ESPN could use its “Manningcast” model to move Alex Rodriguez out of the Sunday Night Baseball booth.
The New York Post reported Wednesday that ESPN is mulling the possibility of a “Manningcast”-style alternate presentation of Sunday Night Baseball featuring analyst Alex Rodriguez. Such a move would result in Rodriguez leaving his regular role on Sunday night games.
Rodriguez is entering his fifth year on ESPN’s Sunday night games. He also holds a prominent role as a studio analyst for baseball games on FOX.
The possibility of a new role for Rodriguez comes as he and ESPN are reportedly having a difference of opinion on who will fill the vacancy left by former Sunday night play-by-play voice Matt Vasgersian. Per the Post, Rodriguez is said to prefer YES Network voice Michael Kay over ESPN’s apparent preference, Karl Ravech. When ESPN hired Rodriguez for Sunday night games in 2018, it brought along his preferred partner Vasgersian rather than going in-house for the role.
Creating a Rodriguez-focused alternate presentation would allow ESPN to keep the high-profile analyst without letting him dictate the Sunday night booth.
Per the Post, a possible Sunday night booth sans-Rodriguez could include Ravech alongside Eduardo Perez and YES Network analyst David Cone, the latter of whom Rodriguez pitched as a replacement for Jessica Mendoza last year.
ESPN already airs occasional “Statcast” alternate presentations of Sunday Night Baseball.
[News from NYP 1.5]
