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Angels reliever Ty Buttrey probably won’t make the playoffs in the MLB The Show Players League, but you might still be able to watch him on television in the next week or so.
The regular season for the league-wide video game tournament runs through the end of April, and games in the coming week will be televised by ESPN2 and MLB Network. The playoffs, which begin on May 1, will be televised by FS1 and ESPN2, with the best-of-five championship series on May 3 on ESPN.
Buttrey lost 14 of his first 18 games, which as of Friday morning was tied for 26th in a 30-team league. But while he won’t advance to the playoffs — the top eight teams make it, with the quarterfinals and semifinals both best-of-three rounds — Buttrey will still face some playoff contenders this week, which could mean TV time.
Buttrey is scheduled for five games on Saturday, and among his opponents are Blake Snell (14-3 through Thursday, second-best record in the league) and Fernando Tatis Jr. (15-7, sixth-best record). So there’s at least a chance Buttrey could be on the Saturday television coverage, which begins at noon on ESPN2.
Here’s the full television schedule for the remainder of the MLB The Show Players League (all times PT):
- Saturday, April 25: 12-1 p.m. (ESPN2)
- Sunday, April 26: 5-6 p.m. (MLB Network)
- Wednesday, April 29: 7-8 p.m. (ESPN2)
- Friday, May 1: Quarterfinals (FS1)
- Saturday, May 2: Quarterfinals & semifinal, 12-4:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
- Saturday, May 2: Semifinal (FS1)
- Sunday, May 3: Championship series, 11:30-2 p.m. (ESPN)
Links
- Tony Wolfe at FanGraphs analyzed in great detail Mike Trout’s swing/take profile using Statcast data, and found another reason why he’s so good: “The terrifying thing for pitchers is that Trout is doing most of his damage when swinging at pitches they would love to see any other hitter offer at.”
- Speaking of Trout, he was chosen this week by MLB.com to have the prettiest swing in Angels history.
- Jim Callis at MLB.com looked at the best tools available in the 2020 MLB Draft. The Angels pick 10th in the first round.