MLB Central hosts Mark DeRosa, Lauren Shehadi, and Robert Flores in 2023. MLB Central hosts Mark DeRosa, Lauren Shehadi, and Robert Flores in 2023. (MLB Network.)

MLB Central celebrates its 10th birthday in 2025, and the MLB Network show has become must-see TV for many baseball fans.

San Diego Padres radio broadcaster Sammy Levitt talked to MLB Central co-host Mark DeRosa during the Winter Meetings about the show’s success through the years. In addition to the camaraderie of DeRosa and co-hosts Lauren Shehadi and Robert Flores, the weekday morning show features special guests. According to MLB Network, MLB Central welcomed more than 40 players in-studio this year.

DeRosa said the show has created a “safe” environment for player appearances. He shared his thoughts on the show’s success, and said everything starts with “great people, in front of the camera and behind the camera.”

“We’ve created a nice little team that I enjoy coming to work with every day,” DeRosa said. “Lauren and Robert are fantastic at what they do. The chemistry we’ve created is real. We enjoy each other’s company away from the camera. I always say what we’re like on-camera is exactly what we’re like off-camera.”

As far as the player appearances and interviews, DeRosa, who played 16 MLB seasons, said he approaches interviews from a player’s perspective.

“I wanted to create a show that I would watch if I were a player,” DeRosa said. “A safe space, have some fun, give some love, give some honest opinions on what we feel about the game, but ultimately empower the player to want to come on and realize that they’ve got a nice space for them to feel comfortable in the morning, grab a cup of coffee, laugh a little bit, learn a little bit.”

Regarding other elements of the show, DeRosa admitted he’s not looking for a sound bite or to go viral when he analyzes something.

“Ultimately, the breakdowns we do, I watch the games,” he said. “It’s what I’d be doing anyway … I know in today’s world of 30-second blasts, I’m still sitting down watching games pillar to post, so if there’s something in the third inning that jumps out, I think that’s our separator.”

MLB Central posted a 9% increase in ratings in 2024 versus 2023.

DeRosa, Shehadi, and Flores, who have co-hosted the show together since 2018, also called their first game together, the Aug. 24 matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies and Kansas City Royals.

[Sammy Levitt]

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.