In December, Chris Rose announced that MLB Network wasn’t renewing his contract, marking the end of his ten-year run as co-host of Intentional Talk.
As MLBN announced Kevin Millar would remain on the show, that meant they would obviously need to replace Rose, and today they announced their new co-host: their own Stephen Nelson. Nelson joined MLB Network in 2018, and has worked as a guest-host on Intentional Talk and hosted a variety of other programming during his tenure.
From the network’s release:
MLB Network today announced that Stephen Nelson has been named the new co-host of MLB Network’s Intentional Talk presented by loanDepot. Nelson, who has guest co-hosted since joining MLB Network in 2018, will join Kevin Millar in his official role this Thursday, March 25 at 7:00 p.m. ET. Intentional Talk will lead off MLB Network’s live Opening Day programing on Thursday, April 1, with a special edition at 9:00 a.m. ET, before settling into its regular daily time slot of 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, April 2.
“I am really excited to join the I.T. family. Honestly, ‘really excited’ makes how I feel sound boring. To work with Kevin and add to what he and Rosie built over 10 years is a special honor and tremendous responsibility,” said Nelson. “This show has always been about the people: the players and the fans. I’m grateful for the chance to connect with them on a daily basis.”
Nelson elaborated further on Twitter today:
It is a fool’s errand to try to fill @ChrisRose’s shoes. Nobody can replicate the bond he has with @KMillar15 and the one they had as a duo with baseball fans. It’s simply a special thing to join the @IntentionalTalk family, and hopefully add to what 1-5/Rosie built over a decade https://t.co/LvbDJOIiOf
— Stephen Nelson (@StephenNelson) March 23, 2021
Kevin Millar acknowledged his decade with Rose in the release, as well:
“It was a great 10 years with Rosie. He taught me a lot and we built this remarkable brand. I’m now looking forward and very excited to keep the laughs and show thriving with Nelly,” said Millar. “His energy and creative mind is going to fit right in as we keep blessing the big league ballplayers with I.T. mojo.”
Intentional Talk is the longest-running program on MLB Network, dating back to its launch in 2011. As for Nelson’s network credentials:
Nelson has hosted studio shows across MLB Network’s programming the last three seasons, including on The Rundown, MLB Now, Intentional Talk and MLB Tonight. Nelson has also called play-by-play for MLB Network Showcase, MLB Game of the Week Live on YouTube and the 2018 Japan All-Star Series for MLB International. Nelson joined MLB Network from Bleacher Report, where he served as a studio and field host covering a wide variety of sports.
“We’re thrilled for Stephen to join Kevin on Intentional Talk as the regular season begins next week,” said MLB Network President Rob McGlarry. “Stephen’s creative skillset and passion for the game makes him an ideal fit for Intentional Talk’s longstanding mission of showcasing the great personalities in baseball.”
Nelson won’t have to wait long to step into the role; his first show is this Thursday, March 25th, at 5 PM Eastern.
