MLB Network has built a rugged and powerful roster of daily programs that cover the game from all angles. One of those shows is MLB Now, hosted by the terrific Brian Kenny. The former ESPN stalwart is one of the network’s true stars. The quintessential analytics guy, all about baseball’s statistics, tendencies, and percentages.
This past week, Jamison Coyle filled in as host of MLB Now, and the program did not miss a beat. Coyle joins analyst and former Major Leaguer Chris Young and New York Post columnist and MLB Network insider Joel Sherman on this episode.
Coyle, Young, and Sherman made for a combination as smooth as Tinkers to Evers to Chance. MLB Now is not a show where you are going to hear many bodacious opinions or controversial bluster. Instead, it is a true discussion show that dives into the intricacies and inner workings of the game while still offering insightful takes on the day’s highlights and headlines.
It is an important time in the MLB season. True contenders are revealing themselves. The “wait till next year” clubs are planning for 2027, and the MLB Trade Deadline is fast approaching on August 3. Baseball has been especially exciting over the past month, led by the always-interesting Boston Red Sox, who have transformed from awful to awesome.
This is a perfect time to sit back and watch Coyle, Young, and Sherman ply their respective crafts on MLB Now.
Coyle has always delivered, whether serving as the lead host or stepping in off the bench. He is a solid, meat-and-potatoes sports broadcaster who commands attention and runs a show extremely well. Coyle always arrives prepared and gets the very best out of his analysts.
Sherman brings print journalism integrity to the program, but he is hardly a paper-and-ink relic. This cat has been all over MLB Network and the internet recently, reporting on and discussing potential trade scenarios and teams to watch.
Young put this time of year into perspective by noting that every Major League team wants to make deals for a pennant run, but not every club can do it. He said some organizations need to be smart and think long term. Young is really good. He excels at analyzing the statistical side of the game while also bringing the gritty clubhouse experience of a former player. Young enjoyed a solid 13-year career with six teams. He wasn’t a superstar, but that varied experience adds credibility to his analysis.
If you asked me for one word to describe MLB Now, it would be “perspective.”
Coyle brings a savvy media perspective. Young offers the perspective that only a former player possesses. Sherman contributes the outsider’s perspective of a working writer and columnist. The trio is aided by a talented technical crew. The open is a visually vibrant artistic mishmash of baseball statistics and lingo. The lower-third and full-screen graphics constantly display pertinent statistics, while the ever-present crawl provides breaking news and headlines.
Together, they give viewers a colorful, hour-long look at Major League Baseball.
Sherman has the outward appearance of a baseball geek. However, if you listen to him, he is more of a baseball junkie. I like the way he digs beneath the surface and uncovers the real story. After Coyle and Young discussed the surging Texas Rangers winning three of four from the Mariners and taking first place in the AL West, Sherman shifted the conversation back to Seattle. He believes the Mariners were actually the bigger story.
He noted that Seattle was coming off an epic ALCS loss to Toronto and was under tremendous pressure to finally reach the World Series. With the help of a graphic, Sherman also pointed out that the Mariners had used only 10 starting pitchers since the start of the 2024 season. With arm injuries a constant in Major League Baseball, that is a true anomaly.
Coyle also orchestrated a lively conversation about which NL Wild Card contenders face the most pressure. Instead, Young pointed to the Diamondbacks. He said they are viewed as a small-market team but have consistently tried to make win-now moves.
I found myself locked in as a viewer because I genuinely wanted to hear what each panelist had to say. After running through highlights of the Marlins’ walk-off win over the Phillies, Coyle asked whether it was a bigger win for Miami or a worse loss for Philadelphia, which had fallen 5.5 games behind in the NL East.
MLB Now combines crunch with hunch. The program acknowledges today’s emphasis on analytics while still respecting the situational instincts of old-school baseball. The amount of information delivered through the hosts and graphics is impressive without becoming overwhelming. The show maintains a comfortable flow while providing thoughtful discussion.
Another telling graphic compared the American League Wild Card standings from July 3 to July 28. While the Yankees remained in front and the Guardians stayed in the top three, the Red Sox climbed from the bottom of the heap into the second Wild Card spot.
As Young alluded to earlier in the program, this is the time of year when Major League Baseball resembles the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, with several teams on the bubble deciding whether to become buyers or sellers. It is not really March Madness. More like July Jitters. Sherman pointed to the Detroit Tigers, who at the time sat six games back in the AL Central and four games out of a Wild Card spot. They were not top contenders, but they were hardly out of the race.
What does a team like that do at the Trade Deadline? Sherman provided an excellent breakdown of Detroit’s options.
MLB Now gets viewers involved through its “Thinking Fan” poll question. On this edition, fans were asked which division lead they believed would change before the end of the season. The results produced a close race among the AL Central, AL West, and AL East. Coyle discussed the results while graphics displayed fans’ social media posts, complete with their reasoning. The show concluded with more game highlights, a trivia question, and closing commentary. Sherman ended the show by arguing that the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies should move to a different point in the season so they are not overshadowed by marquee games and the Trade Deadline. It was a compelling point.
Major League Baseball is heading into its most exciting two months of the season, and MLB Now has elevated its game while strengthening an already impressive lineup for what should be a terrific stretch run.
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John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
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