On Tuesday, MLB Network announced it would air the inaugural edition of the MiLB Awards Show.
Minor League Baseball and @MLBNetwork announced the first-ever MiLB Awards Show, which will highlight the top prospects, best on-field performances and top moments of the 2023 season.
Complete details: https://t.co/Y25XPjR7fZ pic.twitter.com/iliUWZqlM2
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 12, 2023
The Awards Show will air at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, October 2, and will be hosted by Matt Vasgersian.
“I’m so glad that we are recognizing players who’ve had big Minor League seasons,” said Vasgersian. “Having worked for five different teams to begin my broadcasting career, I know firsthand how much dedication players put into their games at the Minor League level, so to be part of this show is a thrill.”
Awards that will be presented include Hitting and Pitching Prospects of the Year, Defensive Play of the Year, and Home Run of the Year, while the All-MiLB Prospect Team will also be revealed.
This season, MLB Network has ramped up its coverage of Minor League Baseball. Additionally, MiLB games were looped into MLB.TV subscriptions this season, the first time they weren’t sold as part of a separate package.
Prospect coverage has been popular for years, and fans having more access to live games, clips, and highlights has only continued to drive the industry forward. Rolling out an awards show for the minors makes all the sense in the world, especially as MLB’s own emphasis on awards shows has grown in recent years with the launch of the All-MLB Team in 2019.
The timing of the MiLB Awards works out well too. The 2023 Postseason begins with the four Wild Card series on October 3rd, leaving October 2nd as an off-day with no games. The “Game 163” tiebreaker was axed with the expansion of the playoffs, meaning the Monday before the playoffs would be an off day no matter what. This season, at least we’ll be getting some kind of baseball content during that day with no live games.
[MLB]
