Show. Download the "MEASYTROPHIES" corrected rosters and follow the instructions:

Play a tied ball game until the 8th inning. From here on out the CPU will attempt suicide squeezes with the bases loaded and less than 2 outs.

Once you load the bases continue to throw fastballs up in the zone. Eventually the CPU will pop up their bunt attempt. From here you need to catch the pop up and tag the runner coming home from 3rd base."

Credit to M-Easy for the method, the video and the rosters.
Ready, Set, Go

Successfully perform a hit and run. Must play an uninterrupted game against the CPU without switching sides or fast-forwarding (excluding RTTS).
A hit and run is when a runner attempts to steal a base while the batter attempts to put the ball in play. The stolen base attempt will potentially put the defense out of position allowing a larger window for a ball in play to be a hit. On top of that, the man on base can keep running and advance to the next base on a simple single. It's high risk, high reward. To do this, have a man on first. Press before the pitcher throws. The man on first will run. As the batter, get any hit. I earned this trophy by hitting a Home Run. If done successfully, you will earn the trophy.
Twice As Nice

Hit 2 HR’s in one inning. Must play an uninterrupted game against the CPU without switching sides or fast-forwarding (excluding RTTS).
Not much to this one. It'll happen naturally for most. It's very likely to occur if you’re messing with Sliders in attempt to earn Collect 'Em All or Hot Bats. The two Home Runs can be hit by any two players (or the same one if you batted around) so long as it's in the same inning.
Hot Bats

In a single inning, bat around the entire lineup. Must play an uninterrupted game against the CPU without switching sides or fast-forwarding (excluding RTTS)
To bat around in an inning, all nine players must record a plate appearance. The trophy will unlock once the 10th man bats (the batter who led off the inning). If you adjust Sliders in attempt to earn Collect 'Em All, this will almost certainly happen in the process. It will likely come naturally if you play enough.
Getting The Hang Of It

Reach a total XP level of 10.
See The Show Master.
I'm A Show Vet

Reach a total XP level of 15.
See The Show Master.
The Show™ Master

Reach a total XP level of 20.
This will take some time, but not too long. You earn XP by doing virtually anything in the game. The better you play, the more XP you'll earn. This XP is tied to your Diamond Dynasty Captain, which is new in this game. It defaults to Josh Donaldson. If you want a different Captain, change this as soon as you boot up the game. There's no real advice other than playing the game. If you're going for Platinum, you'll likely earn this by the time you earn Victorious!.

Some additional information from leptonic:

"I can confirm that XP can be earned offline also BUT you start from scratch playing offline, I lost my internet connection a few hours weeks ago when I was level 9 or something (online), then played some offline but I went from 0 to 6, once the internet returned my progress offline didn't count, so it's 100% preferable to play online all the way."
Legendary

Reach Legend difficulty in Challenge of the Week.
As of July 28, 2020, this trophy is unobtainable due to server closure

This is the second most difficult trophy in the game. This requires you to play Challenge of the Week. To reach Legend difficulty, you'll need to get a streak of 12 hits. You cannot swing and miss. You cannot foul tip a pitch into the glove. You cannot take a pitch in the strikezone. You can take pitches outside of the strikezone for a ball. You can also foul pitches as many times as necessary. After every three hits, the difficulty moves up. You'll start on Rookie, then Veteran, then All Star, then Hall of Fame and finally Legend. Only reaching Legend is necessary. You do not need to record a hit on Legend. When your streak ends, you're back to Rookie.

Every week there will be a different match up, so it's tough to explain the best way to get this as the match up you will see will not be the same one I earned the trophy on. I'll give some tips. More can be added.
1. Most streaks will end because you swung at a pitch you shouldn't have. Learn how to better read balls and strikes. For example: If you see a pitch start high in the zone, expect it to end up in the middle of the zone. If it starts in the middle of the zone, expect it to end low in the zone. If it starts low in the zone, expect it to end out of the zone. This is sometimes made difficult if the pitcher has a Curveball in his repertoire.
2. Contact swings () will give you a bigger hit zone. You'll foul a lot, but you're more likely to make contact.
3. Find a camera angle you're comfortable with. No one angle is vastly superior to the others. You may find yourself exploring different angles. There's nothing wrong with devoting a few attempts to finding one that works for you. If you're struggling with certain pitches, find an angle that may help you better identify them.
4. Tip from JohnMcClaneTW: "You will have a way easier time getting the Legendary trophy by hitting using Zone and changing the batting camera to something better. Personally, I use the Strike Zone batting camera and I think it's the best one. Other people like other ones, though."
5. Pay attention to timing. The game will tell you if you were early, late or good on your timing. You'll find that on the bottom right or left of your screen depending on the handedness of the batter. You'll want to shoot for "Good." There will be times you'll find swinging early or late saved you. If you're consistent with your timing, you'll find yourself getting higher streaks.
6. Remember that you'll always have another match up. At least until the server closes. If you can't get anything this week, try again next week.
7. One type of pitcher to look out for is a Sinker ball pitcher. These pitchers tend to pitch slower and lower in the zone. They look for outs from balls in play rather than strikeouts. Find yourself against one of these pitchers and you'll know where most pitches will end up as they rarely pitch high. Jimmy Nelson was the pitcher I earned this trophy off of.
8. Don't worry about scores and the leaderboard. If you're gunning for the top, you'll likely earn this trophy anyways.
9. Try to keep a cool head. Don't hesitate to take a break if you're getting worked up. I found I did much better when I wasn't thinking too much. Or thinking about other things. Playing music could help.
10. Any pitch you see will help you in the future. You can really improve your hitting by playing this mode. Keep that in mind. Such a thing can really be useful if you're going for Victorious.
I recorded myself reaching Legend difficulty. You may be able to learn something from my attempt. Also laugh at the many bad pitches I swung at. The match up I earned this trophy on was Anthony Rizzo (Cubs) vs. Jimmy Nelson (Brewers).
It's ShowTime

In RTTS (or Player Lock), while fielding, record a throwing assist with the new ShowTime feature (excludes Bowman Scout Day).
"ShowTime" is a new feature in this year's game. When playing Road to the Show or a Player Lock game, you'll have the opportunity to execute the ShowTime ability. This slows the play down and gives you time to make whatever play necessary. This trophy requires you to earn a fielding assist. The easiest way to do this is play as a shortstop. A ball will be grounded to you. When you go to throw, hold to activate ShowTime. It may trigger automatically. Use the right analog stick to move the cursor to the center of the target. Release to make the throw. Once the runner is called out, you'll earn this trophy. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to do this throughout Road to the Show. Remember, your ShowTime meter does not regenerate.
ShowTiming

In RTTS (or Player Lock), while fielding, make a diving catch using the new ShowTime feature (excludes Bowman Scout Day).
ShowTime is a new feature in this year's game. When playing Road to the Show or a Player Lock game, you'll have the opportunity to execute the ShowTime ability. This slows the play down and gives you time to make whatever play necessary. This trophy requires you to earn a make a diving catch as a defender. Not really as you don't actually have to catch the ball. All you need to do is stop the ball from going past you. The easiest way to do this is play as a shortstop. A ball will be grounded to you. The game will prompt you to press if you have the opportunity to dive. Do so. The trophy will unlock as soon as you do. You'll have plenty of opportunities to do this throughout Road to the Show. Remember, your ShowTime meter does not regenerate.
ShowTime Knock

In RTTS (or Player Lock), while batting, get a base hit using the new ShowTime feature (excludes Bowman Scout Day).
"ShowTime" is a new feature in this year's game. When playing Road to the Show or a Player Lock game, you'll have the opportunity to execute the ShowTime ability. This slows the play down and gives you time to make whatever play necessary. This trophy requires you to get a hit. Easy. You'll need to be at bat. Once the pitcher throws the ball, hold to slow time down. Swing. Get a hit. The trophy will pop once you do. Remember, your ShowTime meter does not regenerate.
ShowTime Punch!

In RTTS (or Player Lock), while pitching, throw a pitch for the 3rd strike using the new ShowTime feature (excludes Bowman Scout Day).
"ShowTime" is a new feature in this year's game. When playing Road to the Show or a Player Lock game, you'll have the opportunity to execute the ShowTime ability. This slows the play down and gives you time to make whatever play necessary. This trophy requires you to throw a pitch for a third strike. You'll need to play as a pitcher. Get the pitch count to two strikes. Select your pitch. Hold to activate. Pinpoint select the location and throw. It won't always be a third strike, but if it is, you'll earn the trophy. Remember, your ShowTime meter does not regenerate.
Branching Out

Play a game of Diamond Dynasty Conquest mode.
As of July 28, 2020, this trophy is unobtainable due to server closure

See Taking Risks for more details.
Taking Risks

Win a game of Diamond Dynasty Conquest mode.
As of July 28, 2020, this trophy is unobtainable due to server closure

Conquest is a new mode within Diamond Dynasty. If you've played Risk, you'll be right at home. The goal of this mode is to conquer as many territories as possible against the CPU. There are four phases:
1. Reinforce: At the start of every turn (after the initial one), you'll have the chance to add fans to your different territories. Fans are your "military" so to speak. You'll want as many as possible. The number of fans you get at the start of each turn depends on how many territories you control. You get to add 1 Million fans per every three territories you control. I recommend you devote your first few turns to expand your territory as much as possible.
2. Move fans: Some territories will have more fans than others. This step gives you the opportunity to move those fans from one location to an adjacent territory.
3. Attack: You can use this phase to take over uncontrolled territory or attack a territory controlled by another team to take it over. You can sim these games or play them. I recommend only using simulation when your win probability says, "High."
4. Capture: You're now given the opportunity to deplete any team's number of fans in their stronghold. You cannot simulate these games. You are also allowed to skip any phase.
Through the Attack phase or the Capture phase, you'll have the opportunity to face off against an opposing CPU team in a three inning game. You need to win any game within this mode to earn this trophy.
Building Steam

Capture a stronghold in Diamond Dynasty Conquest mode.
As of July 28, 2020, this trophy is unobtainable due to server closure

Conquest is a new mode within Diamond Dynasty. If you've played Risk, you'll be right at home. The goal of this mode is to conquer as many territories as possible against the CPU. There are four phases:
1. Reinforce: At the start of every turn (after the initial one), you'll have the chance to add fans to your different territories. Fans are your "military" so to speak. You'll want as many as possible. The number of fans you get at the start of each turn depends on how many territories you control. You get to add 1 Million fans per every three territories you control. I recommend you devote your first few turns to expand your territory as much as possible.
2. Move fans: Some territories will have more fans than others. This step gives you the opportunity to move those fans from one location to an adjacent territory.
3. Attack: You can use this phase to take over uncontrolled territory or attack a territory controlled by another team to take it over. You can sim these games or play them. I recommend only using simulation when your win probability says, "High."
4. Capture: You're now given the opportunity to deplete any team's number of fans in their stronghold. You cannot simulate these games. You are also allowed to skip any phase.
In the process of expanding your empire, you'll have the opportunity to capture strongholds. To do this, you whittle the number of fans in the opposing team's stronghold to 0. The higher difficulty you play on, the more fans you'll be able to take away from them. I suggest taking over their surrounding territory first. Back them to a corner. You'll need to play the game and win. When you do, the trophy will unlock when the game concludes. I recommend going after the Twins first as they're a small market team and don't have many fans to work with.
Arm Yourself

Successfully complete a Diamond Dynasty Battle Royale draft.
As of July 28, 2020, this trophy is unobtainable due to server closure

Battle Royale is a new mode within Diamond Dynasty. You'll draft a team and play against others online in three inning games. The first thing you'll do when entering this mode is draft a team. This trophy will unlock once the draft is over.
Victorious

With a single draft class, win 20 games in Diamond Dynasty Battle Royale.
(1)
As of July 28, 2020, this trophy is unobtainable due to server closure

Battle Royale is a new mode within Diamond Dynasty. You'll draft a team and play against others online in three inning games. The first thing you'll do when entering this mode is draft a team. You need to take this team and win 20 games with them. If you lose twice, you need to start over from 0. This is extremely difficult to pull off and not many players will earn this. You'll also have to combat the trials and tribulations that come with playing online such as servers. Keep working at it is all there really is to say. Your skill may improve enough to make this possible or it may take a good draft.