The White Sox might have said they’ve narrowed their choices for the first pick in the MLB Draft to three. But MLB Network is pretty confident there are really two.
The network will have cameras with shortstops Roch Cholowsky of UCLA and Grady Emerson of Fort Worth (Texas) Christian High School to get either’s instant reaction when MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announces the pick Saturday in Philadelphia. Other prospects, such as catcher Vahn Lackey — whom the Sox included in their final three – will be available via Zoom.
That’s just part of the coverage MLB Network has planned for the draft, which will be baseball’s first on broadcast TV. NBC will carry MLB Network’s production beginning at noon with a pre-draft show through the 10th pick. Coverage will move to MLB for Picks 11 to 40. MLB.com will carry the rest of the draft, with Rounds 5-20 starting at 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
“It’s a production months in the making,” said Ian Theodoridis, MLB Network senior producer. “We have so much talent involved in the show in terms of the ex-players; Dan O’Dowd, our resident GM; our prospect analysts/experts, Jim Callis and Carlos Collazo; and we’re adding Cole Hamels, who is unaffiliated with the network but obviously a hometown flavor in Philadelphia.”
Not to mention a former Cub, but the Cubs don’t pick until No. 23. This is about the Sox, and the MLB Network production team has been giving them a lot of thought, especially considering their surprising rise to first place in the American League Central.
“They remind me, honestly, of the ’90 and ’91 Braves,” said Marc Caiafa, MLB Network senior vice president of production. “They’ve got all these pieces, and the fact that they have the first pick and what they’re doing without [rehabbing slugger Munetaka] Murakami, that’s what I keep thinking about because the Braves went worst to first, and the White Sox are right there.”
“It’s a really unique year for the White Sox and the Rays, picking second,” Theodoridis said, “because we have these two very relevant teams in the top of the draft, where it’s usually two teams that are toward the bottom of the standings. This is a year where you could see someone this year or next year. It’s not like how it used to be where it’s four or five years from now.”
Speaking of those prospects, MLB Network has more than 200 accounted for with highlight packages and up to 800 with graphics. Each analyst is assigned players to know inside and out to be able to discuss them whenever they’re called.
One of those analysts is Lance Brozdowski of the Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network. He has made a name for himself in the analytics world and makes occasional appearances on MLB Network, including during the draft combine last month.
“I don’t know if there’s three of four other people in the country that could do what he does,” Theodoridis said. “His skill isn’t just that he knows data, it’s explaining the data. He makes it very digestible. He’s really comfortable on camera, knows everyone, does great prep work. He’s who we lean on because all of this stuff has become so geared toward analytics.”
MLB Network has more than draft coverage to produce in Philadelphia. It essentially will serve as a production house for NBC’s All-Star Futures Game on Sunday, Netflix’s Home Run Derby on Monday and the All-Star Game world feed Tuesday, in addition to digital programming.
“Some of the events may have a different logo before them, but I can assure you that our hands are on everything,” Caiafa said. “But that just speaks to the relationship we have with Fox [which airs the All-Star Game], NBC, Netflix and the league.”
But Sox fans’ focus will be on the draft, and by the sound of it, they can’t lose whichever player the team picks.
“I think they’re going to get a generational player either way,” said MLB Network coordinating producer Chris Roenbeck, who with Theodoridis are in their fourth year leading the network’s draft coverage. “They’re going to get probably one of the best college shortstops to come out since probably Dansby Swanson [in 2015]. Or they’re going to get probably the best hitting prep shortstop that we’ve seen in a long time.
“Our job coming on is to build that drama — who will we see No. 1? That’s what you’re going to see for the first 40 minutes of our coverage before the first pick is announced.”
Remote patrol
Chicago Sports Network will carry the national broadcasts of the Bulls’ Summer League games. The game Friday against the Grizzlies will air at 10 p.m. on tape delay. The others – Monday against the Jazz at 8, Tuesday against the Wizards at 7 and Thursday against the Lakers at 5 — will air live.
• The NHL will reveal opening-night matchups for next season Wednesday on ESPN before the ESPY Awards begin at 7 p.m. The full schedule will be released at noon Thursday, with 84 games per team, including two additional division games.
• ESPN picked up the Cubs’ home game against the Tigers on July 22. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
MLB Draft schedule
Satuday
Noon Picks 1-10, NBC 5, Peacock
1:30 p.m. Picks 11-40, MLB Network, MLB.com
3:30 p.m. Picks 41-135, MLB.com
Sunday
10:30 a.m. Rounds 5-20, MLB.com
