I should point out that when I started these rankings about two years ago, I did it with the purpose of trying to provide a fun, informative and hopefully entertaining look and perspective of the people and faces who do their part in providing all fans of Major League Baseball like myself with all the latest news headlines and potential trade rumors throughout the season in a fun, informative and entertaining way.
I also came up with the idea to do these lists some two years ago because I thought it would be cool to do so since there really were not any official or unofficial rankings of the on-air talent at MLB Network (MLBN) at the time. Once they started debuting shows that were and still are geared towards looking at the game of baseball with a Sabermetric point of view such as MLB Now and Top 10 Right Now, the wheels in my brain started turning. I guess a part of me figured that if the hard working men and women of MLB Network (MLBN) can put in the effort to look at the sport itself with a Sabermetric viewpoint, then why can't a fan of the network like me take the time to put together a list of their own. So that's what I set out to do two years ago and what I've tried to do now for three years running.
I hope all of you have enjoyed reading this series of blog posts as much as I've enjoyed putting them together over the last few years.
NEW ADDITIONS FOR THE 2017 SEASON: The Top 10 MLB Network (MLBN) Right Now Broadcasting Sabermetrics Glossary Of Terms: (There will be instances where not every statistical category will be included and each individual has been evaluated on a case-by-case basis. For example, there will be some people who won't have a Hot Take Expressed (HTE) and so on.)
Daily Signature Shows Hosted/Show Appearances Above Replacement Personality (D-S SHARP/D-S SAARP): Named after the Wins Above Replacement Player (WAR/WARP) sabermetrics statistic. The new Daily Signature Shows Hosted/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP) statistic is a measurement of the total number of Daily Signature Shows (DSS) that any MLB Network (MLBN) personality appears on as either a host, analyst, insider or contributor or in any other capacity. The list of Daily Signature Shows (DSS) that are broadcast on MLB Network (MLBN) include the following:
1. MLB Central (airs Monday-Friday from 10 A.M. EST-1 P>M. EST from the start of the regular season through the Wild Card (WC) round of the playoffs during the postseason.): MLB Network's (MLBN) regular season morning show that features Matt Vasgersian, Lauren Shehadi and Mark DeRosa. The first show of the day each week during the regular season that gets baseball fans and viewers ready for the day in baseball which includes looking at whatever games are on the schedule during a particular day, highlights and analysis from the previous day's action and keeping viewers informed and up-to-date on the latest news and notes from Major League Baseball (MLB). Interviews with players, coaches and so on are also a part of the show.
2. High Heat (airs Monday-Friday from 1 P.M. EST-2 P.M. EST throughout the year.): The second weekly Daily Signature Show (DSS) on MLB Network's (MLBN) daily programming schedule. High Heat features Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo as the main host with contributions from Bruce Schein and Elliot Kalb. On High Heat, Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo delivers his own one-of-a-kind and very unique take about the day's news in Major League Baseball (MLB). Interviews with coaches and general managers are also featured.
3. The Rundown (airs Monday-Friday from 2 P.M. EST-4 P.M. EST from the start of the regular season through the League Championship Series (LCS) round of the playoffs during the postseason.): MLB network's (MLBN) mid afternoon regular season show that airs during the week and is hosted Scott Braun or Paul Severino and Kelly Nash. Like the other shows on MLB Network (MLBN), The Rundown gets viewers ready for that day's schedule of games along with the latest baseball news and notes and includes interviews with players, coaches, general managers and beat writers.
4. MLB Now (airs Monday-Friday from 4 P.M. EST-5 P.M. EST throughout the year except during MLB Spring Training. During the off season, the start time of MLB Now moves up to 2 P.M. EST with a replay at 4 P.M. EST. During the MLB Winter Meetings it goes back to the 4 P.M. EST time slot instead of the 2 P.M. EST time slot.): MLB Network's (MLBN) first and only Daily Signature Show (DSS) that puts a Sabermetric spin on the game of baseball with analysis about the Sabermetric statistical numbers of the game such as Wins Above Replacement (WAR) and so on. It is hosted primarily by Brian Kenny.
5. Intentional Talk (airs Monday-Friday from 5 P.M. EST-6 P.M. EST throughout the year during the regular season and during the MLB Winter Meetings (MLB WM). During the Postseason, the start times of the show may vary. Lastly, the show is only a half hour long during the off season at 3:30 P.M. EST with a replay of it at 5 P.M. EST.): The first show on MLB Network's (MLBN) daily programming schedule that takes place during the early evening part of the day if you happen to live somewhere in the Eastern part of the United States or Canada. It is hosted by Chris Rose and Kevin Millar. During the show both Rose and Millar offer their takes on the latest news and notes about the game of baseball and conduct interviews with players and coaches as well. The show also does various baseball themed segments that put a spotlight on the lighter side of baseball such as Let's Fake A Deal, Kevin's Highlights and Got Heem!
6. MLB Tonight (During the regular season and postseason the flagship program of MLB Network (MLBN) airs 7 days a week and approximately 5 days a week during the off season. The hours that the show is on can vary from a maximum of 7 hours during the regular season (6 P.M. EST-1 A.M. EST) to a minimum of 1 hour during the off season (6 P.M. EST-7 P.M. EST).: MLB Network's (MLBN) flagship program. During the regular season MLB Tonight offers viewers and fans more than enough insight and analysis about all the baseball games that take place on a particular day throughout the season. The coolest feature of the MLB Tonight show is the Live Look In segments in which viewers and fans are shown what is actually going on at a particular moment during a specific game.
MLB Tonight is hosted by a wide variety of the MLB Network (MLBN) hosts/reporters. During the regular season, the hosts/reporters who are on the show usually work in a total of 3 shifts consisting of 2-3 hours each. During the first shift from 6-8 P.M. EST a team of one host and two analysts will host the show during that time and then hand the duties off to a new time at 8 P.M. EST. The second team will then host the show for a couple more hours and then switch places with a third and final team of the night at 10 P.M. EST. The third and final hosting team will then be in charge of hosting the rest of the show until 1 A.M. EST.
7. MLB Network Showcase (airs periodically throughout the regular season): MLB Network Showcase is MLB Network's (MLBN) game of the week program that is similar to the MLB On FOX or Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN game broadcasts. It is usually hosted by Matt Vasgersian or Bob Costas as the Play-By-Play announcer, John Smoltz, Jim Kaat or someone else as the Color Analyst or Commentator and Tom Verducci or Ken Rosenthal as the Field Reporter (FR).
8. Quick Pitch: (airs throughout the regular season from 1 A.M. EST-2 A.M. EST or 12 A.M. EST-1 A.M. EST on weekends (live version). Replays of the show are aired throughout the rest of the night and early morning until 10 A.M. EST.): Quick Pitch is MLB Network's (MLBN) one hour highlights show that recaps all of the day's news and highlights of games from a particular day during the regular season. It is hosted by Heidi Watney, Jamie Hersch, Jamie Erdahl and Paul Severino.
9. Hot Stove (airs Monday-Friday from 9 A.M.-11 A.M. EST. Replays from 11 A.M. EST-1 P.M. EST and from 3-3:30 P.M. EST.): Hot Stove is MLB Network's (MLBN) off season morning show. It is hosted by host Matt Vasgersian and analyst Harold Reynolds with contributions from Lauren Shehadi, Heidi Watney, Kelly Nash, Ken Rosenthal, Jon Heyman, Joel Sherman and Keith Costas.
10. MLB Network Countdown (airs mostly on weekends during the off season at various times.): MLB Network Countdown is a countdown show on MLB Network (MLBN) that counts down various baseball-related subjects and themes such as the top however many fan moments from the previous season or the top however many greatest bat flips of all time and so on. It is hosted by a wide variety of the MLB Network (MLBN) hosts/reporters.
Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-S-S BNSPS): Measures the number of brand Brand Name Star Power Segments from the network's programming lineup of Daily Signature Shows (D-S-S BNSPS) that any MLB Network (MLBN) personality is a part of. Some examples of these show segments within a show include Matty V's Mix Tape, Central Scribbles, The Walkoff, Say Something, Hashtagging Up, The Brushback and many more.
Hot Takes Expressed (HTE): This statistic measures how many times any MLB Network (MLBN) personality says something exciting or interesting about the game of baseball throughout the year. Fun fact: whenever any MLB Network (MLBN) personality is credited with expressing a Hot Take (HTE), a graphic of a sign with the words "Hot Take" on it will usually appear on the TV screen. The best part of the "Hot Take" sign graphic that makes it fun and interesting to see of course are the flames that are included in the graphic which makes the sign complete and fun to look at.
Marquee Events Score (ME Score): This is the one new broadcasting sabermetrics statistic that I've come up with which is one of the more interesting and exciting statistical categories for measuring sports broadcaster excellence and it is also something that each and every member on MLB Network's (MLBN) roster of talent should strive to be at or near the top of. That's because the Marquee Events Score or M.E. Score is a scoring measurement that takes into account exactly how many Marquee Events in Major League Baseball (MLB) a broadcasting talent member (i.e. Hosts/Reporters, Analysts or Insiders/Contributors) of MLB Network (MLBN) is assigned to cover throughout the regular season, postseason and off season. These Marquee Events of Major League Baseball (MLB) consists of all of the following big name marquee events:
-The 2017 MLB Spring Training (MLB ST) slate of team training camps for the 30 Clubs In 30 Days show series segments on MLB Tonight.
-The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC).
-The 2017 MLB Opening Day (MLB OD) festivities.
-The 2017 MLB First Year Player Draft (MLB FYPD).
-The 2017 MLB All-Star Game (MLB ASG) week festivities.
-The 2017 MLB National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (MLB HOF IC).
-The 2017 July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (July 31st MLB NWTD).
-The 2017 American League and National League Wild Card (ALWC, NLWC) games.
-The 2017 American League Division Series and National League Division Series (ALDS, NLDS) games.
-The 2017 American League Championship Series and National League Championship Series (ALCS, NLCS) games.
-The 2017 MLB World Series (MLB WS).
-The 2017 Major League Baseball World Series (MLB WS) games and the 2017 MLB Winter Meetings (MLB WM).
-The 2018 MLB Hall of Fame Election Announcement (2018 MLB HOF EA).
-The 2018 MLB Spring Training (2018 MLB ST) season.
-The 2018 MLB Opening Day (2018 MLB OD) festivities.
-The 2018 MLB First Year Player Draft (2018 MLB FYPD).
-The 2018 MLB All-Star Game (2018 MLB ASG) week festivities.
-The 2018 MLB Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (2018 MLB HOF IC).
-The 2018 July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (2018 July 31st MLB NWTD).
-The 2018 National League Central Game 163 Tiebreaker (NL Central Game 163 Tiebreaker) game between the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL) and the Chicago Cubs (CHC). (NL Central Game 163 Tiebreaker game was played on October 1, 2018. The final score was 3 to 1 in favor of the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL)). (Statistics have been updated to reflect overall performance.)
-The 2018 National League West Game 163 Tiebreaker (NL West Game 163 Tiebreaker) game between the Colorado Rockies (COL) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD). (NL West Game 163 Tiebreaker (NL West Game 163 Tiebreaker game was played on October 1, 2018. The final score was 5 to 2 in favor of the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD)). (Statistics have been updated to reflect overall performance.)
-The 2018 National League Championship Series (2018 NLCS): (Best of 7 games)-Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) Vs. Milwaukee Brewers (MIL) (The Dodgers defeated the Brewers 4 games to 3.) (Statistics have been updated to reflect overall performance.)
-The 2018 American League Championship Series (2018 ALCS: (Best of 7 games)-Houston Astros (HOU) Vs. Boston Red Sox (BOS) (The Red Sox defeated the Astros 4 games to 1.) (Statistics have been updated to reflect overall performance.)
-The 2018 MLB World Series (2018 MLB WS): (Best of 7 games)-Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) Vs. Boston Red Sox (BOS) (The Red Sox defeated the Dodgers 4 games to 1.) (Statistics have been updated to reflect overall performance.)
-The 2018 MLB Winter Meetings (2018 MLB WM) in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Statistics have been updated to reflect overall performance.)
It should be noted that any MLB Network (MLBN) personality will only be given credit for any marquee events that they covered for MLB Network (MLBN). If a network personality covered a marquee event for another network throughout the year, those will not be counted in this category. They will instead be reflected as part of their Multiple Broadcast Networks Star Appearance Profile (MBNSAP) as shown below.
Social Media Platforms and Followers Reached (SMPFR): A measurement of how many Social Media Platforms and Follower Reached (SMPFR) that each MLB Network (MLBN) personality has or does not have. The various types of Social Media Platforms (SMP) include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and so on.
Multiple Broadcast Networks Star Appearance Profile (MBNSAP): Measures the number of other broadcast networks that an MLB Network (MLBN) personality is a part of besides MLB Network (MLBN).
NOTE: Hosts/Reporters placement in rankings is based on their completed body of work and overall performance during the 2017 Major League Baseball regular season and postseason as well as their cumulative body of work from 2015-17 which includes their combined body of work during the regular season, postseason and the hot stove off season period of team and player trade rumors and free agent signings.
Additionally, the Hosts/Reporters category designation is used to signify the fact that a select number of MLB Network's (MLBN) hosts do transition their job duties to what is known as the Field Reporter during select Showcase Game telecasts during the regular season and also during postseason coverage on the network's MLB Tonight show as well as exclusive coverage of two League Division Series games.
I should also point out that this list ranking series is just for purpose of having fun and should not be taken too seriously. The following views and opinions expressed below are from my perspective as a fan of MLB Network (MLBN):
1. Matt Vasgersian-Heading into the 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) season, the race for the top spot in the hosts and reporters edition of my Top 10 MLB Network (MLBN) Right Now series was one that was seriously up for grabs even though there was an outside chance that there could be a three-peat champion again this year at the top of the list. The possibility of a three time champion being crowned in Lauren Shehadi seemingly came to an end fairly quickly as the beginning of the 2017 regular season got underway with the overall hosting/reporting performance of Mr. Matt Vasgersian or Matty V.! As I mentioned up above the race for the top spot was up for grabs pretty much wide open to start the 2017 season.
That was still the case for the first month of the 2017 MLB season until Matty V. decided to break out a ukulele and show the many fans of the MLB Network (MLBN) and the MLB Central morning show just how good his singing and musical instrument playing skills are. The game changing moment that cemented Matt Vasgersian's place at the top of this year's hosts/reporters rankings took place on the May 11, 2017 episode of MLB Central. It was during this episode of the show when Mr. Vasgersian put his song parody skills juat like the one and only "Weird" Al Yankovic to good use by coming up with an original musical composition set to the tune of Jason Mraz's hit song entitled "I'm Yours." The new version of the song performed by Matty V. was called "Saber Crowd" which poked fun at the big stories that occurred during the 2017 MLB season up to that point.
The 2017 song parody theme from Vasgersian was far from finished after that May 11, 2017 performance. It was only a couple months after that May singing and ukulele playing performance during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the Non-Waiver Trade Deadline on July 31, 2017 that Matty V. once again brought out the very same ukulele instrument for another intimate performance about the 2017 Non-Waiver Trade Deadline on MLB Central. For the record, Matt's Trade Deadline parody song was loosely inspired by the song called "Jumbalaya" that was originally written and recorded by country music singer Hank Williams. Unlike the first song that Matt Vasgersian did towards the beginning of the 2017 season entitled "Saber Crowd." I don't know if the one he did for the 2017 July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (July 31st MLB NWTD) had a name. Even if it might not have had an actual name this second song was still quite an impressive display of talent and skill. The two musical performances with singing included showed a hidden talent of Vasgersian's that we the viewers did not know too much about beforehand.
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Matt Vasgersian's 2018 Broadcasting Sabermetrics Profile (BSP):
Time Served at MLB Network (MLBN): 2009-Present (10th year)
1. Daily Signature Shows Hosted/Show Appearances Above Replacement Personality (D-S- SHARP/SAARP
2017-2018 D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP: MLB Central + Hot Stove + MLB Tonight (one hosting appearance) + MLB Network Showcase + High Heat (one guest appearance during the 2017 World Series) = 5 D-SIG-SHARP/SAARP for Matt in 2017. The show Baseball IQ is not included in the final total. More information as to why that is the case is provided below.
For the broadcasting sabermetrics equivalent of MLB's Wins Above Replacement (WAR)/Wins Above Replacement Player (WARP) statistic, Matt has been a consistently strong performer throughout his 8 years and counting as a host for MLB Network (MLBN). Over the span of those 8 plus years with the network, Vasgersian has been the host of at one time or another to 6 total daily signature shows.
For a while, there was also a considerable amount of time that went by for a few years where Mr. Vasgersian did not make a hosting or guest appearance on either MLB Tonight or High Heat. The prolonged absences from both of those shows ended late in the 2017 regular season and postseason when Matt made a single hosting appearance on MLB Tonight during the 2017 regular season's final month in September as well as a guest appearance on High Heat alongside Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles during the 2017 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
2. Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-SIG-BNSPS): 16 D-SIG-SBNPS
-Matty V's Mix Tape
-The 5 Train
-Point/Counterpoint
-Believe or Make Believe
-Fill The Plate
-Central Scribbles
-Just Playin'
-Heads Up
-Worried or Whatever
-The Centrals
-Time Machine
-The Walk Off
-The Soundboard
-Free Agent Slot Machine
-Where In The World Is A-Rod?
-Say Something
Of the 16 Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments that Matt is credited with, they all come from his work as a host/reporter on the morning shows of MLB Central and Hot Stove. Of those 16 on the list, there are 9 that the Broadcasting Sabermetrics Shredder (which in this case is actually me!...Sorry Brian Kenny!) thinks really stand out among the rest. They are Matty V's Mix Tape, Fill The Plate, Central Scribbles, Just Playin' and The Centrals from MLB Central and The Soundboard, Free Agent Slot Machine, Where In The World Is A-Rod? and Say Something from Hot Stove. Of those top segments, The Soundboard is probably number one followed closely by Fill The Plate, Central Scribbles and The Centrals.
2. Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-SIG-BNSPS): 16 D-SIG-SBNPS
-Matty V's Mix Tape
-The 5 Train
-Point/Counterpoint
-Believe or Make Believe
-Fill The Plate
-Central Scribbles
-Just Playin'
-Heads Up
-Worried or Whatever
-The Centrals
-Time Machine
-The Walk Off
-The Soundboard
-Free Agent Slot Machine
-Where In The World Is A-Rod?
-Say Something
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Of the 16 Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments that Matt is credited with, they all come from his work as a host/reporter on the morning shows of MLB Central and Hot Stove. Of those 16 on the list, there are 9 that the Broadcasting Sabermetrics Shredder (which in this case is actually me!...Sorry Brian Kenny!) thinks really stand out among the rest. They are Matty V's Mix Tape, Fill The Plate, Central Scribbles, Just Playin' and The Centrals from MLB Central and The Soundboard, Free Agent Slot Machine, Where In The World Is A-Rod? and Say Something from Hot Stove. Of those top segments, The Soundboard is probably number one followed closely by Fill The Plate, Central Scribbles and The Centrals.
3. Hot Takes Expressed (HTE): 4 total Hot Takes Expressed (HTE) in 2017-18.
1. 2 baseball-themed parody songs played on an ukulele instrument on MLB Central. Since there were 2 songs that were done, that counts as 2 Hot Takes Expressed (HTE) instead of just 1.
2. Performed one of the better impressions of fellow MLB Network (MLBN) host colleague Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo throughout the 2017 regular season and the 2017-18 off season on MLB Central and Hot Stove brought Matt's Hot Takes Expressed (HTE) total to 3 HTE's.
3. Last but certainly not least, Matt was the only MLB Network (MLBN) personality who correctly predicted that Japanese two-way baseball player star phenom Shohei Ohtani would sign with the Los Angeles Angels (LAA) during the 2017-2018 off season as an international free agent which was good for a grand total of 4 Hot Takes Expressed.
Marquee Events (ME) Score: 11 Marquee Events (ME) covered in 2017-2018 for Matt Vasgersian so far.
1. Play-By-Play announcer for the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) from Marlins Park in Miami, Florida; Petco Park in San Diego, California; and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
2. Hosted MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB Opening Day (2017 MLB OD) festivities.
3. Hosted MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 July 31 MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (2017 July 31st MLB NWTD).
4. Hosted MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) pre game coverage of the 2017 American League Wild Card (2017 ALWC) game between the Minnesota Twins (MIN) and the New York Yankees (NYY).
5. Hosted MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) pre game coverage of the 2017 National League Wild Card (2017 NLWC) game between the Colorado Rockies (COL) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (ARI).
6. Hosted Hot Stove during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB Winter Meeting (2017 MLB WM) from Orlando, Florida.
7. Hosted on both Hot Stove and MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Spring Training (2018 MLB ST) season.
8. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (2018 July 31st MLB NWTD).
9. Appeared on High Heat during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Wild Card (2018 NLWC/ALWC) games that were played between the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Chicago Cubs (CHC) in the National League (NL) and the Oakland Athletics (OAK) versus the New York Yankees (NYY) in the American League (AL).
10. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Division Series (2018 NLDS/ALDS) between the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL)/Atlatna Braves (ATL) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) in the National League (NL) and the Cleveland Indians (CLE) versus the Houston Astros (HOU)/New York Yankees (NYY) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS) in the American League (AL).
11. Hosted Hot Stove during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Winter Meetings (2018 MLB WM) from Las Vegas, Nevada.
Matt Vasgersian's Marquee Events (ME) total score of 11 is not as high as it could be due to the fact that whenever there is a marquee event on the baseball calendar, he is usually covering it for another network such as FOX or MLB International.
Starting with the 2018 season, it remains to be seen if Matt will be covering any of baseball's marquee events for ESPN since he was recently named as the new Play-By-Play announcer for the Sunday Night Baseball program. Given that ESPN has been airing at least 1 Wild Card game per year over the last few years, you can probably figure that there is a good chance that he will be on the call for them during one of this year's Wild Card games too.
Social Media Platforms and Followers Reached (SMPFR): 0 official platform pages; 1 unofficial platform page
Matt Vasgersian's weakest broadcasting sabermetrics category. The only Social Media page that I could find that has something to do with Matt is the Twitter page (link posted above) for The Soundboard that he uses on Hot Stove. For what it's worth, the Twitter page for The Soundboard only has 82 total followers. Aside from that, the only other Social Media appearances that he makes are the various video segments from MLB Central and Hot Stove which are posted the official Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages for MLB Network (MLBN).
Multiple Broadcast Networks Star Appearance Profile (MBNSAP): 3 MBNSAP.
1. Play-By-Play announcer for MLB On FOX Sports broadcasts throughout the 2017 regular season and the 2017 American League Division Series (ALDS) between the New York Yankees (NYY) and the Cleveland Indians (CLE).
2. Play-By-Play announcer for MLB International (MLB's international broadcasting feed to other countries for the All-Star Game (ASG) and the World Series (WS).
3. Play-By-Play announcer for Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN! According to multiple reports, Vasgersian has been named the next Play-By-Play announcer for Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN replacing Dan Schulman. In his new role with ESPN, Matt will be joined by another newcomer to ESPN in Alex Rodriguez and the returning broadcast team members of color commentator Jessica Mendoza and Field Reporter (FR) Buster Olney.
4. Play-By-Play announcer on ESPN for the 2018 National League Wild Card (2018 NLWC) game that was played between the Colorado Rockies (COL) and the Chicago Cubs (CHC) alongside color commentators Alex Rodriguez and Jessica Mendoza as well as Buster Olney as the Field Reporter (FR).
Some more good news about this new gig from my perspective as a fan is that Matt will continue to work at MLB Network (MLBN) as well! Besides that, I think that both new hires will be very good in the long run because among other things, since Matt already covers the sport on a daily basis he should have no problem with his overall knowledge about all 30 teams in the sport. What I would like to also see happen as a result is for ESPN to take more of a balanced approach to covering some of the teams in the western part of the United States since Matt Vasgersian is originally from California and has either been a fan of or covered teams like the Oakland Athletics (OAK) or the San Diego Padres (SD) in the past.
One more additional piece of new information as it relates to Matt Vasgersian's new play-by-play announcer role for Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN While he will still continue to work for MLB Network (MLBN) during the upcoming 2018 season, it turns out that he will no longer serve as one of the main hosts of the MLB Central morning show forward. He will apparently is going to be hosting MLB Tonight once again starting in 2018. As for his now previous hosting role on MLB Central, that job will now be filled by Robert Fores.
1. 2 baseball-themed parody songs played on an ukulele instrument on MLB Central. Since there were 2 songs that were done, that counts as 2 Hot Takes Expressed (HTE) instead of just 1.
2. Performed one of the better impressions of fellow MLB Network (MLBN) host colleague Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo throughout the 2017 regular season and the 2017-18 off season on MLB Central and Hot Stove brought Matt's Hot Takes Expressed (HTE) total to 3 HTE's.
3. Last but certainly not least, Matt was the only MLB Network (MLBN) personality who correctly predicted that Japanese two-way baseball player star phenom Shohei Ohtani would sign with the Los Angeles Angels (LAA) during the 2017-2018 off season as an international free agent which was good for a grand total of 4 Hot Takes Expressed.
Marquee Events (ME) Score: 11 Marquee Events (ME) covered in 2017-2018 for Matt Vasgersian so far.
1. Play-By-Play announcer for the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) from Marlins Park in Miami, Florida; Petco Park in San Diego, California; and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
2. Hosted MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB Opening Day (2017 MLB OD) festivities.
3. Hosted MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 July 31 MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (2017 July 31st MLB NWTD).
4. Hosted MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) pre game coverage of the 2017 American League Wild Card (2017 ALWC) game between the Minnesota Twins (MIN) and the New York Yankees (NYY).
5. Hosted MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) pre game coverage of the 2017 National League Wild Card (2017 NLWC) game between the Colorado Rockies (COL) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (ARI).
6. Hosted Hot Stove during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB Winter Meeting (2017 MLB WM) from Orlando, Florida.
7. Hosted on both Hot Stove and MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Spring Training (2018 MLB ST) season.
8. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (2018 July 31st MLB NWTD).
9. Appeared on High Heat during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Wild Card (2018 NLWC/ALWC) games that were played between the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Chicago Cubs (CHC) in the National League (NL) and the Oakland Athletics (OAK) versus the New York Yankees (NYY) in the American League (AL).
10. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Division Series (2018 NLDS/ALDS) between the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL)/Atlatna Braves (ATL) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) in the National League (NL) and the Cleveland Indians (CLE) versus the Houston Astros (HOU)/New York Yankees (NYY) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS) in the American League (AL).
11. Hosted Hot Stove during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Winter Meetings (2018 MLB WM) from Las Vegas, Nevada.
Matt Vasgersian's Marquee Events (ME) total score of 11 is not as high as it could be due to the fact that whenever there is a marquee event on the baseball calendar, he is usually covering it for another network such as FOX or MLB International.
Starting with the 2018 season, it remains to be seen if Matt will be covering any of baseball's marquee events for ESPN since he was recently named as the new Play-By-Play announcer for the Sunday Night Baseball program. Given that ESPN has been airing at least 1 Wild Card game per year over the last few years, you can probably figure that there is a good chance that he will be on the call for them during one of this year's Wild Card games too.
Social Media Platforms and Followers Reached (SMPFR): 0 official platform pages; 1 unofficial platform page
Matt Vasgersian's weakest broadcasting sabermetrics category. The only Social Media page that I could find that has something to do with Matt is the Twitter page (link posted above) for The Soundboard that he uses on Hot Stove. For what it's worth, the Twitter page for The Soundboard only has 82 total followers. Aside from that, the only other Social Media appearances that he makes are the various video segments from MLB Central and Hot Stove which are posted the official Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages for MLB Network (MLBN).
Multiple Broadcast Networks Star Appearance Profile (MBNSAP): 3 MBNSAP.
1. Play-By-Play announcer for MLB On FOX Sports broadcasts throughout the 2017 regular season and the 2017 American League Division Series (ALDS) between the New York Yankees (NYY) and the Cleveland Indians (CLE).
2. Play-By-Play announcer for MLB International (MLB's international broadcasting feed to other countries for the All-Star Game (ASG) and the World Series (WS).
3. Play-By-Play announcer for Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN! According to multiple reports, Vasgersian has been named the next Play-By-Play announcer for Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN replacing Dan Schulman. In his new role with ESPN, Matt will be joined by another newcomer to ESPN in Alex Rodriguez and the returning broadcast team members of color commentator Jessica Mendoza and Field Reporter (FR) Buster Olney.
4. Play-By-Play announcer on ESPN for the 2018 National League Wild Card (2018 NLWC) game that was played between the Colorado Rockies (COL) and the Chicago Cubs (CHC) alongside color commentators Alex Rodriguez and Jessica Mendoza as well as Buster Olney as the Field Reporter (FR).
Some more good news about this new gig from my perspective as a fan is that Matt will continue to work at MLB Network (MLBN) as well! Besides that, I think that both new hires will be very good in the long run because among other things, since Matt already covers the sport on a daily basis he should have no problem with his overall knowledge about all 30 teams in the sport. What I would like to also see happen as a result is for ESPN to take more of a balanced approach to covering some of the teams in the western part of the United States since Matt Vasgersian is originally from California and has either been a fan of or covered teams like the Oakland Athletics (OAK) or the San Diego Padres (SD) in the past.
One more additional piece of new information as it relates to Matt Vasgersian's new play-by-play announcer role for Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN While he will still continue to work for MLB Network (MLBN) during the upcoming 2018 season, it turns out that he will no longer serve as one of the main hosts of the MLB Central morning show forward. He will apparently is going to be hosting MLB Tonight once again starting in 2018. As for his now previous hosting role on MLB Central, that job will now be filled by Robert Fores.
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CC BY-SA 3.0 License.
During the 2017 season it was most likely going to be very difficult for Lauren to repeat as the champion of this year's countdown for the third year in a row. While her overall performance was still among the very best hosting/reporting performances that the MLB Network (MLBN) hosting team had to offer in 2017, it quickly became for me a case where just like what has happened to Mike Trout in MVP voting during the first few years of his career finishing second in the voting on multiple occasions, it became a very similar scenario for Lauren in 2017 because it was probably going to very hard to expect her to top her consistent performance of excellency for three years in a row to begin with.
An argument could certainly be made about whether doing something like that was fair or not because her overall performance in 2017 was still very solid and consistent, but in the end, it didn't matter all that much after Matt Vasgersian set the bar for which everything else that occurred in 2017 would be measured by with his two parody song performances. After that happened it was pretty much game, set and match for anybody else who may have been hoping to make up enough ground and catch up in the race for the number one spot.
Even though she was not able to retain the number one spot on this year's countdown, Lauren was able to solidify her place in the second spot in the countdown for this year thanks to her still active consecutive hosting appearance streak on MLB Central and The Rundown during the regular season since 2012.
There was a little bit of a debate in my book a couple years back about whether or not the streak should have been continued since Lauren did miss the first hour of one episode of the show during the 2016 season because of an appearance on The Today Show on NBC.
While the streak is still technically alive since she did eventually show up later, I don't think I can classify it any longer as a consecutive starting streak since she came off the bench so to speak on that day's show. Because of that, I have since downgraded it to a consecutive appearance streak. Regardless of whichever way that you want to look at it, that kind of streak is still very impressive to take into consideration and think about.
If there was a Sabermetrics stat to measure the overall excellence and impact of such a consistent streak along with other broadcasting qualities and attributes that was similar to MLB's Wins Above Replacement (WAR) statistic, Ms. Shehadi would be at or near the top of it and this list on a year in and year out basis most likely.
Lauren Shehadi's 2018 Broadcasting Sabermetrics Profile (BSP):
Time Served At MLB Network: 2012-Present (7th year)
2017-18 Daily Signature Shows Hosted Above Replacement Personality/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP): MLB Central + Hot Stove + MLB Network Countdown + MLB Tonight (during 2017 MLB Spring Training from the Grapefruit (GRPFRT) League in Florida and the 2017 MLB Winter Meetings (MLB WM) from Orlando, Florida) + MLB Network Showcase=5 D-S-SHARP/SAARP in 2017-2018.
Of the 5 daily signature shows that Lauren was either a host of or appeared on in 2017-2018, the newest one that she added to her total as of the 2018 MLB season was the MLB Network Showcase games serving the role of Field Reporter (FR) during a couple of the telecasts from Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York.
Career Daily Signature Shows Hosted/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP): MLB Central + The Rundown + Quick Pitch + Hot Stove + MLB Network Countdown + MLB Tonight + MLB Network Showcase=7 Career D-S-SHARP/SAARP since 2012.
Of the 6 Career Daily Shows Hosted/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (Career D-S-SHARP/SAARP) for Lauren Shehadi, she has hosted or appeared on only 4 of them on a fairly consistent basis since the 2015 season. For the last few years the only shows that she has not hosted or appeared on are The Rundown and Quick Pitch.
During the 2018 season she also added the MLB Network Showcase game program to her career by serving as a Field Reporter (FR).
Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-S-S BNSPS): 13 D-S-S BNSPS
-A Word With...
-Hashtagging Up
-The Inside Corner
-Believe or Make Believe
-Central Scribbles
-Just Playin'
-Stealing Signs
-Central Stock Watch
-Matty V's Mix Tape
-Worried Or Whatever
-The Walk Off
-Where In The World Is A-Rod?
-Say Something
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As was the case with Matt Vasgersian, the majority of Lauren Shehadi's 13 Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-S-S BNSPS) come from MLB Central and Hot Stove. The ones that stand out from MLB Central are A Word With..., Hashtagging Up, The Inside Corner, Believe or Make Believe, Central Scribbles and Just Playin'. On Hot Stove both Where In The World Is A-Rod and Say Something have had staying power.
The star power segments featuring Lauren that the Broadcasting Shredder (BS) really likes are A Word With..., Believe or Make Believe, Central Scribbles, Just Playin' and Where In The World Is A-Rod?. Most of those segments are of the game show or board game inspired variety and are more entertaining than the rest of the segments featuring Lauren for the most part.
Hot Takes Expressed (HTE): 1
1. Baltimore Orioles trade scenarios discussion as part of the DeRo Demo Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segment (D-S-S BNSPS) leading up to the 2017 MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline on MLB Central. Unfortunately I can't remember which players in particular were discussed since it happened a long time ago.
Marquee Events (ME) Score-15 Marquee Events (ME) covered in 2017-2018 for Lauren Shehadi.
1. Appeared on MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of 2017 MLB Spring Training (MLB ST) from the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Nationals training camps in the Grapefruit (GRPFRT) League in Florida.
2. Hosted MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB Opening Day (2017 MLB OD) festivities.
3. Hosted MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 July 31 MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (July 31st MLB NWTD).
5. Hosted MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) pre game coverage of the 2017 National League Wild Card (NLWC) game between the Colorado Rockies (COL) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (ARI).
6. Appeared on both Hot Stove and MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB Winter Meetings (MLB WM) from Orlando, Florida.
7. Appeared on Hot Stove during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Spring Training (2018 MLB ST) season.
8. Hosted MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Opening Day (2018 MLB OD) festivities.
9. Field Reporter (FR) for the 2018 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game from Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB All-Star Game (2018 MLB ASG) festivities. She also appeared on the 2018 MLB All-Star Red Carpet show and MLB Tonight as well.
10. Hosted MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (2018 July 31st MLB NWTD) (NOTE: Hosted both of the July 30th-31st episodes of MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (2018 July 31st MLB NWTD)).
11. Hosted MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League Central/National League West Game 163 Tiebreaker (2018 NL Central/NL West Game 163 Tiebreaker) games between the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL) versus the Chicago Cubs (CHC) and the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD).
*12. Hosted/appeared on MLB Central during during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Wild Card (2018 NLWC/ALWC) games between the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Chicago Cubs (CHC) in the National League (NL) and the Oakland Athletics (OAK) versus the New York Yankees (NYY) in the American League (AL).
(NOTE: *=Due to her role as a Field Reporter (FR) for coverage of the 2018 MLB Postseason on TBS, the asterisk (*) seen up above signifies that Lauren Shehadi did not host/appear on MLB Central in its entirety during that time. Robert Flores and Mark DeRosa shared the majority of hosting duties for these particular episodes of MLB Central.)
*13. Hosted/appeared on MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Division Series (2018 NLDS/ALDS) between the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL)/Atlatna Braves (ATL) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) in the National League (NL) and the Cleveland Indians (CLE) versus the Houston Astros (HOU)/New York Yankees (NYY) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS) in the American League (AL). (NOTE: The last episode of MLB Central during the 2018 season was on Friday, October 5.)
She appeared as a Field Reporter from Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts during the 2018 American League Division Series (2018 ALDS) between the New York Yankees (NYY) and the Boston Red Sox (BOS).
(NOTE: *=Due to her role as a Field Reporter (FR) for coverage of the 2018 MLB Postseason on TBS, the asterisk (*) seen up above signifies that Lauren Shehadi did not host/appear on MLB Central in its entirety during that time. Robert Flores and Mark DeRosa shared the majority of hosting duties for these particular episodes of MLB Central.)
14. Appeared on The Rundown as a Field Reporter (FR) during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Championship Series (2018 NLCS/ALCS) between the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL) in the National League (NL) and the Houston Astros (HOU) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS) in the American League (AL).
Her single appearance on The Rundown was as a Field Reporter (FR) during the 2018 American League Championship Series (2018 ALCS) between the Houston Astros (HOU) and the Boston Red Sox (BOS) from Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.
15. Hosted MLB Tonight and appeared on Hot Stove during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Winter Meetings (2018 MLB WM) from Las Vegas, Nevada.
Before she became a Field Reporter (FR) for TBS during the 2017 MLB Postseason, Lauren Shehadi would usually cover an additional 2-3 marquee events for MLB Network (MLBN) as a Field Reporter (FR) on MLB Network (MLBN) during the playoffs prior to the 2017 MLB Postseason. Since she went from MLB Network (MLBN) to TBS during the postseason her total number of marquee events covered in 2017-2018 was not as high as it could have been.
During the 2018 Postseason period Lauren has been able to add at least 4 more Marquee Events (ME) to her total so far with various hosting duties and or appearances on MLB Network (MLBN) programming through the 2018 League Championship Series (2018 LCS) round of the playoffs.
Social Media Platforms and Followers Reached (SMPFR)-Twitter + Instagram =2 SMPFR with 52.5 thousand and counting followers on Twitter and 29.6 thousand followers and counting on Instagram. She has also had 5,908 total tweets and counting on Twitter and 228 total posts and counting on Instagram. While Lauren Shehadi does not have an official Facebook page of her own, she did make an appearance in a Facebook Live video to promote the new series of Topps baseball cards featuring various MLB Network (MLBN) personalities that came out in 2017. Since the sample size of her appearances on Facebook is too small to be included as part of the final total in addition to her not having an official Facebook page of her own is why she is only credited a total number of 2 in this statistical broadcasting category.
Multiple Broadcast Networks Star Appearance Profile (MBNSAP): 3 MBNSAP.
1. National Broadcasting Company (NBC) for occasional appearances on The Today Show during the regular season and off season showcasing the year's best viral videos and the 2018 Winter Olympics as the host of a podcast between NBC Sports Group and Vox Media called The Podium chronicling some of the athletes who will be competing at this year's Winter Olympics from PyeongChang, South Korea.
2. Columbia Broadcasting System "CBS" Sports Network (CBSSN) for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college basketball coverage leading up to March Madness.
3. Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) for Field Reporter (FR) duties during the 2017 National League Division Series (NLDS) between the Arizona Diamondbacks (ARI) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) and Field Reporter (FR) duties for post game show interviews during the 2017 American League Championship Series (ALCS) between the New York Yankees (NYY) and the Houston Astros (HOU).
During the 2018 MLB Postseason Lauren Shehadi was once again a part of TBS's coverage as a Field Reporter (FR) for the 2018 American League Wild Card (2018 ALWC) game that was played between the Oakland Athletics (OAK) and the New York Yankees (NYY). She was also the Field Reporter (FR) for the 2018 American League Division Series (2018 ALDS) that will be played between the New York Yankees (NYY) and the Boston Red Sox (BOS).
She was also a Field Reporter (FR) for TBS's coverage of the 2018 American League Championship Series (2018 ALCS) that was played between the Houston Astros (HOU) and the Boston Red Sox (BOS) from Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts and Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.
Now a strong case could be made from a sabermermetrics standpoint that Greg could and should have been awarded with the number one spot this year based on the huge number of Marquee Events (ME) that he is usually assigned to go cover year in and year out and was something I strongly considered doing at one point very late in the process of putting this countdown together. In the end though, I thought that it would not have been fair to reward Greg with this year's number one slot in the countdown solely based on his overall performance during the 2017 postseason only.
One final thing that helped solidify Mr. Amsinger's placement in the number three spot for this year's countdown is his continuing excellence and overall performance as one of the main hosts of MLB Network's (MLBN) MLB Tonight show. The majority of his hosting appearances are on MLB Tonight during the 10 P.M.-1 A.M. Eastern Time (ET) portion of the programming schedule for the most part. Since the 10 P.M.-1 A.M. Eastern Time (ET) portion of the programming schedule is the longest on-air portion of MLB Tonight's 7 hours maximum of daily total running time during the regular season, that also helped Amsinger's case for a top 3 finish in this year's countdown.
Greg Amsinger's 2018 Broadcasting Sabermetrics Profile (BSP):
Time Served At MLB Network (MLBN): 2009-Present (10th year)
1. Daily Signature Shows Hosted/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP): MLB Tonight=1. Throughout his career at MLB Network (MLBN), Greg Amsinger has spent the majority of his time as one of the primary or main hosts' of MLB Tonight. Other than that, he has not done a whole lot of hosting work over the years in terms of filling in for other hosts on the network's other shows. There have been very rare instances in the past when he has done some work as a fill-in host for other shows such as Hot Stove, Intentional Talk and MLB Now but the sample size of that work in 2017-2018 was too small from what I could tell as he only appeared on MLB Now on at least one occasion and maybe one more time at the most. Since that adds up to only 2 possible additional appearances, it is unfortunately not substantial enough to be considered as part of the final number in this category. With regards to calculating a Career Daily Signature Shows Hosted Above Replacement Personality/Show Appearances Above Replacement Personality (Career D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP) Greg Amsinger's shows hosted/appearances sample size is unfortunately too small to get an accurate measurement.
2. Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-S-S BNSPS): 3 D-S-S BNSPS.
-Live Look In
-Diamond Demo
-Final Strike
From a few years ago when Greg Amsinger correctly predicted a Buster Posey walk-off home run during a live look in segment on MLB Tonight!
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You might think that as the flagship program of the MLB Network (MLBN) channel that MLB Tonight would have more segments of the brand name star power variety but from I have seen over the last few years, there are actually not very many of them on the show which is why Greg's number here is so low.
Hot Takes Expressed (HTE): ?
The exact number for Mr. Amsinger in the Hot Takes Expressed (HTE) category depends on how active he was during the 2017 July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade (July 31st MLB NWTD) period in coming up with creative and unique trade proposals. Throughout his career at MLB Network (MLBN) Amsinger historically has developed a knack for coming up with a large number of player trade proposals each year leading up to the July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (July 31st MLB NWTD). Since he usually comes up with a large number of trade proposals (real or not) each year, it is somewhat difficult to keep track of what the exact number is.
Marquee Events (ME) Score: 24 Marquee Events (ME) covered in 2017-2018 for Greg Amsinger.
1. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) tournament, including on-location appearances from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California during the semi-final and final rounds of the tournament.
2. Appeared on MLB Tonight on location from Arizona during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of 2017 MLB Spring Training (MLB ST) from the Cactus (CACTUS) League in Arizona.
3. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB Opening Day (MLB OD) festivities.
4. Hosted MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB First Year Player Draft (2017 MLB FYPD).
5. Appeared on MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB All-Star Game (MLB ASG) from Miami, Florida in July of 2017.
6. Appeared on MLB Tonight during the 2017 MLB Hall of Fame Induction (MLB HOF IC) from Cooperstown, New York on July 30, 2017.
8. Appeared on MLB Tonight during post game coverage of the 2017 American League Wild Card (ALWC) game between the Minnesota Twins (MIN) and the New York Yankees (NYY).
9. Appeared on MLB Tonight during post game coverage of the 2017 National League Wild Card (NLWC) game between the Colorado Rockies (COL) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (ARI).
10. Hosted periodically on MLB Tonight throughout the second round of the 2017 MLB Postseason consisting of both the 2017 American League Division Series (ALDS) between the New York Yankees (NYY) and the Cleveland Indians (CLE) and the 2017 National League Division Series (NLDS) between the Chicago Cubs (CHC) and the Washington Nationals (WSH).
11. Hosted periodically on MLB Tonight throughout the third round of the 2017 MLB Postseason consisting of both the 2017 American League Championship Series (ALCS) between the New York Yankees (NYY) and the Houston Astros (HOU) and the 2017 National League Championship Series (NLCS) between the Chicago Cubs (CHC) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD).
12. Hosted MLB Tonight throughout MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB World Series (MLB WS) between the Houston Astros (HOU) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) from Los Angeles, California and Houston, Texas.
13. Appeared on MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB Winter Meetings from Orlando, Florida.
14. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Hall of Fame Election Announcement (MLB HOF EA).
15 Appeared on MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Spring Training (MLB ST) coverage from the Cactus (CACTUS) League in Arizona.
16. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's coverage of the 2018 MLB Opening Day (2018 MLB OD) festivities.
17. Hosted MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB First Year Player Draft (2018 MLB FYPD).
18. Hosted MLB Tonight and the 2018 MLB Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (2018 MLB HOF IC) during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (2018 MLB HOF IC) festivities.
19. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (2018 July 31st MLB NWTD). (NOTE: Hosted both of the July 30th-31st episodes of MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (2018 July 31st MLB NWTD)).
20. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Wild Card (2018 NLWC/ALWC) games that were played between the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Chicago Cubs (CHC) in the National League (NL) and the Oakland Athletics (OAK) versus the New York Yankees (NYY) in the American League (AL).
21. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Division Series (2018 NLDS/ALDS) between the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL)/Atlatna Braves (ATL) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) in the National League (NL) and the Cleveland Indians (CLE) versus the Houston Astros (HOU)/New York Yankees (NYY) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS) in the American League (AL).
22. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Championship Series (2018 NLCS/ALCS) between the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL) in the National League (NL) and the Houston Astros (HOU) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS) in the American League (AL).
23. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB World Series (2018 MLB WS) between the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS) from Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
24. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Winter Meetings (2018 MLB WM) from Las Vegas, Nevada.
Overall this is the one broadcasting sabermetrics statistical category that is Mr. Amsinger's strongest performance attribute as a broadcaster with 24 Marquee Events (ME) covered in 2017-2018. As I mentioned above earlier, Greg Amsinger was at one point under serious consideration to be given the number one spot on this year's countdown rankings but the more I thought about it, I just felt that it would have been unfair to do that based solely on his performance during the postseason and playoffs. In any case though, you can take comfort in knowing that whenever MLB Network (MLBN) does have coverage of a marquee event in baseball that there is a 99.9% chance that Greg Amsinger will be there to cover it in one way or another.
Social Media Platforms and Followers Reached (SMPFR): 0 official pages.
Other than various videos that are posted to MLB Network's (MLBN) official Social Media Platform (SMP) pages from MLB Tonight and the other Daily Signature Shows (DSS) that he has hosted or appeared on throughout his career at MLB Network (MLBN), Greg Amsinger does not have an official Social Media Platform (SMP) page of any kind.
Multiple Broadcast Networks Star Appearance Profile (MBNSAP): 0 MBNSAP
Greg Amsinger seems to be a pretty loyal on-air personality/employee because he does not currently appear on any other broadcast networks besides MLB Network (MLBN).
4. Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo-Checking in at number four on the countdown this year is Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo, the main host and star of MLB Network's (MLBN) High Heat show. The "Mad Dog" has always been one of the more consistent performers as a host/reporter on MLB Network (MLBN) since his debut on there in 2014.
Since his arrival at the network in 2014, Russo has been one of the most outspoken personalities on MLB Network (MLBN) regardless of whatever news and notes have occurred or taken place in the sport of baseball during that time. Being as outspoken as he is is one of the main qualities from a personality standpoint that has been a strength of Russo which has a given him a consistent place within the top 5 of this countdown every time than he has been on it.
One more thing that strengthened Russo's standing within the top 5 yet again in 2017 was the ESPN 30 For 30 documentary film called Mike And The "Mad Dog." The film chronicled the part of the "Mad Dog's" broadcasting career that was spent with Mike Francesa on the New York sports talk radio scene from 1989 to 2008 on WFAN "The Fan" 660 AM/101.9 FM. The 30 For 30 documentary film on ESPN was very good and excellent in showing what Russo's career as a broadcaster was like both before and after joining MLB Network (MLBN) in 2014.
Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo's 2018 Broadcasting Sabermetrics Profile (BSP):
Time Served At MLB Network (MLBN): 2014-Present (5th year)
1. 2017-2018 Daily Signature Shows Hosted Above Replacement Personality/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (D-S-SHARP/SAARP): High Heat=1 D-S-SHARP/SAARP.
While Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo did appear on a few of MLB Network's (MLBN) other Daily Signature Shows (DSS) in 2017 and 2018 such as MLB Tonight, MLB Central and Hot Stove, the sample size of appearances from those shows is once again too small to be included as part of the final total. Even though the majority of Russo's time as a host on MLB Network (MLBN) in 2017 and 2018 was on High Heat only for the most part, it was still impressive enough to still keep him within the top 5 spots in this year's countdown because of the fact that High Heat is on throughout the entire year including the off season and that he hardly ever takes a day off from hosting other than for various holidays and vacation time throughout the year.
Career Daily Signature Shows Hosted Above Replacement Personality/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (D-S-SHARP/SAARP): High Heat + MLB Tonight + MLB Central + Hot Stove=4 Career D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP.
Of the 4 total shows that Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo has been a part of throughout his career at MLB Network (MLBN), High Heat is the only one that he has been the primary host of. The times in which he has been on the other shows included as part of his final career D-S-SHARP/SAARP total have been of the appearance variety up to this point for the most part.
Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-S-S BNSPS): 7 D-S-S BNSPS
-The Brushback
-Turn Back Time
-Curtain Calls
-Good Job, Bad Job
-New Light
-Baseball Trivia
-Man Bites Dog
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All 7 of Russo's segments in this category are from High Heat. Since they are all very good in their own way it is hard to pick out a noteworthy favorite or two from the group but if I had to pick just one or two, I would probably go with Curtain Calls and Good Job, Bad Job.
In addition to those 7 show segments listed above for Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo, there are also a few more unofficial segments in which he either appears in or is heard from. The first one shows him watching various TV clips on multiple TV screens in what appears to be a break room of some sort with his usual high energy demeanor and enthusiasm. The next one involves a bird of some sort (most likely a parrot or blue jay) supposedly doing its own voice impersonation of Russo. In reality, a sound clip of Russo speaking is played while the video of the bird in its cage is shown. The last two unofficial segments featuring Russo show him drinking an entire bottle of orange juice in one sip while he was taking a break during one of his High Heat shows and a clip of him spinning around in his chair. The last segment featuring the spinning chair almost looks like he is spinning around in mid air.
Hot Takes Expressed (HTE): This particular broadcasting sabermetrics statistical category is a rather difficult one to judge when it comes to the "Mad Dog" because the number of Hot Takes Expressed (HTE) by this individual would be to long to put together on a single list and it would be very hard to single out just one or two! If you have ever seen the High Heat show as much as I have or even had the chance to listen to him on his Mad Dog Sports Radio channel on Sirius XM Satellite Radio, then you should know exactly what I'm talking about! So rather than point out a select few that occurred during the 2017 season and the 2017-2018 off season, I'll just put the following symbol up to properly show the exact number of Hot Takes Expressed (HTE) that Christopher had over the last year or so: ♾️!
Marquee Events (ME) Score: 21 Marquee Events (ME) covered in 2017-2018.
1. Hosted High Heat during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC).
2. Hosted High Heat during MLB Network's (MLBN) 2017 MLB Spring Training (2017 MLB ST) coverage.
3. Hosted High Heat during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB Opening Day (2017 MLB OD) festivities.
4. Hosted High Heat during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB All-Star Game from Marlins Park in Miami, Florida in July of 2017.
5. Appeared on MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 July 31st Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (2017 July 31st MLB NWTD).
6. Hosted High Heat during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 American League Wild Card (ALWC) game between the Minnesota Twins (MIN) and the New York Yankees (NYY).
7. Hosted High Heat during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 National League Wild Card (NLWC) game between the Colorado Rockies (COL) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (ARI).
8. Hosted High Heat throughout MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 American League Division Series (ALDS) and the 2017 National League Division Series (NLDS) between the Boston Red Sox (BOS) versus the Houston Astros (HOU) and the New York Yankees (NYY) versus the Cleveland Indians (CLE) in the American League (AL) plus the Chicago Cubs (CHC) versus the Washington Nationals (WSH) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (ARI) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) in the National League (NL).
9. Hosted High Heat throughout MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 American League Championship Series (ALCS) and the 2017 National League Championship Series (NLCS) between the New York Yankees (NYY) and the Houston Astros (HOU) in the American League (AL) and the Chicago Cubs (CHC) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) in the National League (NL).
10. Hosted High Heat throughout MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB World Series (MLB WS) between the Houston Astros (HOU) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California and Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.
11. Hosted High Heat throughout MLB Network's (MLBN) of the 2017 MLB Winter Meetings (MLB WM) from Orlando, Florida.
12. Hosted High Heat during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Hall of Fame Election Announcement (MLB HOF EA).
13. Hosted High Heat during MLB Network's (MLBN) 2018 MLB Spring Training (2018 MLB ST) coverage.
14. Hosted High Heat during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Opening Day (2018 MLB OD) festivities.
15. Hosted High Heat during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB All-Star Game (2018 MLB ASG) festivities from Nationals Park in Washington, D.C..
16. Hosted High Heat during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (2018 MLB NWTD). (NOTE: Hosted the July 30th, 2018 edition of the High Heat program. High Heat did not air on July 31st, 2018.) He also appeared on the July 31st episode of MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (2018 July 31st MLB NWTD).
17. Hosted High Heat during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Wild Card (2018 NLWC/ALWC) games that were played between the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Chicago Cubs (CHC) in the National League (NL) and the Oakland Athletics (OAK) versus the New York Yankees (NYY) in the American League (AL).
18. Hosted High Heat during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Division Series (2018 NLDS/ALDS) between the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL)/Atlatna Braves (ATL) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) in the National League (NL) and the Cleveland Indians (CLE) versus the Houston Astros (HOU)/New York Yankees (NYY) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS) in the American League (AL).
19. Hosted High Heat during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Championship Series (2018 NLCS/ALCS) between the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL) in the National League (NL) and the Houston Astros (HOU) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS) in the American League (AL).
20. Hosted High Heat during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB World Series (2018 MLB WS) between the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS) from Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
21. Hosted High Heat during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Winter Meetings (2018 MLB WM) from Las Vegas, Nevada.
Social Media Platform and Followers Reached (SMPFR):
2 Twitter Pages + 1 Facebook Page=3 SMPFR.
Christopher Russo has a grand total of 3 SMPFR. He has 2 Twitter pages with 75.4 thousand and 54.9 thousand followers respectively and 6,226 and 50.000 and counting respective total tweets. The first of those 2 Twitter pages appears to his own official page while the second one is for his Mad Dog Sports Radio channel on Sirius XM satellite radio. There is also a Facebook page for the Mad Dog Sports Radio Sirius XM satellite radio channel with 18,470 people who like it and 17,732 people who follow it.
Multiple Broadcast Networks Star Appearance Profile (MBNSAP): ESPN + Mad Dog Sports Radio channel on Sirius XM satellite radio=2 MBNSAP.
1. ESPN-In 2017 Christopher Russo was featured in a 30 For 30 documentary film on ESPN called Mike And The Mad Dog about his time as a sports talk radio host on WFAN in New York City with Mike Francesa.
2. Sirius XM satellite radio-Since 2008, Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo has had his a sports talk radio channel on Sirius XM satellite radio called Mad Dog Sports Radio. For his part on the channel, Russo is the host of the Mad Dog Unleashed sports talk flagship program.
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Photo Courtesy of:
Wikimedia
and
Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA
under
CC BY-SA 2.0 License.
One big reason why Heidi has made such a big jump in the rankings in the last few years is that in addition to being the main host of MLB Network's (MLBN) Daily Signature Show (DSS) called Quick Pitch, she has been one of the only female hosts on MLB Network (MLBN) to make occasional hosting appearances on the network's flagship daily signature show called MLB Tonight.
One last thing that is worth mentioning about Heidi Watney from the 2017 season before I get to her Broadcasting Sabermetrics profile is that she was also the first host/reporter to put a picture of me that I tweeted to MLB Network (MLBN) from Minute Maid Park in Houston on the air for an episode of Quick Pitch back in May of 2017.
Now I am fully aware and know that for the main purposes of this countdown list that if I am following the model of the actual Top 10 Right Now series of shows on MLB Network (MLBN) as hosted by Brian Kenny that I am supposed to do my best to take the emotion out of my decision making, but who am I kidding?! In this case, I would be lying if I said that seeing my picture being put on the air way back then had absolutely nothing to do with Ms. Watney making a significant jump in the rankings from this year to last year. While her overall performance in 2017 was and is most definitely worthy of capturing the number 5 spot on this year's countdown, as a huge fan of MLB Network (MLBN) in general, that one time picture appearance on Quick Pitch absolutely gave her a big boost with regards to these rankings in my book.
It should also be pointed out that Heidi Watney has been absent from the MLB Network (MLBN) airwaves since the end of March/beginning of April 2018 due to the birth of her first child and subsequent time off for maternity leave. In her place, the Quick Pitch daily signature show hosting duties have been filled by a host/reporter rotation of Kelly Nash, Jamie Hersch, Alexa Datt, Jackie Redmond and Stephen Nelson for at least one episode.
As of July 2018, Heidi Watney has returned from maternity leave to the MLB Network (MLBN) airwaves after missing the first three months or so of the 2018 season.
Heidi Watney's 2018 Broadcasting Sabermetrics Profile (BSP):
Time Served At MLB Network (MLBN): 2013-Present (6th year)
1. 2017-2018 Daily Signature Shows Hosted Above Replacement Personality/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP): Quick Pitch + Intentional Talk + MLB Tonight + Hot Stove=4 D-S-SHARP/SAARP in 2017-2018.
Career Daily Signature Shows Hosted Above Replacement Personality/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (Career D-S-SHARP/SAARP): Same as 2017-2018 D-S-SHARP/SAARP).
2. Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-S-S BNSPS): 6 D-S-S BNSPS.
-Last Call
-Heidi's Headlines
-Where In The World Is A-Rod?
-Say Something
-Live Look In
-Diamond Demo
In the brad name star power segments department Heidi Watney is a part of at least 6 of them. Last Call and Heidi's Headlines are from Quick Pitch and Intentional Talk while Where In The World Is A-Rod? and Say Something come from Hot Stove.
Of all those segments that Heidi is involved in or a part of they are pretty equal in terms of entertainment value.
3. Hot Takes Expressed (HTE): 1 HTE
1. Put my picture from Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas on the air during the May 1, 2017 episode of Quick Pitch. Seeing that picture of me during the Quick Pitch show definitely made my day and was very worthy of a Hot Take Expressed (HTE).
4. Marquee Events (ME) Score: 12 Marquee Events (ME) covered in 2017-2018.
1. Appeared on Hot Stove during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of 2017 MLB Spring Training from the Cactus (CACTUS) League in Arizona.
2. Field Reporter (FR) during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC).
3. Hosted Quick Pitch during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB Opening Day (MLB OD) festivities.
4. Appeared on MLB Network (MLBN) during their Red Carpet show special from the 2017 MLB All-Star Game (MLB ASG) from Miami, Florida.
5. Field Reporter (FR) for the 2017 MLB All-Star Game (MLB ASG) during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the game from Marlins Park in Miami, Florida.
6. Field Reporter (FR) for the 2017 National League Wild Card (NLWC) game between the Colorado Rockies (COL) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (ARI) from Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.
7. Field Reporter (FR) for the 2017 National League Division Series (NLDS) between the Arizona Diamondbacks (ARI) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California and Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.
8. Field Reporter (FR) for the 2017 National League Championship Series (NLCS) between the Chicago Cubs (CHC) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California and Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.
9. Field Reporter (FR) for the 2017 MLB World Series (MLB WS) between the Houston Astros (HOU) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California and Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.
10. Appeared on Hot Stove and hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Spring Training (2018 MLB ST) season.
11. Appeared on MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Division Series (2018 NLDS/ALDS) between the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL)/Atlatna Braves (ATL) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) in the National League (NL) and the Cleveland Indians (CLE) versus the Houston Astros (HOU)/New York Yankees (NYY) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS) in the American League (AL).
Her appearances came as a Field Reporter (FR) during the 2018 American League Division Series (2018 ALDS) between the Cleveland Indians (CLE) and the Houston Astros (HOU) from Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas and Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio.
12. Appeared on MLB Tonight as a Field Reporter (FR) during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB World Series (2018 MLB WS) between the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS) from Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Her Field Reporter (FR) duties consisted of covering stories the Boston Red Sox (BOS) perspective.
Heidi Watney is another MLB Network (MLBN) host/reporter who once again covered a large amount of baseball's marquee events in 2017-2018 with the majority of them coming as a Field Reporter (FR) during all four round of the playoffs in the 2017 postseason from the 2017 National League Wild Card (NLWC) game and the National League Division and Championship Series (NLDS, NLCS) all the way through to the end of the 2017 MLB World Series (MLB WS) between the Houston Astros (HOU) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD). When all was said and done she had covered 12 of them which was good for the third most total marquee events covered in 2017-2018.
Social Media Platform Followers Reach: Facebook + Twitter + Instagram=3 SMPFR.
Heidi Watney's social media platform presence includes all 3 of the biggest social media pages that someone like you can be a part of in the online world of the Internet. Those three big social media platform pages of course are Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. On Facebook 6,942 people like Watney's page while 6,957 people follow it. On Twitter and Instagram she has 144 thousand and 47.4 thousand respective followers. Lastly, she has had 21,000 total tweets and counting on Twitter and 1,020 total posts and counting on Instagram.
Multiple Broadcast Networks Star Appearance Profile (MBNSAP): 0 MBNSAP.
Since she has been with MLB Network (MLBN) from 2013 until now Heidi Watney has not worked at or appeared on any other broadcast networks.
6. Kelly Nash-Making the steady climb once again in this year's rankings of the Top 10 MLB Network (MLBN) Hosts And Reporters Right Now is Kelly Nash. From her overall performance from 2016 to 2017 Nash has moved up one spot in this year's rankings from number seven to number six. Since coming to MLB Network (MLBN), Nash's overall performance as a host/reporter has steadily improved and gotten better every year since her rookie season in 2015.
In her three years and counting at MLB Network (MLBN), Nash has served as one of the primary hosts of The Rundown daily signature show which airs during the regular season each year. During that time, Nash has also expanded her profile of daily signature shows that she has either hosted or appeared on to include Quick Pitch and Hot Stove occasionally as well as Plays of the Week on Sundays.
In addition to the work that she has done at MLB Network (MLBN) and her growing resume of shows hosted there, Nash also gets a boost in the rankings by being of the few MLB Network (MLBN) hosts/reporters to also be a host/reporter for NHL Network (NHLN) and Ion Television (ION) as well as part of her Multiple Broadcast Networks Star Appearance Profile (MBNSAP).
Kelly Nash's 2018 Broadcasting Sabermetrics Profile (BSP):
Time Served At MLB Network: 2015-Present (4th year)
1. 2017-2018 Daily Signature Shows Hosted Above Replacement Personality/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (D-S-SHARP/SAARP): The Rundown + Quick Pitch + Hot Stove=3 D-S-SHARP/SAARP for 2017-2018.
In addition to the 3 Daily Signature Shows (DSS) listed above as being the host of at one time or another for Kelly Nash, she has also been the host of the Plays of the Week show that airs only on Sundays usually. Unfortunately, since that show does not air on MLB Network (MLBN) more during the week or on a daily basis, it is not counted towards Nash's final total number of shows hosted or show appearances in 2017-2018. Her performance on Plays of the Week will be included as part of the final total of her Career Daily Signature Shows Hosted/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (Career D-S-SHARP/SAARP).
Career Daily Signature Shows Hosted/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (Career D-S-SHARP/SAARP): The Rundown + Quick Pitch + Hot Stove + Plays of the Week=4 Career D-S-SHARP/SAARP.
The weekly hosting appearances on the Plays of the Week show are included here as part of the final total number of Career Daily Signature Shows Hosted/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (Career D-S-SHARP/SAARP) for Kelly Nash.
2. Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-S-S BNSPS): 7 D-S-S BNSPS.
-NASHional Opinion
-Deals With Dan
-American League (AL) Player of the Week announcement.
-National League (NL) Player of the Week announcement.
-Last Call
-Where In The World Is A-Rod?
-Say Something
When looking at Kelly Nash's brand name star power segments from her collection, NASHional Opinion and Deals With Dan from The Rundown are probably the most popular ones.The NASHional Opinion segment is a social media question and answer segment in which viewers are asked to answer one question each day about various baseball-related topics and news. Some of the viewers answers are then shown on-air.
Deals With Dan is maybe an even more fun segment that has an element of viewer participation involved by having them send in various player trade proposals which are subsequently evaluated by the network's resident GM/Analyst named Dan O'Dowd.
3. Hot Takes Expressed (HTE): 0
I'm sure there were times throughout the 2017 season and 2017-2018 off season where Kelly Nash said something interesting or exciting that may have been good enough to be part of the Hot Takes Expressed (HTE) but I really can't remember if there was anything that she said throughout the year that stood out all that much in comparison to some of the other MLB Network (MLBN) personalities.
4. Marquee Events (ME) Score: 10 Marquee Events (ME) covered in 2017-2018.
1. Appeared on MLB Network (MLBN) during their coverage of the 2017 MLB First Year Player Draft (MLB FYPD). Since her main role during the network's coverage of the event consisted of interviewing the players who were drafted and their families from Studio 42, Kelly Nash could be classified as a Field Reporter (FR) for this Marquee Event (ME) assignment.
2. Hosted The Rundown during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 American League Wild Card (ALWC) game between the Minnesota Twins (MIN) and the New York Yankees (NYY).
3. Hosted The Rundown during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 National League Wild Card (NLWC) game between the Colorado Rockies (COL) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (ARI).
4. Hosted The Rundown during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 National League Division Series (NLDS) between the Chicago Cubs (CHC) and the Washington Nationals (WSH).
5. Hosted The Rundown during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 American League Championship Series (ALCS) between the New York Yankees (NYY) versus the Houston Astros (HOU) and the 2017 National League Championship Series (NLCS) between the Chicago Cubs (CHC) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD).
6. Hosted Quick Pitch during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Opening Day (2018 MLB OD) festivities.
7. Hosted Quick Pitch during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (2018 July 31st MLB NWTD) (NOTE: Hosted both of the July 30th-31st episodes of Quick Pitch during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (2018 July 31st MLB NWTD)).
8. Appeared on MLB Central and MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League Central/National League West Game 163 Tiebreaker (2018 NL Central/NL West Game 163 Tiebreaker) games between the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL) versus the Chicago Cubs (CHC) and the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) as the Field Reporter (FR) from Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.
9. Appeared on The Rundown and MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Wild Card (2018 NLWC/ALWC) games that were played between the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Chicago Cubs (CHC) in the National League (NL) and the Oakland Athletics (OAK) versus the New York Yankees (NYY) in the American League (AL). She served as the Field Reporter (FR) for the 2018 National League Wild Card (2018 NLWC) game that was played between the Colorado Rockies (COL) and the Chicago Cubs (CHC) from Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.
10. Hosted The Rundown during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Championship Series (2018 NLCS/ALCS) between the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL) in the National League (NL) and the Houston Astros (HOU) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS) in the American League (AL).
5. Social Media Platforms and Followers Reached (SMPFR): Facebook + Twitter + Instagram=3 SMPFR.
In terms of evaluating how active she is with regards to her online presence, Kelly Nash has a page for all 3 of the usual Social Media Platform and Followers Reached (SMPFR) On Twitter she has a following of 52.9 thousand and counting followers with 10.9 thousand and counting total tweets while on Facebook there are 7.643 people who like her page and 7,822 people who follow it. Finally on Instagram, Nash has 406 and counting total posts with 43 thousand and counting total followers.
In addition to all of those online appearances and numbers, Kelly Nash also takes part in another show throughout the year with Scott Braun exclusively on Facebook called Show To Be Named Later. The name of the show comes from the Player To Be Named Later phrase that is commonly used when the identity of a certain player who may be involved in a trade is not yet known. It is an interactive show that usually takes after The Rundown is finished for the day where fans and viewers can get involved by sending in questions and comments using the #ShowToBeNamedLater hashtag.
In the middle of the 2018 MLB season Kelly Nash also became the co-host of a new podcast called Baseball & Chill alongside Scott Braun on iTunes.
6. Multiple Broadcast Networks Star Appearance Profile (MBNSAP): 2 MBNSAP.
1. NHL Network (NHLN)-Kelly Nash is one of five MLB Network (MLBN) Hosts/Reporters to also contribute as a host/reporter on NHL Network (NHLN). Since the 2015 season, both MLB Network (MLBN) and the NHL Network (NHLN) studios have been located in the same building as part of a joint venture agreement. That probably makes it very easy for some of the MLB Network (MLBN) to also do some work for the NHL Network (NHLN) as well since they don't have to travel too far to get from one place to another.
2. Ion Television (ION)-Kelly Nash also works for the Ion Television (ION) network in addition to the MLB Network (MLBN) and the NHL Network (NHLN). Since I do not tune into the Ion Television (ION) network on a regular basis, I don't really know what she does on the channel. The one time that I do remember watching the channel a while back, she happened to be on there at the time and I think she was hosting a James Bond 007 movie marathon. Other than that, I have not watched anything on Ion Television (ION) since then.
7. Scott Braun-Coming in at number seven on this year's Top 10 countdown is Scott Braun. Even though he did drop one spot down from number six to number seven, Braun's overall performance in 2017 was solid enough to still have a spot in the Top 10 once again.
For parts of the last two seasons, Scott Braun has served as one of the two co-hosts of The Rundown along with Kelly Nash. The other host that Mr. Braun shares hosting duties and splits time with in the lineup is Paul Severino. When evaluating the overall performance efforts of both Braun and Severino during the 2017 season, a big portion of it was viewed from my perspective as a platoon situation. Since Braun took part in the 2017 opening day installment of The Rundown and seemingly took a majority of that show's co-hosting reps as part of a regular season hosting platoon, he gets the nod over Mr. Severino for the seventh spot in this year's Top 10 countdown of MLB Network's (MLBN) Hosts/Reporters.
It should also be noted that perhaps the biggest reason why MLB Network (MLBN) has been utilizing a hosting platoon situation on The Rundown for parts of the last two seasons was most likely because one of the network's other main hosts/reporters in Matt Yallof had suffered a stroke during the 2016 season in July of that year. The very good news is that Matt Yallof has subsequently spent the majority of his time since then making a very nice and remarkable recovery from what could have been a very serious and potentially dangerous life threatening situation.
Scott Braun's 2018 Broadcasting Sabermetrics Profile (BSP):
Time Served At MLB Network (MLBN): 2012-Present (7th year)
1. 2017-2018 Daily Signature Shows Hosted/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP): The Rundown + High Heat (fill-in) + MLB Now (fill-in) + Quick Pitch + MLB Tonight=5 D-S-SHARP/SAARP in 2017-2018.
Career Daily Signature Shows Hosted/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (Career D-S-SHARP/SAARP): Pretty much the same as his 2017-2018 Daily Signature Shows Hosted/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP) total plus MLB Network Strike Zone.
As a host/reporter on MLB Network (MLBN) Scott Braun is one of the primary hosts of The Rundown and MLB Tonightduring the regular season as well as a regular fill-in host on High Heat and MLB Now. The fill-in work that he has done on High Heat and MLB Now consists of a sample size that is large enough to be included in the final total.
2. Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-S-S BNSPS): 6 D-S-S BNSPS
-American League (AL) Player of the Week announcement.
-National League (NL) Player of the Week announcement.
-Nashional Opinion
-Deals With Dan
-Live Look In
-Diamond Demo
As one of the two co-hosts of The Rundown along with Kelly Nash, the majority of Scott Braun's Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-S-S BNSPS) that are listed above come from that show. As a host on MLB Tonight Mr. Braun is credited with taking part in the Live Look In and Diamond Demo segments.
You could also make a case that as one of the main fill-in hosts of the High Heat and MLB Now shows that he could be given credit as well for the brand name show segments that are a part of those shows, but since he is not a main host on either program, he does not receive credit from both of them in this category.
3. Hot Takes Expressed (HTE): 0 HTE in 2017-2018.
Unfortunately Scott Braun said nothing exciting or interesting enough to be included in the Hot Takes Expressed (HTE) category during the 2017-2018 yearly cycle of hosting and reporting.
4. Marquee Events (ME) Score: 15 Marquee Events (ME) covered in 2017-2018.
1. Play-By-Play announcer for MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) from Marlins Park in Miami, Florida.
2. Field Reporter (FR) for the 2017 National League Division Series (NLDS) between the Chicago Cubs (CHC) and the Washington Nationals (WSH) from Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. and Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.
3. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 American League Championship Series (ALCS) between the New York Yankees (NYY) versus the Houston Astros (HOU) and the 2017 National League Championship (NLCS) between the Chicago Cubs (CHC) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD).
4. Hosted The Rundown during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 American League Championship Series (ALCS) between the New York Yankees (NYY) versus the Houston Astros (HOU) and the 2017 National League Championship Series (NLCS) between the Chicago Cubs (CHC) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD).
5. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB World Series (MLB WS) between the Houston Astros (HOU) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD).
6. Hosted MLB Tonight and appeared on Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB Winter Meetings from Orlando, Florida.
7. Appeared on MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Spring Training (2018 MLB ST) season from the Grapefruit (GRPFRT) League in Florida.
8. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Opening Day (2018 MLB OD) festivities.
9. Hosted a Facebook Live broadcast during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB First Year Player Draft (2018 MLB FYPD).
10. Hosted a Facebook Live broadcast during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB All-Star Game (2018 MLB ASG) festivities from Nationals Park in Washington, D.C..
11. Hosted The Rundown during during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (2018 July 31st MLB NWTD). (NOTE: Hosted the July 30th, 2018 edition of The Rundown program. The Rundown is not scheduled to be aired on July 31st, 2018).
12. Hosted The Rundown during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Wild Card (2018 NLWC/ALWC) games that were played between the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Chicago Cubs (CHC) in the National League (NL) and the Oakland Athletics (OAK) versus the New York Yankees (NYY) in the American League (AL).
13. Appeared on The Rundown and MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Division Series (2018 NLDS/ALDS) between the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL)/Atlatna Braves (ATL) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) in the National League (NL) and the Cleveland Indians (CLE) versus the Houston Astros (HOU)/New York Yankees (NYY) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS) in the American League (AL).
Hosted MLB Now and MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB World Series (2018 MLB WS) between the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS). (NOTE: Scott Braun hosted portions of MLB Now and MLB Tonight from inside Studio 3 at MLB Network's (MLBN) headquarters in
Mr. Braun's appearances came as a Field Reporter (FR) during the 2018 American League Division Series (2018 ALDS) between the New York Yankees (NYY) and the Boston Red Sox (BOS) from Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts and Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York.
His appearances came as a Field Reporter (FR) during the 2018 American League Championship Series (2018 ALCS) between the Houston Astros (HOU) and the Boston Red Sox (BOS) from Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts and Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.
15. Hosted MLB Now and MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB World Series (2018 MLB WS) between the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS). (NOTE: Scott Braun hosted portions of MLB Now and MLB Tonight from inside Studio 3 at MLB Network's (MLBN) headquarters in Secaucus, New Jersey due to inclement weather before game 1 of the 2018 MLB World Series (2018 MLB WS) from Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.)
The Marquee Events (ME) score of 15 events covered in 2017-2018 for Scott Braun was good enough to be in the middle of the pack range. In 2017-2018 the majority of the marquee events that he covered came as a Field Reporter (FR) during the 2017 National League Division Series (NLDS, CHC VS. WSH) and as a host on The Rundown and MLB Tonight during the rest of the playoffs and postseason.
5. Social Media Platforms and Followers Reached (SMPFR): Twitter + Facebook + Instagram + Snapchat=4 SMPFR.
In the Social Media Platforms and Followers Reached (SMPFR) department Scott Braun has a total of 4 social media pages consisting of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. On Twitter Braun has 12,000 followers and counting with 7,943 and counting total tweets while on Instagram there are 8,347 followers and counting with 152 and counting total posts. With regards to his Snapchat page, I don't know many followers he may have on there since neither me or my family are on Snapchat ourselves.
Beginning with the 2018 MLB season Scott Braun became the primary play-by-play commentator of the MLB Live game of the week broadcasts which have been broadcast exclusively on Facebook in 2018.
On Scott Braun's official Facebook page there are 704 people who like it and 703 people who follow it.
In addition to that official Facebook page, Braun also took park in the exclusive Facebook show called Show To Be Named Later along with Kelly Nash during the 2017 season.
Beginning with the 2018 MLB season Scott Braun became the primary play-by-play commentator of the MLB Live game of the week broadcasts which have been broadcast exclusively on Facebook in 2018.
In the middle of the 2018 MLB season Scott Braun also became the co-host of a new podcast called Baseball & Chill alongside Kelly Nash on iTunes.
6. Multiple Broadcast Networks Star Appearance Profile (MBNSAP): 3 MBNSAP.
1. NHL Network (NHLN)-Scott Braun is one of five MLB Network (MLBN) Hosts/Reporters to also contribute as a host/reporter on NHL Network (NHLN). Since the 2015 season, both MLB Network (MLBN) and the NHL Network (NHLN) studios have been located in the same building as part of a joint venture agreement. That probably makes it very easy for some of the MLB Network (MLBN) to also do some work for the NHL Network (NHLN) as well since they don't have to travel too far to get from one place to another.
2. Sportsnet New York TV (SNYTV; New York Mets Regional Sports Network or RSN)-Scott Braun also makes occasional appearances on the New York Mets (NYM) Regional Sports Network (RSN) called Sportsnet New York (SNY) throughout the season.
3. MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM satellite radio-Scott Braun also contributes to MLB Network Radio's coverage of Major League Baseball (MLB) throughout the season as well.
8. The number eight spot on this year's countdown was previously held by Paul Severino who is now a play-by-play commentator for the TV broadcasts of the Miami Marlins (MIA) and is no longer a host/reporter at MLB Network (MLBN).
As a result of Mr. Severino's departure a replacement host/reporter will officially be named at a later date to fill the now vacated eighth spot on this year's countdown. The list of candidates who are eligible to fill the now vacated eighth spot include Chris Rose, Brian Kenny and Fran Charles just to name a few.
Photo Courtesy of:
Wikimedia
and
LiAnna Davis
under
CC BY-SA 3.0 License.
As the host of MLB Network's (MLBN) of what is probably their most popular afternoon or early evening Signature Daily Show called Intentioal Talk, or also abbreviated as "I.T.", alongside MLB Network (MLBN) analyst Kevin Millar, Chris Rose Rose's work from the 2017 season was good enough to put him back on the top 10 list again this year for the second time in the last three years. Rose did not appear in the top 10 list last year and just missed the cut due to the intense competition from the other participants that were involved in it.
The biggest factor that was really good and helped Rose secure a spot in the Top 10 this year besides the top notch work he has done as the main host of Intentional Talk is his Multiple Broadcast Network Star Appearance Profile (MBNSAP) for both the MLB Network (MLBN) and the NFL Network (NFLN).
Chris Rose's 2018 Broadcasting Sabermetrics Profile:
Time Served At MLB Network: 2010-Present (9th year)
1. 2017-2018 Daily Signature Shows Hosted/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP: Intentional Talk + MLB Tonight=2 D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP in 2017-2018.
Career Daily Signature Shows Hosted/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (Career D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP): Same as 2017-2018 D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP.
Throughout his career at MLB Network (MLBN) Chris Rose has been the primary host of Intentional Talk along with Kevin Millar. Additionally, he has also had occasional hosting appearances on MLB Tonight from time to time.
2. Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-S-BNSPS): 8 D-S-S BNSPS.
-Opening Act
-Let's Fake A Deal
-Irrelevant Video of the Day
-Monthly Predictions
-Kevin's Highlights
-Got Heem
-Live Look In
-Diamond Demo
Video Courtesy of:
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Video Courtesy of:
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I'm pretty sure that there are more than 8 Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-S-S BNSPS) that Chris Rose takes part in but unfortunately I don't remember what they are if there are indeed more than the 8 which are listed above. Of the 8 which are listed above, the majority of them are from the Intentional Talk show with Kevin's Highlights and Got Heem probably being the most popular ones.
3. Hot Takes Expressed (HTE): 0 HTE.
For the same reason as those individuals above him who also had 0 Hot Takes Expressed (HTE) in 2017-2018, Chris Rose unfortunately had 0 Hot Takes Expressed (HTE) as well.
4. Marquee Events (ME) Score: 20 Marquee Events (ME) covered in 2017-2018.
1. Hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 World Baseball Classis (WBC).
2. Hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of 2017 MLB Spring Training (2017 MLB ST).
3. Hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB Opening Day (2017 MLB OD) festivities.
4. Hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB All-Star Game (MLB ASG) from Marlins Park in Miami, Florida.
5. Hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (July 31st MLB NWTD).
6. Hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 American League Wild Card (ALWC) game between the Minnesota Twins (MIN) and the New York Yankees (NYY).
7. Hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 National League Wild Card (NLWC) game between the Colorado Rockies (COL) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (ARI).
8. Hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 American League Division Series (ALDS) between the Boston Red Sox (BOS) versus the Houston Astros (HOU) and the New York Yankees (NYY) versus the Cleveland Indians (CLE). He also hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 National League Division Series (NLDS) between the Chicago Cubs (CHC) versus the Washington Nationals (WSH) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (ARI) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD).
9. Hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 American League Championship Series (ALCS) between the New York Yankees (NYY) versus the Houston Astros (HOU) and the 2017 National League Championship Series between the Chicago Cubs (CHC) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD).
10. Hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB World Series (MLB WS) between the Houston Astros (HOU) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California and Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.
11. Hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB Winter Meetings (MLB WM) from Orlando, Florida.
12. Hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of 2018 MLB Spring Training (2018 MLB ST).
13. Hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Opening Day (2018 MLB OD) festivities.
14. Hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB All-Star Game (2018 MLB ASG) festivities from Nationals Park in Washington, D.C..
15. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League Central/National League West Game 163 Tiebreaker (2018 NL Central/NL West Game 163 Tiebreaker) games between the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL) versus the Chicago Cubs (CHC) and the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD).
16. Hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Wild Card (2018 NLWC/ALWC) games that were played between the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Chicago Cubs (CHC) in the National League (NL) and the Oakland Athletics (OAK) versus the New York Yankees (NYY) in the American League (AL).
17. Hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Division Series (2018 NLDS/ALDS) between the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL)/Atlatna Braves (ATL) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) in the National League (NL) and the Cleveland Indians (CLE) versus the Houston Astros (HOU)/New York Yankees (NYY) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS) in the American League (AL).
18. Hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Championship Series (2018 NLCS/ALCS) between the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL) in the National League (NL) and the Houston Astros versus the Boston Red Sox in the American League (AL).
19. Hosted Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB World Series (2018 MLB WS) between the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS) from Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
20. Hosted MLB Tonight and Intentional Talk during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Winter Meetings (2018 MLB WM) from Las Vegas, Nevada.
5. Social Media Platforms and Followers Reached (SMPFR): 2 Twitter Pages + 2 Instagram Pages=4 SMPFR.
In social media department, Chris Rose has a total of 4 social media pages with 2 on Twitter and 2 on Instagram. On both Twitter and Instagram there is one official page each on those social media platforms for Chris Rose and an additional official show page for Intentional Talk. In terms of the total number of followers that each page has, there are 158 thousand followers and counting with 18,000 tweets and counting on Chris Rose's Twitter page and 161,000 followers and counting on the Twitter page for Intentional Talk with 6,857 total tweets and counting on that page. On Instagram Chris Rose has 14.4 thousand and counting followers with 252 total posts and counting and Intentional Talk has 2,157 followers and counting with only 2 total posts.
6. Multiple Broadcast Networks Star Appearance Profile (MBNSAP): 2 MBNSAP
1. NFL Network (NFLN)-In addition to being a host/reporter on MLB Network (MLBN), Chris Rose is also a host on NFL Network (NFLN). As a matter of fact, he's so important to them that he gets to the big game every year as part of the NFL Network's (NFLN) coverage of the game.
2. Discovery Channel/Science Channel (DISC)/(SCI)-Chris Rose is also currently a co-host/narrator of the BattleBots show on both the Discovery Channel (DISC) and the Science Channel.
10. Robert Flores-Rounding out the Top 10 MLB Network (MLBN) Right Now rankings in the hosts and reporters division from the 2017 MLB season and heading into the 2018 is " Robert "RoFlo" Flores! A relative newcomer to the MLB Network (MLBN) and its Top 10 Right Now series list, "RoFlo" makes his debut Top 10 list appearance at number ten!
To catch you all up on how Mr. Flores career at the MLB Network (MLBN) started and where he came from before he got there, you don't have to go back that far in time actually. In fact, you only have to go back to a couple of years ago in 2016 when he went from the friendly confines of the World Wide Leader TV sports network of ESPN to the bright lights and the big league sports broadcasting show stage that the MLB Network (MLBN)! Let me be the first to say welcome aboard the list! Now here's what to watch for and what you have with regards to what you have done with your debut Top 10 broadcasting performance on MLB Network (MLBN) in just a relatively small sample size.
UPDATE: Since the beginning of the 2018 season, Robert Flores has been the new host of the MLB Central morning show replacing Matt Vasgersian who has been hosting or appearing on some of the other MLB Network (MLBN) programs such as MLB Tonight in 2018. Matt's transition/departure from one show to another appears to have been made as a result of his upcoming new job at ESPN as the new play-by-play announcer of the Sunday Night Baseball program game telecasts.
As a new host of MLB Central beginning in 2018, Robert Flores will be joined by the other two remaining original hosts of the show in Lauren Shehadi and Mark DeRosa.
From a fan's perspective, it will be very interesting to see how this new look to MLB Central for 2018 and beyond plays out. Hopefully it won't lose too much of what made with the reported departure of Matt Vasgersian and subsequent arrival of Robert Flores. Now that we are almost half way through the 2018 season, I can tell you that while Robert Flores has done a fairly respectable job in Matt's place, there is definitely a missing ingredient of some sort missing on MLB Central with Matt's absence.
Robert Flores's 2018 Broadcasting Sabermetrics Profile (BSP):
Time Served At MLB Network (MLBN): 2016-Present (3rd year)
1. 2017-2018 Daily Signature Shows Hosted/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP): MLB Tonight + MLB Now (fill-in) + MLB Central (Fill-in host from 2016-2017; a main host beginning in 2018) + Hot Stove (fill-in) + Intentional Talk (fill-in)=5 D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP in 2017-2018.
Career Daily Signature Shows Hosted/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (Career D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP): Same as 2017-2018 D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP.
In the relatively short amount of time that he has spent at MLB Network (MLBN), Robert Flores has hosted or appeared on MLB Tonight as one of the primary hosts on that show as well as a accumulating a large enough sample size as a fill-in host on MLB Now, MLB Central, Hot Stove and Intentional Talk.
2. Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-S-S BNSPS): D-S-S BNSPS.
-Picks To Click
-Live Look In
-Diamond Demo
As one of the main hosts of MLB Network's (MLBN) flagship show in MLB Tonight, Robert Flores is credited with being a part of 3 Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-S-S BNSPS). It should also being noted that he is the only host/reporter within the Top 10 who is credited with being part of the Picks To Click show segment. That is because of two reasons.
The first one is that Robert Flores spent a good amount of time as a host/reporter during the 2017 season on MLB Tonight during the 6 P.M.-8 P.M. EST shift portion of the show when I know for sure that the Picks To Click segment was on and taking place.
The other reason why nobody else is credited with being a part of the Picks To Click is because beyond that 6 P.M.-8 P.M. EST window of time, I don't know if the Picks To Click segment on MLB Tonight took place during the rest of the time that the show was on the air during the regular season.
Having said that, if the Picks To Click segment was on the show for more than those 2 hours of time or if any other MLB Network (MLBN) hosts or reporters were on MLB Tonight during the 2 hour window mentioned above during the 2017 season, I apologize in advance for not giving you any possible proper credit for the Picks To Click show segment.
3. Hot Takes Expressed (HTE): 0 HTE.
For the same reason as those individuals above him who also had 0 Hot Takes Expressed (HTE) in 2017-2018, Robert Flores unfortunately had 0 Hot Takes Expressed (HTE) as well.
1. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
2. Appeared on MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of 2017 MLB Spring Training from the Cactus League (CACTUS) in Arizona.
3. Field Reporter (FR) for the 2017 American League Division Series (ALDS) between the Boston Red Sox (BOS) and the Houston Astros (HOU) from Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas and Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.
4. Field Reporter (FR) for the 2017 American League Championship Series (ALCS) between the New York Yankees (NYY) and the Houston Astros (HOU) from Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas and Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York.
5. Field Reporter (FR) for the 2017 MLB World Series (MLB WS) between the Houston Astros (HOU) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California and Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.
6. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 MLB Winter Meetings (MLB WM) from Orlando, Florida.
7. Appeared on MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Spring Training (2018 MLB ST) season from the Grapefruit (GRPFRT) League in Florida.
8. Hosted MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Opening Day (2018 MLB OD) festivities.
9. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB All-Star Game (2018 MLB ASG) festivities from Nationals Park in Washington, D.C..
10. Hosted MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (2018 July 31st MLB NWTD). (NOTE: Hosted both of the July 30th-31st episodes of MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 July 31st MLB Non-Waiver Trade Deadline (2018 July 31st MLB NWTD)).
11. Hosted MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League Central/National League West Game 163 Tiebreaker (2018 NL Central/NL West Game 163 Tiebreaker) games between the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL) versus the Chicago Cubs (CHC) and the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD).
12. Hosted MLB Central during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Wild Card (2018 NLWC/ALWC) games that were played between the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Chicago Cubs (CHC) in the National League (NL) and the Oakland Athletics (OAK) versus the New York Yankees (NYY) in the American League (AL).
13. Hosted MLB Central, MLB Now and MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Division Series (2018 NLDS/ALDS) between the Colorado Rockies (COL) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL)/Atlatna Braves (ATL) versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) in the National League (NL) and the Cleveland Indians (CLE) versus the Houston Astros (HOU)/New York Yankees (NYY) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS) in the American League (AL).
(NOTE: The final episode of MLB Central during the 2018 season was on Friday, October 5.)
14. Hosted MLB Now and MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Championship Series (2018 NLCS/ALCS) between the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) versus the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL) in the National League (NL) and the Houston Astros (HOU) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS) in the American League (AL).
15. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB World Series (2018 MLB WS) between the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) versus the Boston Red Sox (BOS).
16. Hosted MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB Winter Meetings (2018 MLB WM) from Las Vegas, Nevada.
5. Social Media Platforms and Followers Reached (SMPFR): Facebook + Twitter + Instagram=3 SMPFR.
On social media Robert Flores has 3 official pages consisting of a Facebook, Twitter and Instagram page. On Facebook Robert is followed by 81,743 people and counting. On Twitter he has 132,000 and counting followers with 67.1 thousand total tweets and counting and on Instagram he has 1,081 and counting total followers with 123 and counting total posts.
6. Multiple Broadcast Networks Star Appearance Profile (MBNSAP): 1 MBNSAP.
1. NHL Network (NHLN)-Robert Flores is one of five MLB Network (MLBN) Hosts/Reporters to also contribute as a host/reporter on NHL Network (NHLN). Since the 2015 season, both MLB Network (MLBN) and the NHL Network (NHLN) studios have been located in the same building as part of a joint venture agreement. That probably makes it very easy for some of the MLB Network (MLBN) to also do some work for the NHL Network (NHLN) as well since they don't have to travel too far to get from one place to another.
Those Who Just Missed The Top 10 Cut In 2018:
11. Brian Kenny-The man whose Top 10 Right Now series of shows on MLB Network (MLBN) serves as the inspiration behind this Top 10 Right Now countdown series of my own has just missed the cut for the first time ever!
Brian Kenny's entire body of work and overall performance in 2017-2018 was still very good but not quite good enough to make it into the Top 10 for a third time in 2018. In his case, it also didn't help that he took some time off from hosting MLB Now throughout the 2017 season and the 2017-2018 off season. While that time missed as the primary host of MLB Now did no favors to Brian during the 2017 season and the 2017-2018 off season, it gave a boost to the other MLB Network (MLBN) personalities who filled in for him throughout the season.
All things considered though, Brian Kenny should still be one of the top hosts at MLB Network (MLBN) for many years to come since he was also a host on MLB Tonight throughout the 2017 season and was also on hand during a majority of the Marquee Events (ME) that MLB Network (MLBN) had coverage of during the 2017 regular season and postseason and the 2017-2018 off season. The overall body of work and performance combined with those Marquee Events (ME) assignments was still not enough however to put him somewhere within the Top 10 at the start of the 2018 season. There is still a chance that he could move up into the Top 10 somewhere at the conclusion of the 2018 Postseason.
Speaking of the 2018 Postseason, Brian Kenny has so far been a host on MLB Now and MLB Tonight during coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Wild Card (2018 NLWC/ALWC) games. Additionally he was also a host on MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League Central/National League West Game 163 Tiebreaker (2018 NL Central/NL West Game 163 Tiebreaker) games.
During the League Division Series (LDS) round of the 2018 Postseason Brian Kenny was a host on both MLB Now and MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Division Series (2018 NLDS/ALDS). He also hosted both of those programs once again during the network's coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Championship Series (2018 NLCS/ALCS).
For the final round of the 2018 Postseason Brian was a host on MLB Now and MLB Tonight from Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB World Series (2018 MLB WS) between the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) and the Boston Red Sox (BOS). He also appeared on High Heat during this time as well.
For the last big name event of 2018, Brian Kenny hosted MLB Now and appeared on MLB Tonight during the network's coverage of the 2018 MLB Winter Meetings (2018 MLB WM) from Las Vegas, Nevada.
12. Fran Charles-Fran Charles is another MLB Network (MLBN) personality who just missed the cut for the first time ever in 2018! During the 2017 season and the 2017-2018 off season, the majority of Charles' hosting work came as a fill-in host whenever someone else was absent. These instances as a fill-in host included stints on MLB Central and Hot Stove in place of Matt Vasgersian as well as MLB Now for Brian Kenny. The only show that Fran hosted or appeared on in a non fill-in capacity on a regular basis in 2017-2018 was MLB Tonight.
Fran was also assigned by MLB Network (MLBN) to cover a few Marquee Events (ME) during the 2017 season as a Field Reporter (FR) such as 2017 MLB Spring Training from Florida in the Grapefruit League (GRPFRT), the 2017 American League Division Series (ALDS; Boston Red Sox (BOS) Vs. Houston Astros (HOU)) and the 2017 American League Championship Series (ALCS; New York Yankees (NYY) Vs. Houston Astros (HOU)).
There was too much competition among some of the other MLB Network (MLBN) personalities for Fran to be included in the Top 10 Right Now countdown for 2018.
During the 2018 Postseason Fran Charles has been a host on both The Rundown and MLB Tonight during the 2018 National League/American League Wild Card (2018 NLWC/ALWC) games.
In the second round of the 2018 Postseason, Fran was a host on The Rundown and MLB Tonight during coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Division Series (2018 NLDS/ALDS).
During the third round of the 2018 Postseason he served as a Field Reporter (FR) for MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National League Championship Series (2018 NLCS) that was played between the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) and the Milwaukee Brewers (MIL) from Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. During this time, Fran Charles made multiple appearances on various MLB Network (MLBN) programs such as The Runndown and MLB Tonight.
For MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 MLB World Series (2018 MLB WS) Fran Charles appeared on MLB Tonight as a Field Reporter (FR) from Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. As a Field Reporter (FR) for the network's coverage of the 2018 MLB World Series (2018 MLB WS) Fran covered the series from the perspective of the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD).
13. Bob Costas-Bob Costas is the third MLB Network (MLBN) personality who has been in my version of the Top 10 Right Now countdown and not make the cut in 2018. Costas missing the cut in 2018 is another case in which there was just too much competition in a crowded field to include him in it even though he was still a part of MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of big games throughout the season during the MLB Network Showcase slate of games and one of the games from the 2017 American League Division Series (ALDS) between the Boston Red Sox (BOS) and the Houston Astros (HOU).
Besides all of that, Bob Costas continued to serve as the primary host of the MLB Network Presents documentary feature show in 2017 and 2018.
Bob Costas made his first 2018 Postseason appearance on MLB Network (MLBN) during the 2018 National League/American League Division Series (2018 NLDS/ALDS) on MLB Tonight as well as a play-by-play commentator during the network's exclusive broadcasts of 2 2018 National League Division Series (2018 NLDS) games from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California and Coors Field in Denver, Colorado.
The next postseason appearances for the one and only Mr. Costas on MLB Network (MLBN) came during the 2018 MLB World Series (2018 MLB WS) as he appeared on High Heat, MLB Now and MLB Tonight.
14. Jamie Hersch-Jamie Hersch is one of those MLB Network (MLBN) personalities who simply has not been given a whole lot of air time throughout her career there. As an MLB Network (MLBN) host, she has been the host of Quick Pitch only at various times and was also the Field Reporter (FR) for the 2017 American League Wild Card (ALWC) game between the Minnesota Twins (MIN) and the New York Yankees (NYY). Up to this point, Hersch's presence at MLB Network (MLBN) has been very minimal probably because of the additional work that she does as a host for the NHL Network (NHLN).
15. Matt Yallof-While he didn't make it into the Top 10 Right Now countdown in 2018, it is still somewhat of a surprise to write down Matt Yallof's name on this list, even if it is on the just missed the cut portion of it, considering the life-changing circumstances that happened to Matt almost two years ago.For those of you that may not know what happened, Matt suffered a stroke towards the end of July during the 2016 season. Thankfully, he has made quite a remarkable recovery and has slowly but surely gotten back into the swing of things at MLB Network (MLBN). Since returning to MLB Network (MLBN), Matt Yallof has been the primary host of MLB Network Strike Zone along with occasional appearances on The Rundown and MLB Tonight.
It is because of all that time missed due to injury and sickness however that Matt Yallof is not included in the Top 10 portion of the countdown in 2018.
During the 2018 Postseason Matt Yallof appeared on a total of 3 shows by my calculations in MLB Central, The Rundown and MLB Tonight during the 2018 National League/American League Wild Card (2018 NLWC/ALWC) games. Each of those appearances came as a Field Reporter (FR) from Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York during coverage of the 2018 American League Wild Card (2018 ALWC) game that was played between the Oakland Athletics (OAK) and the New York Yankees (NYY).
16. Stephen Nelson-Stephen Nelson is one of three new members of the MLB Network (MLBN) hosting/reporting team in 2018. So far in his first year with the network, Nelson has been a host of or made an appearance on MLB Tonight, The Rundown and Quick Pitch. He has also been involved in at least one MLB Live game of the week broadcast in 2018 on Facebook as a Field Reporter (FR). In addition all of those hosting/reporting duties for MLB Network (MLBN), Stephen Nelson is also a host/reporter for the NHL Network (NHLN) as well.
Before he arrived at MLB Network (MLBN) in 2018, Stephen Nelson was a studio and field host for Bleacher Report. Before that, he was an anchor and reporter KEZI-TV in Eugene, Oregon where he covered the Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers football teams. He has also previously performed in a variety of roles for the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL) in Rockford, Illinois.
Since he has only been with MLB Network (MLBN) for not quite a full season yet, the sample size is still too small for Mr. Nelson to be given serious consideration as a top 10 contender at this point. In general for full disclosure purposes, I usually like and or want any new MLB Network (MLBN) host/reporter to have at least one year's worth of work at the network under their belt before I consider whether or not to give them a spot in the top 10.
During the 2018 Postseason Mr. Nelson appeared on MLB Tonight as a Field Reporter (FR) during coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Division Series (2018 NLDS/ALDS) from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California and SunTrust Park in Cobb County, Georgia for the 2018 National League Division Series (2018 NLDS) between the Atlanta Braves (ATL) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD).
In the 2018 National/American League Championship Series (2018 NLCS/ALCS) round of the 2018 Postseason, Mr. Nelson was a host on both of The Rundown and MLB Tonight Daily Signature Shows (DSS). (NOTE: The final episode of The Rundown during the 2018 season was on Friday, October 19.) In addition to that, he also made an appearance on Intentional Talk.
Mr. Nelson was also present on MLB Network (MLBN) during coverage of the 2018 MLB World Series (2018 MLB WS) since he was a host on MLB Tonight from the MLB Network (MLBN) studios/headquarters in Secaucus, New Jersey.
17. Alexa Datt-Alexa Datt is the second of three new hosts/reporters who have officially made their debut at MLB Network (MLBN) in 2018. Up to this point she has either been a host of or appeared on The Rundown and Quick Pitch. She also made one appearance on the Hot Stove show during the 2017-2018 off season before she was officially hired by the network prior to the start of the 2018 season.
During the 2018 season she has also been featured in a few MLB Live game of the week broadcasts on Facebook as a Field Reporter (FR).
Prior to joining MLB Network (MLBN) in 2018, Alexa was the host of MLB.com's 12:25 Live With Alexa daily show. Prior to her time at MLB.com, she was a co-host of The Morning Run on 120Sports.com as well as being the in-stadium host for New York Mets (NYM) games at Citi Field in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York and as a contributor/field reporter during New York Mets (NYM) spring training telecasts on SportsNet New York (SNY).
As is the case with Stephen Nelson just above, Alexa Datt currently does not have the required amount of time served at MLB Network (MLBN) to be given a spot in this year's top 10 countdown at this time.
At the beginning of the 2018 Postseason Alexa Datt was a host on The Rundown during the 2018 National League/American League Wild Card (2018 NLWC/ALWC) games. She was also a host on The Rundown during coverage of the 2018 National League/American League Division Series (2018 NLDS/ALDS). She was also a host of that same show during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2018 National/American League Championship Series (2018 NLCS/ALCS). (NOTE: The final episode of The Rundown during the 2018 season was on Friday, October 19.)
18. Jackie Redmond-Jackie Redmond is the third and final newest member of the MLB Network (MLBN) hosting/reporting team in 2018. Up to this point she has been the host of or appeared on only Quick Pitch during the 2018 season.
In addition to her new hosting duties at MLB Network (MLBN), Redmond is also one of the main hosts/reporters for the NHL Network (NHLN) as well.
So far during the 2018 Postseason Jackie Redmond has not made any appearances on MLB Network (MLBN) which is most likely due to her other job as a host on NHL Network (NHLN).
19. Keith Costas-Throughout his career at MLB Network (MLBN), Keith Costas has served as a behind-the-scenes supporting team member on some of the network's Daily Signature Shows such as MLB Central and Hot Stove. Every now and then he does get to be included in the discussion periodically among the various MLB Network (MLBN) personalities during those shows such as the Free Agent Slot Machine and Say Something Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-S-S BNSPS) on Hot Stove. Since he is not seen on TV all that much however, he can't really be given serious consideration for a higher spot in the countdown.
20. Bruce Schein-Bruce Schein is another MLB Network (MLBN) personality who mainly serves in a behind-the-scenes role. Mr. Schein serves as one of the producers of High Heat which is hosted by Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo. Unlike Russo however, Schein has a much calmer demeanor when he is on-air and debating with the main star of High Heat. That calm demeanor is a nice counterbalance to the very high energy characteristics and mannerisms of the "Mad Dog." Like Keith Costas above though, there is not much room for Bruce Schein to move up in the countdown since he is mostly a behind-the-scenes member of the MLB Network (MLBN) team.
21. Elliot Kalb-Rounding out the MLB Network (MLBN) personalities who just missed the cut in 2018 is Elliot Kalb. Mr. Kalb is the last behind-the-scenes member of the MLB Network (MLBN) team to have occasional on-air show appearances. Those occasional appearances mainly consist of appearances on High Heat during the Baseball Trivia segment of the show. Aside from that, Kalb's main role at MLB Network (MLBN) is as the network's Senior Editorial Director according to his Twitter page.
No Longer Eligible For Consideration In 2017 And Beyond At MLB Network. (NOTE: the following individuals listed below in this category are no longer eligible for future consideration because they no longer work at MLB Network for one reason or another.)
1. Ahmed Fareed-Ahmed Fareed's hosting career at MLB Network (MLBN) lasted from 2011-2012. During his time there, he appeared on a select number of the network's daily signature shows such as Hot Stove, MLB Tonight, and Quick Pitch. Since leaving his hosting/reporting post at MLB Network in 2012, Fareed has been a studio host and reporter for the NBC Sports Bay Area TV channel on the SportsNet Central TV show.
2. Kristina Fitzpatrick-Kristina Fitzpatrick's time at MLB Network (MLBN) lasted from 2013 to 2014. During that time Fitzpatrick made numerous appearances as co-host on MLB Now and High Heat with Brian Kenny and Harold Reynolds on MLB Now and with Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo and Bruce Schein on High Heat. According to her Twitter page, Fitzpatrick is currently a freelance Anchor/Host/Reporter Sports Correspondent for both of the Headline News (HLN) and Cable News Network (CNN) TV networks.
3. Lisa Kerney-Lisa Kerney's time at MLB Network (MLBN) lasted from 2010 to 2011. Since 2014 Kerney has been working as anchor for ESPN.
4. Trenni Kusnierek-Trenni Kusnierek worked for MLB Network (MLBN) as one of its hosts/reporters from the inaugural network talent class of 2009. Her broadcasting career at MLB Network (MLBN) as a host/reporter spanned from 2009 to 2010. Since leaving her hosting/reporting post at MLB Network (MLBN), Kusnierek has been working for the NBC Sports Boston TV channel, NBC Sports and the WEEI sports radio station in Boston, Massachusetts.
5. Hazel Mae-Hazel Mae was another member of MLB Network's (MLBN) inaugural 2009 talent class whose career there lasted from 2009 to 2011. While working at MLB Network (MLBN), Mae served as the host of the All Time Games program, Hot Stove, MLB Tonight, Quick Pitch and The Rundown. Having departed from MLB Network (MLBN) in 2011, Mae has worked for the Sportsnet TV channel in Canada.
6. Alanna Rizzo-One of the three notable host/reporter talents that came to MLB Network (MLBN) in 2012 at the same time as Scott Braun and Lauren Shehadi arrived, Alanna Rizzo's time at the network was very brief but memorable. From 2012 to 2013, she did various hosting/reporting stints across the network's daily programming schedule on MLB Network Countdown, Quick Pitch and Intentional Talk. If I'm not mistaken, I think that she also made occasional appearances on The Rundown from time to time as well while she was there.
After calling it a career at MLB Network (MLBN) in 2013, Rizzo took her broadcasting talents all the way to the West Coast to the city of Los Angeles for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Spectrum SportsNet LA TV channel as a host and reporter. Due to the still ongoing TV channel carriage dispute between the team and a number of local TV service providers however many baseball and Dodgers fans in the L.A. area unfortunately still don't have any viewing access to Dodgers games on TV to see Alanna do her job as a host and reporter for the Dodgers.
7. Leila Rahimi-Leila Rahimi spent only one year at MLB Network (MLBN) as the host of MLB Network Strike Zone in 2014. She now works for the NBC Sports Chicago Regional Sports Network (RSN).
8. Victor Rojas-Victor Rojas spent time at MLB Network (MLBN) as a host/reporter from 2009-2010. While there he hosted or appeared on Hot Stove, MLB Tonight and Thursday Night Baseball. Since then, he has been the TV Play-By-Play announcer of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (LAA) on the Fox Sports West (FSW) Regional Sports Network (RSN). Coincidentally, I am a die hard Angels fan. Rojas took over as the Angels Play-By-Play announcer for the Angels after the team's previous Play-By-Play announcer Rory Markas died suddenly before the start of the 2010 season.
Despite the sad and unfortunate circumstances under which Victor Rojas took over as the team's Play-By-Play announcer, he has since become probably one of the best Play-By-Play announcers that the Angels have ever had. In my opinion, one of the things I like the most about the job that he has done up to this point is that he does not sugarcoat things and is not afraid to point out at certain times when the team is not playing very well. He also gives credit to the team when they are playing well too. In general, he is also not as big of a "homer" type of team announcer as compared to some of the other ones out there. He is actually pretty fair and balanced when calling a game. In my book that is what I look for in a great sports announcer.
9. Sam Ryan-Sam Ryan now works for MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM satellite radio and on the MLB on TBS game broadcasts on TV as a Field Reporter (FR).. She stopped working for the MLB Network television sports channel last year. Overall, her time spent at MLB Network spanned a total of 5 years from 2011-2016. During her time at MLB Network (MLBN), Sam Ryan appeared on Hot Stove, The Rundown, Quick Pitch and as a Field Reporter on a select number of the MLB Network Showcase game telecasts.
10. Paul Severino-Paul Severino left MLB Network (MLBN) shortly before the beginning of the 2018 season to become the TV play-by-play commentator of the Miami Marlins (MIA). Before he left, he had been given the eighth spot on this year's countdown based on his overall performance during that time. Now that he is gone, his spot at number eight in the countdown will be filled by another MLB Network (MLBN) host that is to be determined (TBD) sometime at a later date.
For those of you who might be interested in viewing his now previous at the number eight spot on this year's countdown, here it is in its entirety:
8. Paul Severino-As the other half of the Braun/Severino co-hosting platoon alongside Kelly Nash on The Rundown in 2017, the 2017 season performance effort put forth by Paul Severino was good enough for the eighth spot on this year's edition of my Top 10 MLB Network Right Now countdown series.
In addition to the work that he has done for The Rundown, Mr. Severino was also fortunate enough to have earned and be given an early season Marquee Events (ME) assignment as a play-by-play announcer during the first round of the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC).
Heading into the 2018 season Paul Severino will have a new job as the TV Play-By-Play announcer of the Miami Marlins (MIA)! Congratulations and good luck! The good thing about this piece of news as it relates to this year's countdown is that Paul Severino's entire body of work in 2017-2018 was more than good enough to claim a spot within the Top 10 portion of the countdown before he moves on to his new job.
Paul Severino's 2018 Broadcasting Sabermetrics Profile (BSP):
Time Served At MLB Network (MLBN): 2011-2018 (8 years)-Paul Severino is now going to be the new play-by-play announcer of the Miami Marlins (MIA) replacing Rich Waltz.
1. 2017-2018 Daily Signature Shows Hosted/Appearances Above Replacement Personality (D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP): The Rundown + Intentional Talk (fill-in) + MLB Central (fill-in) + Hot Stove (fill-in) + MLB Tonight=5 D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP in 2017-2018.
Career D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP: Same as 2017-2018 D-S-SHARP/D-S-SAARP with Quick Pitch and MLB Network Strike Zone added which equals 7 Career D-S-SHARP/SAARP.
2. Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-S-BNSPS): 6 D-S-BNSPS.
-American League (AL) Player of the Week announcement.
-National League (NL) Player of the Week announcement.
-NASHional Opinion
-Deals With Dan
-Live Look In
-Diamond Demo
All 6 of the Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-S-S BNSPS) that Paul Severino participates in or is involved with come from his time as a host/reporter on either The Rundown (Player of the Week announcements, NASHional Opinion and Deals With Dan) or MLB Tonight (Live Look In and Diamond Demo.)
3. Hot Takes Expressed (HTE): 0 HTE.
Like Kelly Nash and Scott Braun above, Paul Severino had no hot takes in 2017-2018 that were exciting or interesting enough to be part of the Hot Takes Expressed (HTE) statistical category department.
4. Marquee Events (ME) Score: 2 Marquee Events (ME) covered in 2017-2018.
1. Play-By-Play announcer during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) from the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea along with color commentator Joe Magrane.
2. Hosted The Rundown and MLB Tonight during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 American League Championship Series (ALCS) between the New York Yankees (NYY) versus the Houston Astros (HOU) and the 2017 National League Championship Series (NLCS) between the Chicago Cubs (CHC) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD).
On the Marquee Events (ME) Score side of things, Paul Severino had what appears to be the lowest total number of events covered with only 2 of them. Of those two, the most noteworthy one for him according to the Broadcasting Shredder (BS) was as the Play-By-Play announcer for the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) followed by the hosting work done on The Rundown during MLB Network's (MLBN) coverage of the 2017 American League Championship Series (ALCS) and the 2017 National League Championship Series (NLCS).
5. Social Media Platforms and Followers Reached (SMPFR): Facebook + Twitter + Instagram=3 SMPFR.
Turning our attention the social media aspect, Paul Severino has 3 official pages with one each for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I don't know a lot of information about his Facebook page since I am not on his friends' list but on Twitter and Instagram he has 19.7 thousand and counting and 902 and counting respective followers with 14.1 thousand total tweets and counting on Twitter and 154 and counting total posts on Instagram.
6. Multiple Broadcast Networks Star Appearance Profile (MBNSAP): 1 MBNSAP
1. NHL Network (NHLN)-Paul Severino is one of five MLB Network (MLBN) Hosts/Reporters to also contribute as a host/reporter on NHL Network (NHLN). Since the 2015 season, both MLB Network (MLBN) and the NHL Network (NHLN) studios have been located in the same building as part of a joint venture agreement. That probably makes it very easy for some of the MLB Network (MLBN) to also do some work for the NHL Network (NHLN) as well since they don't have to travel too far to get from one place to another.
11. Jamie Erdahl-During the 2017 season Jamie Erdahl spent the majority of her hosting appearances at MLB Network (MLBN) on Quick Pitch. Since she did not make too many hosting appearances aside from a few times on Quick Pitch, she lands outside of the Top 10 Right Now section of the countdown because of the relatively small sample size.
As of the 2018 MLB season, it looks like Jamie Erdahl is no longer a member of the MLB Network (MLBN) hosting/reporting team. She is now apparently a reporter for CBS Sports.
Final Thoughts:
1. As I was going through the writing process of these posts, there were even more broadcasting sabermetrics statistics that I had to unfortunately get rid of such as Signature Show Average (SSA) and On-Air Percentage (OAP) due to time constraints that had come up throughout the entire process while I was putting the finished pieces of the posts together. For those who may be wondering, the Signature Show Average (SSA) and On-Air Percentage (OAP) would have been similar to the Batting Average (BA) and the On Base Percentage (OBP) statistics.
2. Heading into the 2018 season, it would be nice to see if all MLB Network (MLBN) personalities can continue to be given the opportunity to either host or appear on even more of the Daily Signature Shows (DSS) than they already appear on such as when Scott Braun or Brian Kenny host High Heat or MLB Now once in a while. It might also be good if possible to give someone like Lauren Shehadi, Heidi Watney or Kelly Nash an additional hosting opportunity on some other shows that viewers don't normally see them on as well. For example, I think it would be kind of neat to see if either one of those three ladies was given the chance or opportunity to either host or appear on an episode of High Heat or MLB Now for instance. Over the years, MLB Network (MLBN) has already given each of those women additional hosting opportunities such as when Heidi Watney has hosted MLB Tonight or when Kelly Nash has hosted Quick Pitch.
3. The information that was gathered and put together about the hosts' and reporters' overall contribution and body of work such as shows hosted and other appearances as well as other criteria, including Daily Signature Show Brand Name Star Power Segments (D-S-S BNSPS), coverage of Marquee Events (ME) and more was carefully researched and vetted by me in order to provide and reflect the most accurate and most up-to-date information possible. The process for this was done through a combination of tuning in regularly as a viewer on a daily basis, taking notes and keeping track of and reviewing who did what and when by monitoring the various social media pages (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) of the MLB Network (MLBN) and their on-air talent roster of personalities as well as the various online video clip archives that can be viewed by doing a search in the Videos section of the network's Facebook page.
All of the information about the hosts' and reporters' overall body of work and contribution will continue to be updated as the 2018 MLB season rolls along through the end of the 2018 regular season, postseason and the conclusion of the 2018 MLB Winter Meetings (2018 MLB WM) from Las Vegas, Nevada to be held during the early-to-middle portion of the upcoming 2018-2019 off season period of time.
It should also be noted that while I tried my best to provide the most accurate and most up-to-date information as possible, I want to apologize for any mistakes or errors that I may have made or did make while putting this blog post together before it was finally published.
Tim Musick
Copyright 2018
All Rights Reserved.
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