Spring training is in full swing and MLB Network has lined up its broadest coverage of Grapefruit and Cactus League action to date.
Beginning Feb. 26, MLB Network will air more than 200 spring training games, with at least one live contest televised each day through March 29. The service will provide a comprehensive look at all 30 clubs during spring training, featuring live matchups of every team, including the Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Dodgers on March 8, the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Nationals on March 9, World Series champion Boston Red Sox against the Tampa Bay Rays on March 10, and Detroit Tigers at New York Yankees on March 12.
All spring training games on MLB Network are transmissions of local telecasts, including local announcers, and are blacked out in each club’s home market unless otherwise noted.
Baseball’s in-house service, led by Greg Amsinger, Al Leiter, Dan Plesac and Bill Ripken, is currently counting down the Top 100 Players Right Now in 20-person increments. The list, based on player performance over the past several seasons with an emphasis on 2013 and projected 2014 outcomes, factors all players returning from injury and youngsters expected to break out, as well as their base-running skills and defensive value. From Yasiel Puig to Gerrit Cole, the top 100 features 21 players that are 25 and younger, seven Cy Young Award winners, five AL and five NL MVPs, 14 Rookie of the Years and 33 Gold Glovers. The countdown concludes on Feb. 21 with the rankings for players 40-21 at 9 p.m.( ET), with the top 20 unveiled during the following hour.
Starting on March, the Top 100 Players Right Now will be available on the on-demand platforms of MLB Network affiliates, including AT&T U-verse, Cablevision, Comcast, Dish Network and Verizon FiOS in the U.S. That roster also includes Canada’s Rogers Communications, which launched MLB Network on Jan. 8 as part of a multiplatform, eight-year deal with MLB, MLB Advanced Media and Sportsnet through 2021.
