The Garagiola name has been associated with Arizona Diamondbacks baseball dating back to the beginning days of the expansion franchise in 1995. Joe Garagiola Jr. was the team’s first general manager and his late father, former major-league catcher and legendary broadcaster Joe Garagiola Sr. was an analyst on D-Backs broadcasts for 15 seasons.
Beginning next season, the Garagiola legacy with the D-Backs will continue. Chris Garagiola, Joe Sr.’s grandson, will be joining the team’s radio broadcast crew as a pre- and post-game host on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM and the Diamondbacks Radio Network. Additionally, he will be the team’s secondary radio play-by-play broadcaster.
For the past four seasons, Garagiola, 29, has been the radio play-by-play announcer for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. He also hosted a weekly one-hour radio show devoted to the Blue Wahoos and was the team’s TV analyst for broadcasts on Cox Sports Television.
https://twitter.com/ChrisGaragiola/status/1468280600515821571
“This is my childhood team, the one I’ve loved rooting for all of my life,” said Garagiola in a follow-up tweet, “and this is both a privilege and an honor I don’t take lightly. Thank you to the D-Backs for this opportunity.”
Garagiola replaces Mike Ferrin on the D-Backs’ radio pre- and post-game coverage. Ferrin left the Arizona broadcast team in October after six seasons to pursue other opportunities.
What a thrill this must be for Chris! Coming home to call games for the team he grew up around. Very cool! Huge Congratulations!! https://t.co/uvDx0OZf0s
— Mike Ferrin (@Mike_Ferrin) December 7, 2021
“Chris is an exciting, up-and-coming, classic voice with a unique perspective on the game,” said D-Backs president and CEO Derrick Hall on the team’s official announcement. “It is a thrill to bring home a native Phoenician and original D-backs fan to tell stories about his childhood team. We are excited for our fans to hear Chris working alongside Greg [Schulte] and Tom [Candiotti].”
Greg Schulte is Arizona’s primary play-by-play announcer, having called D-Backs radio broadcasts since the team’s inaugural 1998 season. Former major-league pitcher Tom Candiotti has worked alongside him as an analyst for the past 15 seasons.
Related: Steve Berthiaume & Bob Brenly will be Diamondbacks new TV broadcasters
About Ian Casselberry
Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.