A big change is coming to MLB Network’s flagship show, MLB Tonight.
On Thursday, MLB Network announced that Harold Reynolds and Adnan Virk would host the 6 PM edition of the show each weeknight. This pulls Reynolds away from the later edition of the show, which he was a part of for years alongside Greg Amsinger and Dan Plesac.
Interestingly, Reynolds won’t be in the studio full-time alongside Virk. The release notes he will be “stationed live from ballparks across the country,” which Reynolds also mentioned when talking about the new role.
“I’m thrilled about the chance to work with the talented Adnan Virk as this is going to be one of the most creative pregame shows ever,” said Reynolds. “We’re going to use all our bells and whistles. I’ll be at the park for interviews with players and coaches, we’ll do demos on our field in Studio 42, and bring analysis that you won’t find anywhere else. This show is going to touch on everything going on in our sport. If there’s a big game or moment in the Minor Leagues, college baseball and softball, we’re going to cover it. If a youth player makes this crazy play, we want the highlight to be on this show. This will be a premiere pregame show for the entire sport of baseball.”
“I’m thrilled to have been at MLB Network for the last four years and now to have found a home on the 6,” said Virk. “If you’re a baseball fan, there’s no better place to get prepared for the night’s action and be up to date on all that’s happening in our great sport. To be alongside my friend and Emmy Award winner Harold Reynolds, makes this latest journey all the more sweeter.”
Per MLB Network’s release, Amsinger and Plesac will continue on the show, joined by a rotating cast of analysts. Reynolds and Virk will also be joined by a rotating group of analysts on the 6 PM edition of the show, starting with Chris Young and Carlos Pena during special 12 PM and 4 PM editions on on Opening Day and Bill Ripken the day after.
As an avid MLB Tonight watcher, the move away from the long-running Amsinger, Plesac, and Reynolds trio surprises and disappoints me. They were wildly entertaining and worked well together. At the same time, the 6 PM show needed a boost. It lacked consistency, and didn’t have the pull of live look-ins to a nearly full slate of games that the later show has. Reynolds going to parks across the country, spotlighting baseball outside of MLB, and bringing demos to the show at least adds some different elements to the standard studio broadcast that hasn’t changed much over the years.
