Fans of the Minnesota Twins who enjoy the ManningCast on ESPN could be in for a treat in the near future.
Trevor Plouffe, who played for the Twins from 2010-16, revealed on SKOR North on Tuesday the Twins are planning a few all-player broadcasts this season, and Plouffe, who already chips in on broadcasts, will be among the commentary crew.
“Which I’ll tell you right now, I don’t think it’s going to work,” Plouffe said on SKOR North. “I don’t like it. But we’ll see.”
Why doesn’t he think it’ll work?
“I think the play-by-play guys are so important and their job is so hard, and I don’t like the ManningCast,” Plouffe said. “… That, to me, does not interest me whatsoever. And I know they’re trying to push that so much, but I think you need somebody doing play-by-play, but we’ll see. We’ll see how it goes. I don’t know if an all-color (commentary) game or all-analyst game has been done in the big leagues yet.”
It’s certainly a different style of broadcast without a play-by-play commentator, but the ManningCast has exploded in popularity in recent years, paving the pathway for the more commentary heavy broadcasts. A large subset of fans appreciate the insights from former players, who can recognize in-game elements easily missed by the average fan.
And while Plouffe may be skeptical of that style broadcast, he’s absolutely looking forward to the games this summer.
“I’m excited to try it,” he said.