MLB Productions foray into reality TV continues with a sneak peek of “The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants” It airs Wednesday night on Showtime at 9:30 and will include the World Series ring ceremony that took place last Saturday. In addition, it will show scenes from Spring Training in Arizona. Then in July, the series premieres in earnest with five one-hour episodes. Here are the details straight from Showtime and MLB Productions.

GIANTS RING CEREMONY TO BE INCLUDED IN SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE FRANCHISE: A SEASON WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS ON SHOWTIME ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13 AT 9:30 P.M. ET/PT

Click Here For a Link to a Highlight From the Show

NEW YORK, APRIL 12 – The sneak preview of The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants will feature this past weekend’s World Series ring ceremony and behind-the-scenes footage of players working out, interacting with one another and with their families.  The 30-minute preview will air on SHOWTIME on Wednesday, April 13 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT and re-air throughout the week.  Showtime and MLB Productions today are launching a new Twitter account (@TheFranchiseSHO) to tweet information about the show.

Highlights of the show will include:

• Pablo Sandoval’s quest to get in better physical condition in order to regain his starting position at third base. Sandoval’s training techniques are showcased as he tries to shed the necessary pounds to satisfy a mandate by team management.

 

• The incredible story of journeyman pitcher Mark Kroon. The fire-balling 38 year-old, who holds the record for the fastest pitch ever in Japan (162kph), wants to finish his pro career in the Major Leagues and attempts to make the Giants roster.

 

• Prized Minor League prospect Brandon Belt attempts to make the big club out of Spring Training.  If the slugging first basemen is part of the 25-man roster, the incumbent at that position, Aubrey Huff, will need to move to the outfield.

 

The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants will debut with the first full 60-minute episode on Thursday, July 14 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.  There will be five subsequent one hour episodes every Thursday at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants is a collaboration between SHOWTIME and MLB Productions, and is currently in production in San Francisco as well as various locations around the country.  The series will be shot over the course of eight months and will have cameras embedded with the team through the trade deadline. The show will expand on the SHOWTIME Sports^® existing line-up of stellar and award-winning programming that includes INSIDE THE NFL, INSIDE NASCAR, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and STRIKEFORCE Mixed Martial Arts.

Major League Baseball Productions is the Emmy® award-winning television and video production division of Major League Baseball and the official video archivists of the game. With unparalleled access to the Clubs and their players, Major League Baseball Productions produces original programming for growing audiences worldwide through its original documentary series, network specials, exclusive home videos, commercials and other specialty programming. For more information on Major League Baseball Productions, log on to www.MLBProductions.com.

That’s all.