On Saturday, the 2024 Futures Sport came about at Globe Life Discipline in Arlington, the location of this yr’s All-Star Sport. Nevertheless, most baseball followers might need missed it, and the blame falls squarely on MLB.
For starters, the sport began within the afternoon, 4:00 p.m. on the East Coast, smack dab in the midst of a full slate of MLB motion. That is proper, whereas future main league standouts competed on the identical area, almost all 30 groups from the American and Nationwide Leagues have been additionally in motion.
Basically, MLB made most followers select between the Futures Sport or watching their groups play a probably essential mid-July contest.
Even the 2024 All-Star Movie star Softball Sport obtained higher remedy, beginning at a way more viewer-friendly time of seven:45 p.m. CT. In the meantime, the occasion solely needed to cope with two West Coast MLB video games.
Reasonably than that includes as we speak’s finest prospects within the primetime slot, the powers that be determined that followers would reasonably watch the blokes from “Dude Excellent” attempt to hit a softball thrown slowly to them underhanded.
Moreover, a abilities competitors was held instantly following the Futures Sport. However, with no choice to observe it reside, these fascinated about seeing what occurred must wait till Sunday when MLB broadcasts a tape-delayed model at 10 a.m. ET.
The actual disgrace is that most of the recreation’s finest prospects did not get the highlight they in all probability deserved. On Saturday, 26 of the top 100 prospects performed within the recreation, together with seven ranked among the many prime 20.
If MLB genuinely needed to develop the sport, it ought to have given tomorrow’s stars the correct stage to showcase their abilities. As a substitute, they have been the warm-up act for popular culture influencers, artists and entertainers.