Orsillo provides both consistent play-by-play and game situational analysis. *** Provides analysis for games in which Collins does play-by-play. He started his broadcasting career with his Hall of Fame father Don with the Atlanta Braves organization. No one, that's who. Vaughn is being asked to step in as the DH without having a single plate appearance at Double-A or Triple-A, and theres not much of a backup plan behind him. -Jeff Francoeur (analyst) Miller is widely known nationally for his previous work with ESPN. It also seems that Hudler winds up carrying the broadcast as Lefebvre treats viewers with prolonged periods of silence. The Harrelson/Stone tandem would be a lot better if there was more balance in the booth. Otherwise, though, this is mostly the same club as they had last year, with Arenado, minus Wong and Dexter Fowler. Lefebvre is inconsistent with his play-by-play and gets distracted quite easily. Put another way: It might not have been the winter Mets fans wanted, but, after landing Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor May, James McCann and Taijuan Walker, plus returning Marcus Stroman, who didn't pitch in 2020, it was still a good winter. ESPN launches its 2021 Major League Baseball season on Opening Day, Thursday, April 1, with a nationally televised quadrupleheader presented by DraftKings. The Coshun/Schroeder pairing does an adequate job as well. The Reds are putting a great deal of faith in the idea that their incredibly disappointing 2020 offensive performance (they scored the fourth-fewest runs) will not be repeated, and to be honest, it's not a terrible bet. Sutton does not have a strong presence in the booth. Hendriks departed, and Semien departed, and so did Robbie Grossman and Tommy La Stella and Mike Minor and Joakim Soria. Theres no argument on that from there. The Oriole Hall of Famer is well aware of team history and provides interesting anecdotes from his playing days. McCann will be a step up on Wilson Ramos. Is it impressive that last year's Opening Day starter, Chris Paddack, is their No. No team received a lower share of A votes than the Rangers (just 5.39%), and no team received a higher share of C votes. We're pretty optimistic that Jeimer Candelario is mid-breakout, and Willi Castro showed a lot in 2020. The average grade for the 30 teams was a 2.34, which was the exact score of the team in 15th. Experience: How deep and constant is the attachment between the announcing crew and the team? Comparing the Collins/Lyons tandem to Scully is like comparing apples to oranges. Or even just healthi-er. The Pirates have KeBryan Hayes, and thats not nothing, because he already looks like a star. He may have a role as a hitting coach sometime down the line. The Dodgers, like every year, look both talented and deep; even with the Padres around, they've got 98% odds of making the playoffs. Were pretty bullish on Jack Flaherty returning to his 2019 ace-like self. If there is a significant knock of the Rojas/Gubicza pairing, it is the fact that there doesn't seem to be any chemistry between them. Rapport: Do members of the announcing crew seem to get along easily with one another? Broadcast Network(s): YES Network, WWOR-TV, Contributors: John Flaherty, Paul O'Neill, Al Leiter, David Cone, Lou Piniella. Their ranking improved this year, but that can mainly be pinned on other teams receiving worse grades, rather than people rating the Marlins higher. You probably heard they brought back Tony La Russa. The Royals broadcasting crew is not a strong team but should keep fans interested enough until the squad returns to their winning ways. -Chip Caray (play by play) Matthews provides good analysis, as well as stories from his playing days. You may not like the way the Rays operate, but write them off at your own risk. The play-by-play duties are split between Rick Horton and Dan McLaughlin. Game analysis is done mostly by Rex Hudler but with contributions at times from former Royals closer Jeff Montgomery. -Joe Block (play by play) 30. Previous grades: 2.15 (2014), 2.14 (2016), 2.36 (2017), 2.29 (2018). Although Sims has a tendency of getting distracted at times, his broadcasts are generally lively and interesting. The broadcast team is rounded out by Holliday who is an occasional fill-in and former major league player/manager Ray Knight. Except for one particularly important date, of course. The former major league hurler Anderson makes up the final piece of the Rays broadcast team. So whats holding us back here from being all-in? At the end of 2021, depending on the choices they make, they may be free of about $100 million worth of the old guard, heroes of the past like Johnny Cueto, Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt, Buster Posey and (the more recently added) Kevin Gausman. Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber are capable new complementary pieces; there are a few relievers to like. Theyre still going to be good. Thats more of a July proposition, though. If there was a negative to be said about the Barnett/Grieve pairing, it would have to be their in-booth chemistry. The Atlanta Braves broadcasting history goes back to the inception of cable television as games were regularly aired nationally on Ted Turner's WTBS SuperStation. Anyway, we've fallen into the trap, too; we're just talking about pitching. Not something thats necessarily likely to lead to a great deal of 2021 victories in a top-heavy NL West, but something that sets the foundation for the next good San Francisco team. He was the omnipresent voice of Philadelphia sports and made lasting contributions to professional football through NFL Films. The support staff is better. Every team received at least 1,300 grades. With one fewer team than last year to grade, we received over 64,000 votes roughly 20% more than last year. The Yankees had a good offseason. TORONTO, CANADA - MAY 5: Former player and current broadcaster Buck Martinez of the Toronto Blue Jays looks on during batting practice before the start of MLB game action against the Texas Rangers on May 5, 2016 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Previous grades: 2.06 (2014), 2.41 (2016), 1.91 (2017), 2.24 (2018). He provides good analysis and complements Waltz quite well. The shock of trading Mookie Betts doesn't seem to have worn off yet, and now the entire 2018 World Series outfield trio is gone, with Jackie Bradley Jr. off to Milwaukee and Andrew Benintendi traded to Kansas City. This is why the Cards arent considered a runaway favorite in the NL Central. -Rex Hudler (analyst), Previous rankings: 18 (2014), 20 (2016), 12 (2017), 25 (2018) Let's not focus on the possible downsides, though. The Cubs broadcast booth is manned by Len Kasper and former player/manager Bob Brenly. Just too inconsistent to be placed near the top of the list. Broadcast Network(s): Root Sports Pittsburgh, Contributors: Greg Brown, Steve Blass, John Wehner. Cohen is a very strong broadcaster and effectively balances both play-by-play and conversational topics. Analysis: Joe Simpson has been shifted to a more limited role this season, and I expected the Braves to tick up in the rankings a bit this year. ESPN Radio Series Announcers Red . The play-by-play duties are split between Joe Simpson and Chip Caray. Consider them the anti-D-backs, in that the offense will probably be fine, but last years considerable pitching questions remain. Do not hesitate to contact us to say hello. Perhaps they should rely more on that aspect if they are struggling for topics to discuss during the course of the game. The Texas Rangers broadcast team is comprised of Dave Barnett and former major league player and GM Tom Grieve. Rule Changes Probable Pitchers Starting Lineups . The criteria are: 1. The Bremer/Blyleven team generally receives positive reviews from the fans and deservedly so. Is there risk in the rotation, especially with Lamet trying to pitch past an elbow injury? The rotation is already suffering some health questions. He is generally teamed with Mark Grant, who brings good analysis and a bit of humor to the presentation. Benintendi not having actually been productive since the Red Sox raised the trophy makes trading him off reasonable enough, but this still looks like an offense that has Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Alex Verdugo and a ton of questions. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. Previous grades: 1.63 (2014), 1.66 (2016), 1.91 (2017), 1.87 (2018). The Dodgers broadcast team as a whole is very strong, and Scully's longevity is a marvel to witness. Still, a top three of Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo and Mahle could be solid enough. The remarkable thing about Scully is not only that he still broadcasting at the ripe old age of 84, but he is doing so on a high level. That is exactly the case with the well-traveled and well-decorated broadcaster Dick Enberg, who handles the play-by-play duties for the Padres. The criteria are: 1. -Rick Horton (analyst) Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content 18. Now 24, Tats slashed .282/.364/.611 with 25 stolen bases and a National League-leading 42 home runs in only 130 games played in 2021. They were historically bad in 2018, then were better in '19 and better than that in '20. Last year, I was happy because every team received at least 1,000 grades. The play-by-play duties are captained by Martinez, who joined the Blue Jays booth in 2010. We dug into this recently; the Giants are becoming a team that knows how to make their players better, or find players they can turn into stars. But theres a big difference between teams we dont think will win, and teams we dont think will be interesting. The per-game option here is interesting and different for a RSN. 30. Globe Life Field seems like a delightful place to experience baseball, though few people have had the opportunity yet. For a team that had consistently won 60% of its games over the past three years, a 97-win pace, it seemed like a disappointingly quiet offseason. Barnett carries the broadcast for the most part, making this pairing rather average. Oh, and Surez might play shortstop now. Sims' broadcasting style can be closely likened to that of the wildly enthusiastic Gus Johnson. Top 30 by Team . He transitions exceedingly well from play-by-play to commentary and back. Broadcast Network(s): Comcast SportsNet Chicago, WGN-TV, WCIU-TV. The team is comprised of play-by-play voice Bob Carpenter and former major-leaguer F.P. It seems that the two struggle at times during their conversations. The current Braves announcing team consists of a plethora of broadcasters and former players. The Giants are building something. It may not be a bad idea to add a third commentator to the booth. As far as Opening Days go, this one feels just a bit more impactful. There is definitely a South Florida feel to a Miami Marlins broadcast. They are especially good at comparing current players to players they played with during the 1980s with the New York Mets. But really, did anyone else go out and get Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, breakout-waiting-to-happen Joe Musgrove and Ha-Seong Kim? Previously at the top of this list was Dodgers announcer Vin Scully, who may be the most famous and iconic MLB announcer ever. This team will be good. Anderson has a tendency to remain silent for long periods of time. Broadcast Network: New England Sports Network (NESN). So, as we look ahead to a promising 2021 season that will, fingers crossed, span a traditional six months and 162 games, it's time to split the 30 teams up into seven tiers. They are just clearly not the favorites. Those who watch Angels games are quite accustomed to the fact that Rojas controls the pace of the broadcast. It's probably fine. So why aren't they in the top tier? Likeability: Does the announcing crew genuinely come across as people a fan might enjoy spending an afternoon or evening with? Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. As in any field, some are better than others. The Emmy award-winning broadcaster called the Hideo Nomo debut as well as Cal Ripken's final game. 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