While the MLB Draft, for obvious reasons, will never be the television spectacle that fans enjoy like the NFL and NBA Drafts, ESPN and MLB have tried to build excitement for the event.
ESPN and MLB Network both aired the 2024 MLB Draft on Sunday night, and both networks had the makings of a great show.
Unfortunately, when ESPN attempted to interview Travis Bazzana, the Oregon State infielder who was drafted first overall by the Cleveland Guardians, things didn’t go according to the original script.
ESPN host Karl Labeck watched the Oregon events on a split screen with Bazzana during the draft in Fort Worth, Texas.
“We’re pleased to welcome our No. 1 draft pick, Travis Bazzana. He’ll be joining us for our coverage. Travis, can you hear me? If you can, congratulations on being the No. 1 draft pick. What does that mean to you?”
It became clear there were technical difficulties as Bazzana continued to stare at the television screen without responding.
“Travis, I don’t know if he hears me, but we’ll come back and figure it out,” Labeck said.
ESPN subsequently attempted to interview Travis Bazzana, but unfortunately, was unsuccessful. ⚾️📺🎙️ #MLBDraft https://t.co/QKYPUfIYfP pic.twitter.com/SJFM2LMqHi
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 14, 2024
The issue was not ESPN’s fault — MLB Network had also requested an interview with Bazzana. After a few seconds of silence, the interview continued, albeit with a slight delay.
MLB Network also had technical issues with Travis Bazzana during the interview. ⚾️📺🎙️ #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/3thBZHx501
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 15, 2024
ESPN then managed to grab an interview with the young star as well.
[ESPN]
