It’s typically difficult to get excited about a spring training baseball game. The outcomes don’t really matter for anything. The players are just looking to get ready for the season. And the general atmosphere of these games are laid back.
That’s not exactly the formula for a compelling broadcast, but ESPN managed to make spring training baseball fun on Monday.
For ESPN’s Cactus League broadcast of the Cubs and Angels, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo were mic’d up with earpieces for the entirety of their time on the field. That included their at-bats, and just watch how Bryant handled the novelty.
As Bryant approached home plate, he joked with Angels catcher Jason Castro that he was mic’d up and was going to get the signs from the booth. (Looking at you, Astros).
But the entire at-bat played out delightfully. Bryant even went with the “oh my God, oh my God, oh my God” nod to Rookie of the Year as Julio Teheran delivered a pitch.
We won’t see this mic’d-up feature in the regular season, but MLB should really make it happen. Mic up all the players, all the time.
