On Friday at 6 p.m. ET, MLB Network will televise the New York Mets taking on the Philadelphia Phillies. Noah Syndergaard will face Aaron Nola in a marquee pitching matchup, but there's another reason for casual observers to tune in: The broadcast will be unlike most others they've seen.
Rather than dabble in sabermetrics, this one will immerse itself in them.
Friday's contest will mark the fourth time MLB Network has trotted out the stathead broadcast since beginning the annual tradition in 2015. The broadcast plays with the conventional format in myriad ways, beginning with the game's narration. Most broadcasts are anchored by two- or three-person booths located on site; this one will have a four-person panel housed in MLB Network's New Jersey headquarters, featuring Brian Kenny, MLB.com's Mike Petriello, former New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, and Fancred Sports reporter Jon Heyman.
The presentation will stray from convention beginning with the chyrons. Batter statlines will feature on-base and slugging percentages and wRC+ in lieu of triple-crown measures, while pitchers will be welcomed by their FIP. There will be plenty Statcast-derived metrics on parade, too -- exit velocity, launch angle, and lead distance included -- to spread the new math borne from MLB Advanced Media's increasingly omnipresent data monster.
"The idea is to try to bring a different perspective on stats to the mainstream audience," said Petriello, who noted that the conversations between the panel members will at times stray from the beaten path toward topics like whether the shift should be banned and how metrics should be implemented. There will also be a different brand of analysis offered. Whereas television analysis is often reactive in nature -- here's why the manager did this -- this broadcast ventures into the proactive -- here's what the manager ought to do.
For an example, Petriello recalls the 2016 broadcast between the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. "Matt Cain was pitching and he gets to the fifth inning and he's up 4-0, and [Jonah Keri] and I kinda start losing our minds, like, 'oh my God, he's going to keep Matt Cain in to get the win.'" Cain had hit a batter then walked the next three to begin the fifth, yet was permitted to continue on by manager Bruce Bochy. That proved to be a mistake. Cain yielded six runs before being yanked with two outs in the frame, validating Petriello and Keri's dread.
"I don't think you would've seen that on a lot of other broadcasts," Petriello said.
It stands to reason that a broadcast touting more on-air talent and less traditional emphasis has a greater need for trusty behind-the-scenes hands who can direct traffic. Friday's effort will be spearheaded by producers Martin Montalto and Micah Karg. Each has worked on Kenny's "Clubhouse Confidential" and "MLB Now" shows, where they were introduced to the analytical word. Montalto later pitched this concept -- a Kenny-centered game broadcast -- to the higher-ups.
Predictably, based on the actors involved, the broadcast will borrow elements from "MLB Now," complete with Kenny delivering an in-between innings essay. The Mets and Phillies tilt doesn't feature the stakes that other games will on Friday night -- the Colorado Rockies-Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers-Cardinals contests have bigger playoff implications -- but the presence of Phillies manager Gabe Kapler plays well into the broadcast's design. Kapler is a known proponent of sabermetrics and eschewing tradition -- to the extent that "MLB Now" created a segment called "Kapler's Korner" wherein Kenny tries multiple times per week to explain the thinking behind the manager's most zany and/or esoteric strategies.
Kapler is an inspiration for the broadcast in another sense beyond the obvious. Consider how he's grown in acceptance and improved in execution throughout his rookie season, as he's gained repetitions and a knowledge of what does and doesn't play on this level. Now, he has the Phillies pointed toward the postseason. The broadcast team doesn't have to worry about the playoffs, but if their unusual approach delivers results -- particularly in a primetime slot -- then perhaps, like Kapler, they'll shed the novelty tag and become part of the new norm.
