Today down in warm sunny Florida, the Pittsburgh Pirates will take on the Baltimore Orioles during the early going of spring training.

I would say we are still in the part of the spring training phase where fans actively want to watch baseball that means absolutely nothing in the standings.

Whether you’ve just missed the game during the offseason, are really into seeing how prospects perform, or want to report on both the games and the players, a lot of baseball fans still want to see the games in late February.

By the time mid-March hits? That number starts to dive.

So why oh why, are games at this time of year not televised? It’s a question people in Pittsburgh have asked about a couple games now, but this is by the far the most egrigious one yet.

Today in Sarasota features a game that will feature both Paul Skenes and Jackson Holliday.

Skenes was the first overall pick by the Pirates in the 2023 MLB Draft. Holliday was the first overall pick by the Orioles in the 2022 MLB Draft.

For Skenes, it will be his Grapefruit League debut when he takes the mound to face the Orioles.

The LSU product pitched 122.2 innings (19 starts) in his last year in college, and recorded a 1.69 ERA while striking out 15.3 batters per nine innings.

His standout time in college helped propel him to near the top of the draft board, and even though Dylan Crews was projected (by many) to be the first overall pick, the Pirates selected Skenes in the hope he could be the next big ace.

Even though Skenes did suit up for several minor league teams for the Pirates (the FCL Pirates in the Florida Complex League, the Bradenton Marauders in Single-A, and the Altoona Curve in Double-A), 2024 will be his first real season.

To make matters even more cool, he will be facing off against the recently-acquired Corbin Burnes, a former Cy Young winner who had MLB’s lowest ERA in 2021 and is a three time consecutive All-Star.

Skenes’ debut is something both Pirates fans and baseball fans have been waiting months for. And no one can watch it.

Even for Holliday, who is an exciting young player who is currently MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 prospect in baseball.

Holliday rocketed up through the minor leagues last season, rising all the way from Low-A to Triple-A in the span of one season.

And yet, no one will see him in this game either.

In addition to Skenes and Holliday, this game will also feature two other first overall picks from the last five years. Pittsburgh’s Henry Davis (first overall in 2021), and Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman (first overall in 2019) will also be playing, both as catchers for their respective teams.

This should be one hell of a game. Tons of storylines, tons of interesting players, and the scene that it will be when Skenes pitches to Holliday in the bottom of the first inning will be electric.

So it makes only proper sense that this game be broadcasted nowhere whatsoever.

Every spring training game should have at least one broadcast and/or stream. Fans want to watch baseball. Let them.

Heck, you can even just plant one camera that covers the whole field (or most of it) and then just walk away. I’ll even settle for that if it meant I could watch this game.

If you do want to tune in as best you can, you can listen via radio on the Pirates’ official website.

(Featured photo of Paul Skenes with the Altoona Curve by Justin Berl/GettyImages)