Amateur baseball is having a moment right now. ESPN hopes the record audiences that tuned into the College World Series have an appetite to see where some of the tournament’s stars go next.
The network is taking charge of the television production of Major League Baseball’s draft. Round one will air on ESPN on July 9. There will also be supplemental coverage on ESPN+.
There are a number of reasons that the audience for the MLB Draft is dwarfed by the number of people that tune in for drafts in the NFL and NBA. College baseball is a growing sport, but still relatively unpopular as a TV product. That means there are very few prepackaged stars to capture the public’s imagination. On top of that, everyone drafted will spend time in the minor leagues before making their way to their MLB club.
Still, ESPN thinks it can close the gap. The NBA Draft earlier this month drew a record audience of 4.9 million viewers. The NFL Draft, held in April, had an audience of over 6 million. By contrast, last year, MLB’s draft drew less than 900,000 viewers between ESPN and MLB Network.
Could pairing the event with the MLB All-Star Game help generate a boost? That is ESPN’s hope. The draft will be held at Lumen Field in Seattle, less than a quarter mile from where the annual Home Run Derby will be held and aired on ESPN the next day.
