Off Base, MLB Network's regular season afternoon program, to debut, Monday, April 11, from Studio 21
April 5, 2022 – MLB Network announced that it will debut Off Base, a new regular season afternoon program, Monday, April 11, at 3 p.m. ET. Hosted by Lauren Gardner, with panelists including Hannah Keyser and Xavier Scruggs, the daily program will originate from a reimagined set inside Studio 21. Off Base will mark the first daily studio program MLB Network has launched since its regular season morning program MLB Central debuted in 2015. In addition to Keyser and Scruggs, a rotation of guest panelists will be part of the program on a regular basis.
Off Base will offer a variety of perspectives, outside-the-box thinking and a passion for baseball that will be infectious to the next generation of fans. Segments will include:
- Moving The Needle, covering the hottest stories of the day.
- Show Sauce, tapping into the latest in baseball culture and fashion.
- Wild Pitch, featuring lively discussions on ways to grow the game.
We’re thrilled to launch a fresh show that will be different than any show that has appeared on MLB Network to this point,” said Josh Bernstein, MLB Network Vice President of Production. “We want the show to have a casual feel that resonates because the content is appealing and excites fans about the game.” The program will engage fans across MLB Network’s social media platforms via interactive segments, plus there will be a post-show segment every Tuesday exclusively via @MLBNetwork. Viewers can follow Gardner, Keyser and Scruggs on Twitter via @LGRed, @HannahRKeyser and @Xavier_Scruggs.
Gardner, who joined MLB Network in 2019, has hosted across MLB Network’s studio programming, including Quick Pitch_, _Hot Stove and MLB Tonight. MLB at Field of Dreams_, the _MLB Draft and MLB Tonight: A Conversation – Women in Baseball are special programs Gardner has recently contributed to. Gardner was also part of the first-ever, all-female MLB broadcast when the Baltimore Orioles visited the Tampa Bay Rays in the MLB Game of the Week Live on YouTube last July.
Keyser is a national baseball writer for Yahoo Sports covering all areas of the game, a role she will continue again this season. In addition to her print work, Keyser offered her latest takes on the baseball world via Yahoo Sports’ The Bandwagon video series the last several seasons. Prior to joining Yahoo Sports, Keyser contributed baseball content to outlets, including Vice and Deadspin.
As a first baseman and outfielder, Scruggs played three seasons in MLB, beginning with the St. Louis Cardinals for 2014 and 2015, before finishing with the Miami Marlins in 2016. Following his time in MLB, Scruggs also played abroad in Mexico and Korea. Scruggs most recently has contributed baseball analysis to ESPN and SiriusXM, two roles he will continue again this season. In April 2021, Scruggs rejoined the Cardinals as a Diversity & Inclusion consultant in the baseball operations department.
In addition to _Off Base_, MLB Network recently announced that its daily regular season morning program MLB Central will begin at a new time – 9 a.m. ET – on Opening Day, Thursday, April 7. New on-air personalities who have joined MLB Network this offseason include Ruben Amaro, Jr., A.J. Andrews, Alex Avila, Keiana Martin, Cameron Maybin, Jake Peavy, Hunter Pence, Bo Porter and Siera Santos.