Opening day is six weeks away, baseball fans, but there's plenty of pre-season action to whet your appetite. MLB.com hopes that you're desperate enough to pay for the privilege: while you can download the latest version of the MLB.com At Bat app (not to be confused with last season's MLB.com At Bat 2012), you'll have to be an MLB.com subscriber or pay a $19.99 in-app purchase to access a year of premium features. The "Lite" version is now the only version, with the IAP replacing At Bat 2012. Live video is exclusive to subscribers, but nifty features like live audio, play-by-play updates, and a field view can be had for the "lower" price.

For those who don't want to shell out any dough to remodel The Commissioner's box, you can access scores and full batting lineups for all big league teams. You can also get full statistics for all players. The Scoreboard view is a pretty great way to get an at-a-glance look at all the active games, including runners, outs and the count. The widgets are particularly useful, since you can set a 1x1 area to go straight to your favorite team's page, complete with daily updates and news.

The score features make the app worth a look for dedicated fans who don't want to pay for live coverage, and those who've already paid for a subscription will need the app to access video on mobile. While I wish accessing the more advanced features were cheaper, you've got to give the MLB props for making every game available online without a cable or satellite subscription.

NEW YORK, Feb. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- MLB.com At Bat, the top sports mobile application in each of the past four years, has been updated today with the launch of At Bat 13 and its suite of new features across iPhone, iPad, supported Android smartphones and tablets and Kindle Fire. As announced in January, At Bat will debut on the new BlackBerry 10 by Opening Day.

MLB.TV Premium subscribers again may upgrade to At Bat 13 for free, unlocking all premium features. Fans also may subscribe to MLB.com At Bat 13 for the one-time annual fee of $19.99, covering the entire season through the World Series. iOS users may pay $2.99/month with the recurring billing offering.

NEW FOR 2013 (Spring Training update only; Opening Day update coming soon)

  • Multi-platform live audio access for At Bat 13 subscribers, offering account portability to listen to live games on Mac/PC desktops and laptops
  • Universal iOS and Android support for At Bat 13 subscribers, full feature accessibility across all supported smartphones and tablets
  • Sortable batting, pitching and fielding statistics (iPad and Android tablets)
  • Re-designed individual team pages (iPhone and Android phones)
  • Updated news section interface (iPhone and Android phones)
  • Expanded video highlight integration (iPhone and Android phones)
  • Classic games video library archive (all devices)
  • Re-architected app navigation (all devices)
  • Additional push notification options (iPhone)
  • Favorite team enhancements (iPad and Android tablets)
  • Searchable video highlight library expansion to include access to complete video archives (all devices)
  • In-app annual subscription purchase (Google Play)

SPRING TRAINING FEATURES

  • Watch live streaming of more than 200 available Spring Training games with a subscription to MLB.TV Premium (iPhone, iPad, select Android phones & tablets)
  • Listen live to available Spring Training radio broadcasts (all)
  • Track league-wide scoreboards and batter-by-batter action for every game (all)
  • Breaking news, schedules and interactive rosters and players stats for every team (all)
  • Full-season schedule calendars (all)

At Bat is the official application of Major League Baseball. For more information, visit MLB.com.

MLB Developer: MLB Advanced Media, L.P.
Price: Free
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