MLB Network Adds Off Base, Pregame Spread to 2022 Studio Show Lineup

MLB Network will debut two new studios shows for the upcoming MLB season — Off Base and Postgame Spread.

Off Base

Debuting on Monday, April 11 at 3:00 p.m. ET and hosted by Lauren Gardner with panelists Hannah Keyser and Xavier Scruggs, Off Base will originate from a reimagined set inside Studio 21. Off Base will mark the first daily studio program MLB Network has launched since its regular season morning program MLB Central debuted in 2015. In addition to Keyser and Scruggs, a rotation of guest panelists will be part of the program on a regular basis.

Off Base will offer a variety of perspectives, outside-the-box thinking, and a passion for baseball that will be infectious to the next generation of fans. Segments will include:

• Moving The Needle, covering the hottest stories of the day.
• Show Sauce, tapping into the latest in baseball culture and fashion.
• Wild Pitch, featuring lively discussions on ways to grow the game.

“We’re thrilled to launch a fresh show that will be different than any show that has appeared on MLB Network to this point,” says Josh Bernstein, MLB Network Vice President of Production. “We want the show to have a casual feel that resonates because the content is appealing and excites fans about the game.” The program will engage fans across MLB Network’s social media platforms via interactive segments, plus there will be a post-show segment every Tuesday exclusively via @MLBNetwork. Viewers can follow Gardner, Keyser and Scruggs on Twitter via @LGRed, @HannahRKeyser and @Xavier_Scruggs.

Gardner, who joined MLB Network in 2019, has hosted across MLB Network’s studio programming, including Quick Pitch, Hot Stove and MLB Tonight. MLB at Field of Dreams, the MLB Draft, and MLB Tonight: A Conversation – Women in Baseball are special programs Gardner has recently contributed to. Gardner was also part of the first-ever, all-female MLB broadcast when the Baltimore Orioles visited the Tampa Bay Rays in the MLB Game of the Week Live on YouTube last July.

Keyser is a national baseball writer for Yahoo Sports covering all areas of the game, a role she will continue again this season. In addition to her print work, Keyser offered her latest takes on the baseball world via Yahoo Sports’ The Bandwagon video series the last several seasons. Prior to joining Yahoo Sports, Keyser contributed baseball content to outlets, including Vice and Deadspin.

As a first baseman and outfielder, Scruggs played three seasons in MLB, beginning with the St. Louis Cardinals for 2014 and 2015, before finishing with the Miami Marlins in 2016. Following his time in MLB, Scruggs also played abroad in Mexico and Korea. Scruggs most recently has contributed baseball analysis to ESPN and SiriusXM, two roles he will continue again this season. In April 2021, Scruggs rejoined the Cardinals as a Diversity & Inclusion consultant in the baseball operations department.

Pregame Spread

Debuting on Monday, April 11 at 5:00 p.m. ET, Host Matt Vasgersian will combine his irreverent broadcasting style and longstanding love of the game to deliver an action-packed show featuring a variety of entertaining and insightful baseball content on Pregame Spread. Commentary on what is and isn’t trending around the diamond, betting insights leading into the night ahead, and interviews with today’s stars and outspoken personalities from the past, will be featured throughout the hour-long program.

“Baseball fans are more involved and more educated than ever these days,” says Vasgersian. “And the same way players navigate their pregame food spread options, we’re hoping to provide a variety of information and entertainment to get fans ready for the night.”

Sports betting host and analyst Ariel Epstein will regularly join Pregame Spread as an MLB Network senior betting analyst, plus segments featured on the show will include:

• Set the Table – Vasgersian delivers an opening monologue on the latest happenings around baseball.
• Hot and Cold Spreads – The latest betting trends will be examined to prepare fans for the night.
• Back It or Attack It – Debate and discussion on predictions shared by former players and baseball celebrities.
• Hook’s Highlights – A look at the previous day’s highlights through the lens of betting implications.

With the addition of these two shows, MLB Network’s daily studio programming lineup for 2022 includes MLB Central (9:00 a.m. ET), High Heat (1:00 p.m.), MLB Now (2:00 p.m.), Off Base (3:00 p.m.), Intentional Talk (4:00 p.m.), Pregame Spread (5:00 p.m.), MLB Tonight (6:00 p.m.), and Quick Pitch (1:00 a.m.).