One of the most common gripes with sim baseball video games – and something that many believe prohibits a more mainstream crowd from playing them regularly – is how long each game takes to complete. Often a single game will encroach on an hour and a good portion of that won’t be very engaging. While some other sports may find themselves taking nearly as long they don’t feature 162 game seasons making Franchise mode daunting to advance through without considerable simming of the schedule.

With that in mind MLB 14: The Show is introducing two new optional features that go beyond just removing presentation elements to help make the game more inviting. Quick Counts will throw batters to the plate with a pre-calculated count. Not only will that reduce the time spent for each at bat but theoretically result in more realistic walk and strikeout numbers. Player Lock will allow users to play through a game as an individual player as though it was Road to the Show. That could be especially appealing to those who play through Franchise with teams that aren’t stacked with talent and are building for the future.

Of course taking advantage of either option would mean giving something up. Quick Counts will strip much of the strategy and mind games that go on throughout each at bat and the game. Player Lock will remove the majority of the influence a user will have on a game.

What do you think about these features and the desire to find ways to make baseball games faster to play? Leave your thoughts in the comments and vote in the poll below!