A step back this year as SDS engaged in less communication and gameplay updates as the year went along. This was also the year where the game didn't reflect the real-life sport as The Show didn't add a DH to Diamond Dynasty until the following year's game.

While 21 made a great addition with pinpoint pitching, people had mastered it by year's end, so 22 added some randomness to the pitch result. However, this made the gameplay worse as it made pitching more unpredictable and frustrating, and primarily rewarded online players who are better at hitting. 22 did add PCI anchoring, which was good, but ultimately still did not solve the "sinker" meta. Also, crossplay seemed to get worse as the season progressed - so much so that it only made sense to limit online games to those playing on the same console.