
Live From MLB All-Star 2023: MLB Network, ESPN Welcome Next Generation of Superstars at MLB Draft This year's event is held at Seattle Seahawks' Lumen Field By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor
Sunday, July 9, 2023 - 10:28 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
After traveling to Denver in 2021 and Los Angeles in 2022, fans tuning into the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft will witness another large-scale production, this year at Lumen Field in Seattle. Normally the home of the NFL's Seahawks, MLS's Seattle Sounders, and other professional teams, the venue will host the tentpole broadcast produced with increased efforts by both MLB Network and ESPN.
We've done this for only three years, says Tom Guidice, VP, remote operations, MLB Network, but this set is larger than last year's, and we'll be working in the largest stadium we've ever had for the MLB Draft. We're lucky to work with great Draft partners since we decided to take this show out of our studio.
From left: MLB Network's Jason Hedgcock, Susan Stone, Tom Guidice, Chris Roenbeck, and Marc Caiafa in Seattle
Go-To Location: Lumen Field Becomes Clear Choice in Seattle In Seattle, it's hard to ignore the sound of screaming fans at Lumen Field. Perceived as one of the toughest environments to play in for visiting NFL teams, the venue is an important aspect of the city's landscape. Since it has become a major sports focal point, MLB Network added the building to its list of potential host sites for this year's MLB Draft. The production and operations team did their due diligence, considered multiple locales from site surveys, and chose Lumen Field.
There were three other venues in play, says Guidice. After looking at all of them, it made a lot of sense because of its proximity to the ballpark.
Seattle's Lumen Field is the home of the 2023 MLB Draft.
Given last year's layout - L.A. Live was nearly four miles from Dodger Stadium - the short distance from the home of the Draft to the home of the MLB All-Star Game was a nice change of pace. From an operational perspective, the team is reveling in the fact that it's right next door to T-Mobile Park, but, in a five-day stretch requiring movement of resources and staffers, the physical distance can still pose an interesting and time-sensitive challenge.
There are a lot of positives about [the two venues'] being together, notes Jason Hedgcock, senior director, remote technical operations, MLB Network, but we're a bit farther apart in real life than what it looked like on paper. You have to be a bit better with your planning. If you have to get a reporter or an operator to a specific location, you have to be on top of your schedule and make sure that everyone's headed in the right direction with enough time.
The main operations trailer sits beneath the football stadium.
Despite working within a broadcast-ready facility, the team is not accessing the venue's permanent infrastructure. Opting for a temporary footprint in the name of greater efficiency, Hedgcock and his transmissions team ran tactical fiber 3,000 ft. from their section of the compound to the main stage in Lumen Field.
This [running of fiber] not only services our needs, he adds, but also supports ESPN and MLB Operations. The MLB Draft is essentially the league's biggest meeting of the year, and that aspect is sometimes overshadowed.
With the compound in a convenient location, MLB Network deployed two trucks, the A and B units of Game Creek Video 79, to handle Sunday's MLB Draft. Onsite editions of MLB Tonight with Albert Pujols, Pedro Martinez, and others and Intentional Talk with Ryan Dempster, Kevin Millar, and Siera Santos will also be handled from them. Talent on the shows will be joined by current MLB All-Stars through the help of VP, News and Production, Doug Jaclin and Supervising Producers Adam Helfgott and Chris Arnowich.
Broadcast Tech: Zoom Brings in Team Draft Rooms, Remote Prospects Using techniques developed for COVID-era Drafts, MLB Network is improving integration of offsite participants through Zoom. With two dedicated Zoom interfaces, one or multiple feeds can be spliced into the broadcast. One group will feature the Draft rooms of all 30 MLB clubs; the other will be populated by more than 20 picks reporting in from home in real time.
Along with the Zoom feeds, the broadcast will deploy traditional broadcast equipment, including two RF handhelds, an extended jib for the main stage, and a hard camera positioned in Section 136 of Lumen Field. Control rooms at MLBN headquarters in Secaucus, NJ, are handling graphics operations. Content teams are also pitching in to tell the stories of these future MLB stars with highlight packages and other editorial pieces.
An extended jib camera is positioned behind the seating area at Lumen Field.
Secaucus always plays an important role on this production, says Susan Stone, SVP, operations and engineering, MLB Network. They'll also be involved in a lot of the shows that we're producing back home.
In addition, Days 2 and 3 of the MLB Draft will be produced remotely from the New Jersey facility.
Drawing Extra Attention: Stage Layout Mixes With MLB PLAY BALL Park Activation At field level, MLB has developed a blueprint that meshes the venue's gargantuan size and the league's main fan destination in a unique way. A white shell over the MLB Draft stage blocks the seating and overhang from the main sightline of the production.
Unless we show a beauty shot of the venue, you probably wouldn't even know that the stage was in a larger stadium, says Guidice. [MLB's events team] did a really great job with the setup and the d cor that has been put around it.
The MLB Network set for Sunday's MLB Draft
The field itself has
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
20/05/2026
True to the Music City theme, the Tennessee Titans plan to make live music a prominent fixture on game days at the new venue
Reflecting the continuing converge...
20/05/2026
The long-term goal is innovation for the next generation of hockey rinks at both the professional and the community level
The National Hockey League (NHL) toda...
20/05/2026
End-users and vendors alike work toward cost-effective yet high-quality solution...
20/05/2026
The National Football League has announced that Nashville will host Super Bowl LXIV in 2030 at the new Nissan Stadium. The announcement was made at the NFL Spri...
20/05/2026
The NFL has announced that the 2028 NFL Draft presented by Bud Light will take place in Minnesota, uniting fans from around the world to celebrate one of the mo...
20/05/2026
As professional AV workflows continue to evolve, expectations around audio, video, networking, and control are rising rapidly. At InfoComm 2026 in Las Vegas, La...
20/05/2026
Haivision will showcase its latest innovations at InfoComm 2026, taking place fr...
20/05/2026
For the seventh year, Spotify is returning to CMA Fest with Spotify House, the festival's premiere destination for fans. We're taking over downtown Nash...
20/05/2026
Amp-simulation software expanded
Acustica Audio's latest release greatly expands on their amp-simulation platform, turning it into a complete amplifica...
20/05/2026
MainStage integration, Analog Lab improvements & more
Arturia have just announced the release of an update that brings an assortment of new features to thei...
20/05/2026
At the Annual General Meeting held on May 20, 2026, the shareholders of SGL Carb...
20/05/2026
From Gulkula to the nation: Yothu Yindi Foundation and NITV deepen national acce...
20/05/2026
SBS appoints David Fernandez as National Manager, Digital & TV Sales
20 May, 2026
Media releases
SBS has appointed David Fernandez as National Manager, Dig...
20/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and INFOZAHYST: A strategic alliance set to redefine modern defe...
20/05/2026
A Rotating Detonation Engine being hot fire tested at Purdue University's Zu...
20/05/2026
A U.S. Army VAMPIRE system, assigned to Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 51st Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 7th Infantry Division/Multi-Domain Command - Pacific ...
20/05/2026
Cable Captures Only Monthly Increase Among Viewing Categories in March, Earns it...
20/05/2026
April brought a symbolic decrease in the overall time spent in front of television screens. On average, Poles watched video content for 3 hours and 51 minutes a...
20/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/05/2026
The Royal Television Society Technology Centre today announces the launch of the RTS Technology Awards 2026, celebrating excellence, innovation and achievement ...
20/05/2026
In the heart of London's financial district, the new purpose-built Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre invites audiences to experience Suzanne Collins' inte...
20/05/2026
LiveU, the leader in live IP-video solutions, today announced that production powerhouse BCC Live successfully deployed the new LU900Q intelligent production un...
20/05/2026
Nella Mente di Narciso Docuseries Uses Blackmagic Design Workflow
Brie Clayton May 19, 2026
0 Comments
PYXIS 6K full frame camera and DaVinci Resolve ...
20/05/2026
Beeble launches Canvas, a node-based AI compositor for VFX and Virtual Productio...
20/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/05/2026
First Nations Factual Co-production Development Fund launched to elevate Indigen...
20/05/2026
TLC Announces All-Star Comedy Line-Up for Mock the Week: Summer Specials' o...
20/05/2026
Back to All News
One Hundred Years of Solitude Concludes This August, With Part...
20/05/2026
Back to All News
Beloved NHK Dramas to Stream on Netflix Worldwide Starting June 22
Entertainment
20 May 2026
GlobalJapan
Link copied to clipboard
Netflix...
20/05/2026
May 20 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Recognized as 2025 Supplier of the Year and Over...
20/05/2026
Mayo's Dee Freney and Margaret Leahy from Galway have reached the final of RT Today's TV Home Cook competition.
Both contestants will cook again live...
20/05/2026
RT IN FULL BLOOM AT BORD BIA BLOOM 2026 WITH LIVE BROADCASTS, MUSIC, CHAT AND M...
19/05/2026
The winner of Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist of the Year 2025, Tracy Bonareri Onchoke, and runner up Wangu Kanuri enjoyed a three-day trip to London ...
19/05/2026
Cisco and the USGA have announced a multiyear extension of their partnership, which began in 2018. Cisco serves as the Official Technology Partner of the USGA, ...
19/05/2026
Urban Edge Network (UEN), a streaming platform for NAIA sports, has announced a partnership with Spiideo to provide streaming and production tools to UEN's ...
19/05/2026
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) will provide live coverage of all 900 Roland-Garros matches across its platforms beginning with qualifiers on May 18. In Europe, 21...
19/05/2026
Tubi, Fox Corporation's free streaming service, has announced the launch of the FIFA World Cup 2026 FOX Hub, a dedicated destination for World Cup programmi...
19/05/2026
Telef nica, in collaboration with Sony, has conducted a 5G connectivity trial at the Movistar Arena in Spain using the 26 GHz millimetre wave (mmWave) band. The...
19/05/2026
Ross Production Services (RPS) has installed a Calrec Argo M console into its new Hypermax-1 remote production truck, replacing one of three Argo S consoles pre...
19/05/2026
Panasonic Projector and Display Corporation has announced the acquisition of 100% of the shares of UK-based media technology company Hive Media Control Ltd. (HI...
19/05/2026
Globecast has announced the completion of a nine-month renovation of its Singapore facility, converting it from a traditional linear broadcast operation into a ...
19/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced a three-year enterprise agreement with Phoenix Broadc...
19/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that Watch Brasil, a streaming platform operating across Brazil and Europe since 2018, has replaced its legacy systems with Bitmovin'...
19/05/2026
Ateme has announced the migration of Dish Home Nepal's Nepal Premier League (NPL) streaming infrastructure to Ateme's TITAN Live solution deployed on Ak...