The Leadoff Spot, a daily morning program on MLB Network Radio and SiriusXM, has moved to television on MLB Network, airing weekdays at 9:00 a.m. EST. Hosted by former MLB GM Steve Phillips, Xavier Scruggs, and Eduardo Perez, the program gives a recap of the previous day’s MLB games plus a look ahead to upcoming action.
The first thing that strikes me about this program is the diversity of the hosts. You have Phillips, a hardened, old-school MLB executive; Scruggs, a regular on MLB Network who provides a fresh, contemporary, and unique view of the game; and Perez, a second-generation Major Leaguer who has established himself as one of the best baseball analysts in the business.
The Leadoff Spot has transitioned seamlessly to television. While Perez, Phillips, and Scruggs come from different places in baseball, it’s as if they were meant to be together. Their differing backgrounds and opinions on the game meld perfectly. While you can tell that Scruggs comes from a commentary perspective, Perez from a player perspective, and Phillips from a front office perspective, they share a love of the game, knowledge, preparation, and a pure enjoyment of talking baseball.
I caught a few episodes this past week. The show begins with a cool opening montage spotlighting some of the top players of the game, including Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper, and Elly De La Cruz. When Phillips opens the show with a hearty, “Welcome into The Leadoff Spot,” you know you’re ready for some in-depth baseball intelligence. Phillips was joined by Kevin Frandsen, a Nationals game analyst and ex-big leaguer, and the pair opened by talking about the surging St. Louis Cardinals.
An In Depth Morning Show For Baseball Fans
The Leadoff Spot is interesting because from a two-shot of Phillips and Frandsen, video cuts to a graphic with the line score and audio of the game—not video. Remember, this show takes its roots in radio, so it is largely carried by the hosts and sound. Video highlights did eventually follow as Phillips and Frandsen discussed the Cards’ win over the Tigers. Graphics are a huge part of The Leadoff Spot. While the panelists are exchanging ideas, there is a sidebar with statistics galore. Stats and trends are emphasized on this program. A graphic showed that the Cardinals are 17–6 since April 25 and 16–6 at home, while their starting pitchers have been stingy in surrendering runs. The Leadoff Spot is a program for baseball fans who like a deep dive into the numbers.
Frandsen did a really nice job alongside Phillips. He gave a solid statistical analysis of Royals pitcher Kris Bubic who, after a nice outing this past week, dropped his ERA to 1.47. Frandsen said that Bubic is changing speeds well and not allowing hitters to make a lot of contact at the plate. Hardball mavens eat this stuff up for sure.
I like the multifaceted nature of The Leadoff Spot. While listening to the hosts’ chit-chat, you can check out a graphic sidebar with quotes from the previous night’s game. On this particular program, it showed a quote from Royals first baseman Vinny Pasquantino who said of Bubic, “It’s just ridiculous. He’s been a horse for us. He’s just so good at getting weak contact, mixing guys up.”
The Leadoff Spot is like a pregame show, actual game, postgame show, and press conference rolled into one production. This edition also featured an interview with former MLB superstar Andruw Jones. I like the way the producers shake up the hosting combinations as well. Earlier in the week, former MLB catcher Chris Gimenez and Scruggs took the controls. Scruggs raved about the MLB debut of Phillies pitcher Mick Abel. His description of the nerves and pressure that a young hurler battles in his first outing was telling.
Abel pitched extremely well in a 1–0 victory over Pittsburgh, going up against superstar Paul Skenes. He pitched six innings, gave up five hits and zero earned runs, and had nine strikeouts. The “Around the Bases” segment of The Leadoff Spot uses audio, video, commentary, and analysis to give a complete view of the games. Gimenez offered an interesting take on the Yankees and Mets so far this season. In discussing their game that the Yankees won 8–2, he implied that the Yankees may have already peaked offensively, while the Mets have yet to show their true firepower at the plate. Gimenez said he is waiting to see that Juan Soto shuffle for the Mets—an interesting viewpoint on one team versus another.
Scruggs continues to develop into one of the best and most entertaining baseball minds across multimedia platforms. His excitement and enthusiasm for the game are palpable. I really liked his analysis when talking about a recent Angels victory over the Dodgers. He said that to beat the Dodgers, you must have production up and down the lineup. Scruggs highlighted the work of Taylor Ward, Zach Neto, and Matthew Lugo, who all stepped up for the Halos.
Stepping Up To The Plate, Swinging For The Fence
Phillips, Scruggs, and Perez are the particulars on The Leadoff Spot, but it’s really cool how the program’s producers give each of these talents the chance to carry the show solo with varied guests. In this light, the line between host and analyst becomes blurry in a really positive way. Phillips, Scruggs, and Perez cannot be pigeonholed into any category. They are multi-talented on-air personalities.
I caught a previous episode of the show where Perez took the lead role, joined by ESPN, SiriusXM, and SNY personality Dani Wexelman. Perez, always excellent at getting into the minutiae of baseball, talked about the baffling puzzlement in pitching to Ohtani. He said that if you pitch him away, Ohtani will go out and get it, so you try to bang him inside instead—and he will hit that as well. Perez also talked about the depth of talent in the Dodgers’ lineup with players getting on base to give Ohtani RBI opportunities. Wexelman expertly countered with a take on Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and his ability to handle a roster of superstars, moving great players in and out of the lineup. She also talked about the Dodgers organization’s ability to develop catchers, pointing to the solid play of young backstop Dalton Rushing.
Whether it is a combination of Phillips, Perez, and Scruggs working together or a unique mingling of personalities and perspectives, this show has a roster stacked with versatility and verve. Don’t let the name fool you—The Leadoff Spot features a solid, heart-of-the-order trio of regulars with a lot of meat up and down the lineup.
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John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
