ESPN exec talks LLWS coverage, MLB KidsCast

ESPN’s Little League World Series coverage got underway Wednesday, with the network broadcasting all 38 games of that event across ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC through Sunday, August 25. In addition to the LLWS games live from historic Williamsport, PA, ESPN will also broadcast the MLB Little League Classic (featuring the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers) from the famed Bowman Field in their traditional Sunday Night Baseball slot this week. And they’ll do an alternate “KidsCast,” featuring teenage announcers and reporters, on ESPN2 for that game.

Ahead of their LLWS and MLB Little League Classic coverage , ESPN vice president of production and head baseball producer Phil Orlins spoke to AA on their broadcasting plans for those events. For the LLWS, which ABC has broadcast since 1963 (even before ESPN’s 1979 launch) in the network’s oldest continuous league partnership, Orlins said they must blend new broadcast elements with an awareness of the event’s history.

“We always try to pull off a balance of appreciation and respect of the history and legacy of this place with really the highest-end technology and modern coverage. And it’s always an interesting balancing act, with all the microphones and all the access mixed with some old-school respect for the field and the players. That respect is what really makes us stand out from, I think, any youth sports in existence, at least in the United States.”

That doesn’t mean the broadcasts will be out of 1963, though. Orlins said their plans for this event include much of the advanced technology they’re regularly using on Sunday Night Baseball and other MLB broadcasts, including the ump cam and in-depth replay looks.

“From a tech standpoint, we’re always aggressive.”

Orlins said a particular element of note there is their super slow-motion replays, which will also allow for different angles.

“We have a high-res camera that you can kind of do your digital zooms and tilts after the play happens.”

But Orlins said the technology is only part of what they’re trying to do. He said the competing kids are another crucial part of the mix, as is the access ESPN gets to them, but that needs to be kept in balance with the history and traditions of the event.

“So, we have a very robust technical plan as always. But at the same time we also really try to lean heavily on to the unique atmosphere of this place and the kids and the access to the kids and their families. We have the car wash of the kids talking about their favorite things. And all that, really, at the end of the day, is that we want the event to be admired and covered the best that can be covered, but at the same time, we truly respect the legacy that has made this event so special for generations.”

Orlins said one particular example of that respect comes in how these broadcasts may treat on-field errors differently than they would on an MLB broadcast, with more concern for how players might react to intense criticism or repeated focus on a mistake.

“I think when you’re dealing with adults, we want to be quite aggressive with coverage. We really don’t worry a whole lot about how the players are responding. Whereas this is always a balanced mental thing.”

He said the broadcast tone fits with what the LLWS organization is trying to do. And it’s a balance between being positive and supportive while still taking this competition seriously.

“They do a great job creating a wonderful, positive, supportive atmosphere, and emphasizing that,” Orlins said. “But, you know, these games are the pinnacle for these kids and their families, and the expectations and pressures are there.”

Orlins said one big change to ESPN’s approach to the LLWS games versus MLB games is that they don’t always want to use all the access they can get here.

“I think at MLB the difference is we push the access as far as the league will allow us to have access,” he said. “Whereas with Little League, we get a lot of access, we collaborate with them, but we respect the presentation of how that is for 11-, 12-, 13-year-old kids under the bright spotlights.”

An interesting figure on these broadcasts is analyst Todd Frazier, who will join Karl Ravech and Jessica Mendoza on the lead broadcast team. Frazier is a veteran MLB analyst at this point, from the commentary he’s done for some ESPN broadcasts (including this year’s Home Run Derby ), Foul Territory , and more.

But Frazier is also a Little League legend. He helped lead the Toms River East (NJ) team to the LLWS title in 1998, and he was enshrined in the Little League Hall of Excellence in 2022 . And Orlins said Frazier is tremendous for these broadcasts, considering how he had that Little League experience, went on to major MLB success (including two All-Star selections and a Home Run Derby title), and has yet to continue to talk about how much Little League and the LLWS meant to him.

“If Todd had just played here and moved on with his life, he wouldn’t be the asset that he is,” Orlins said. “He didn’t just play here and be the best player and win. He’s carried that experience through his essence and his life.

“He’s still living in Toms River. People who played Little League and never went on to have good big careers or win the Home Run Derby are not more attached than he is. He is as attached to this experience as any of his Toms River teammates. He’s here, literally collecting and trading pins, coaching his son’s 11-year-old team this year, hoping they can somehow make it here. The authenticity of his connection with this event is unimaginable.”

Orlins added that Frazier has the ideal broadcast persona for this event, too.

“On top of all that, he’s a high-energy person, a fun person, and a smart guy, and a natural. He’s got every attribute we want. And it’s a little bit the same of him with Home Run Derby, he won that event and loves it. …I think he’s just the perfect guy for this spot, with what he’s accomplished on the field here and elsewhere and how he handles himself.”

As per the KidsCast, which is entering its fifth year, Orlins said it fits in well with ESPN’s overall lineup of alternate broadcasts. That includes the weekly Statcast , which gave this upcoming KidsCast alternate broadcast some promo this past Sunday.

“I think one of my favorite moments was this Sunday on the Statcast broadcast when Kevin Brown said ‘Next week, we’ll be replaced by  13-year-olds.” Statcast has been wonderfully energizing and challenging and has really gone quite well. KidsCast feels right with this.”

Orlins said despite those announcers’ youth, they have some veteran experience.

“We’re excited that we’ve got two of the three kidscasters from last year returning. Owen Heffron, who did a great job on play-by-play, and Pepper Persley, who’s in her third year as the reporter, she’s still only 13. And then we were able to add one more, analyst Thomas Gamba, who’s also 16.”

Beyond past KidsCast work, Orlins also noted the experience these announcers have received through the Bruce Beck Sports Broadcasting Camp .

“We’ve collaborated with the Bruce Beck Sports Broadcasting Camp, and they’re great teammates through the whole process of helping, training young broadcasters, et cetera. This year, all three went to his camp this year or the year before.”

And Orlins said that’s important considering the particular challenges of this alternate broadcast.

“My running joke is that we take two 16-year-olds and a 13-year-old, and then we throw them on an ESPN broadcast, and then we make it as absolutely difficult as humanly possible. We do that by interviewing players and managers on FaceTime from the dugout and having people come to the booth.

“We do more aggressive interviews and integration of complicated stuff than we generally want to give any broadcast, and we do that with two 16-year-olds and a 13-year-old. We just all agree to hang on to the rails and have a good time.”

He said he thinks this team is up to the task, though, and they’ll present a different look at baseball.

“But they do a great job. This year’s group, we have two absolutely returning stars from last year who did really well, and then we’re adding Thomas. We’re really excited and fired up. It’s authentically branded, and a different and beautiful perspective talking about baseball.”

Orlins said a unique KidsCast element is that the interviews with players and managers sometimes go in directions you might not find on a traditional broadcast, but only when it fits naturally.

“We can talk about video games, talk about which sneakers you’re wearing, all of that kind of stuff. It’s not like it’s forced, it truly is natural for them to do that.”

He said the KidsCast broadcasts have been tweaked here and there over their five years, but the idea remains the same as it always was.

“I think we’ve learned how to improve the processes. This last year, we made sure that we were more actual baseball play-by-play. And I think we’ve improved our ability to build the right environment for them.

“But fundamentally, we’re still kind of doing the same thing, which is a real game. And it’s fascinating to watch teenagers call a real game and really access their perspective on Major League Baseball. So I think we’ve refined how we do it, but I think the product is very similar.”

The full schedule of ESPN LLWS games can be found here .

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