It’s that time of year again. Spring is in the air, at least in some parts of the country, and baseball is on our brains and consoles. If you’re a PS3 or multi-platform gamer, you have two choices to fill your baseball gaming needs, with 2K’s MLB 2K9 and Sony’s MLB 09 The Show. Both have made some nice upgrades since the 2008 season, but which is the best bang for your buck? We break it down for you in every category to see who should get your money.

Presentation: This is one of the toughest categories to call this year. MLB 2K9 has made enormous strides in this category, with new default camera angles, new commentators, and between inning transitions to make you feel like you’re watching a game on TV. However, it’s not without it’s faults. A few players look nothing like their real life counterparts, some stadiums aren’t faithfully recreated, and many animations are just awful. MLB 09 The Show is, for all intents and purposes, no different than last year’s game in this category, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Player models, animations, and stadiums all look terrific. There are still collision detection issues with players going through each other, which is disappointing multiple years in a row. On the commentary front, I wish Sony either made a change or recorded new lines, as you’ll here “OH COME ON” more times than you can count. Edge: MLB 09 The Show

Gameplay: Here’s where the majority of this year’s tweaks come into play. 2K moved development of their baseball series away from the now defunct Kush Games to their in house studio, Visual Concepts. Many argue that the simplification of the pitching and hitting controls take away from the game, but in my opinion, they make things more fun for both casual and hardcore players. It’s certainly better than just hitting a button a few times as in MLB 09 The Show. Once in the field, though, 2K’s edge goes flying out the window. While MLB 09 The Show took the great fielding mechanics previous employed and added new fielder AI to make things more realistic, 2K9 has some major flaws. Fielders take the optimal path to the ball and sometimes just watch a pop-up drop in front of them, even though you’re standing in the right spot. The AI will make spectacular plays at every turn, making it seem like a 9 inning version of SportsCenter’s Top Plays. To top it all off, you cannot pre-load throws effectively. If you need to turn a quick double play, pre-loading the throw is necessary. While none of these issues are complete deal breakers, if you’re going for fun an authenticity, The Show is the answer. Edge: MLB 09 The Show

Modes: Franchise mode is usually the biggest draw in sports games, and baseball is no different. While 2K made adjustments, The Show really turned up the heat. You can now manage more aspects of your team than ever before, including 40 man rosters, which I’ve been desperately waiting to make an appearance. Home Run Derby is present in MLB 2K9, which is an immense deal of fun, a mode that The Show is lacking. The best mode, however, is Road to the Show. Creating your own player and taking him from the draft through retirement, all the while training him to upgrade his skills, is one of the best features of any sports game. Edge: MLB 09 The Show

Online: Many of you will want to prove your skills by playing online, which is only natural. Last year, MLB 2K8 was almost unplayable when going online. This year, it’s much better, but you’ll still encounter an enormous amount of lag, enough to make it a frustrating experience. While MLB 09 The Show isn’t completely lag free, it’s the clear winner here. One of the biggest things about baseball games online is the timing for hitting and pitching. The Show, while the timings are different than offline play, is still much better in this area and provides for a more fun experience online. Edge: MLB 09 The Show

As if you haven’t guessed by now, MLB 09 The Show is the clear winner for the best baseball game this year. Sony has dubbed it the “Most Realistic Baseball Game Ever” and they’re right. Going a perfect four for four in our comparisons, PS3 gamers should grab this one right away. If you don’t own a PS3, you’re stuck with 2K having exclusive rights to MLB games through 2012. As far as next year goes, I have a feeling that Sony will need to innovate a good deal to retain the top spot. 2K is fired up to get this franchise turned back around, and this year is a good start with Visual Concepts at the helm. If they built upon the base developed for 2009, we could finally see two amazing baseball games shipping in 2010.

Check back later this week for our full reviews of both MLB 2K9 and MLB 09 The Show.