While the real baseball world is knee-deep in offseason trades and acquisitions, Sony San Diego is hard at work on the follow-up to last year's stellar MLB 09: The Show. There's no catchy theme or earth-shattering new gameplay mode to next year's installment in the series--it's all about taking the sense of realism that last year's game captured so well and running even further with it. I spent a bit of time playing MLB 10 at a Sony event the other week, and while I didn't get to see much, I liked what I saw.

　　Your MLB 10 cover star is AL MVP Joe Mauer.

　　I played a couple of innings from an exhibition game and then a few rounds in the new Home Run Derby mode. Let's start with the latter. While not exactly a new feature to baseball games in general, Home Run Derby is new to the MLB series. What makes it interesting is how it represents a larger push to capture the changing moods and atmosphere of various points in the season. The gameplay itself is more or less what you'd expect: You flesh out a roster of home run hitters and take turns trying to whack the ball out of the park. Nothing remarkable there. But what caught my eye was the attention to detail that makes you feel like you're witnessing actual players cutting loose midway through the season.

　　If you swing and miss, the camera will cut to a shot of the other contestants erupting in laughter on the sidelines--some rolling on the ground, some standing up then stumbling over. If you crack one over the fences, you'll see them applauding as they jostle each other around trying better look at where the ball landed. In short, it feels like you're watching real players taking a real break from the season. The mode itself is pretty standard fare, but in true in MLB fashion, the flair for realism is on full display.

　　From what I played of an exhibition game--a contest between the Yankees and Phillies--I didn't notice any real changes to the nuts and bolts of the gameplay. The same pitching and batting mechanics are in this game, which is certainly nice considering how well they worked last year. But I did hear of some new additions from the Sony rep I played against (and subsequently clobbered). Crowds will become more lively, offering up chants that are specific to the players and actions on the field. If you're playing as a catcher in Road to the Show mode, you'll now be able to call pitches for the entire game. All the online modes will support full seasons. And, last but not least, a new movie maker feature has been added that allows you to save and edit up to 10 different replays to share them online.

　　We're certain there's a lot more being added MLB 10, but those were the scant few details Sony was willing to part with at this early stage. You can expect to find more on the game in the next few months.