On Thursday, Bally Sports announced the hiring of Brandon Gaudin as the next play by play announcer for the Atlanta Braves.
Gaudin replaces Chip Caray, who left for the St. Louis Cardinals job earlier this offseason.
Welcome, Brandon Gaudin 🎙️@BrandonGaudin will be the new play-by-play voice of @Braves baseball on the Bally Sports Regional Networks!
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) February 16, 2023
Nationally, Gaudin is most known for his work with Fox and Big Ten Network, though he usually calls football and basketball. However, he has called national MLB games for Fox in recent years.
Here are a couple of quotes from Gaudin, Bally Sports, and the Braves about Gaudin’s hiring.
“Today is the realization of a childhood dream,” said Gaudin. “I get to be behind the mic for the team I grew up idolizing. And the team who fostered my love for both sports and broadcasting. I’m grateful to both the Braves and Bally Sports for this incredible opportunity. I cannot wait to work alongside this team and talented broadcast crew.”
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“Brandon is the perfect fit for what we were looking for as the new voice of the Atlanta Braves on Bally Sports,” said Jeff Genthner, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Bally Sports South and Bally Sports Southeast. “His proven qualifications as a national broadcaster, coupled with his passion for the Atlanta Braves and city of Atlanta make him an excellent fit for our broadcast team. We are excited to welcome him to Bally Sports.”
“We welcome Brandon into the Braves family as well as our broadcast booth,” said Derek Schiller, Atlanta Braves President and CEO. “The Braves have had a legendary lineup of broadcasters throughout our history and we are excited to find someone who is familiar with our past from growing up a Braves fan and respecting those who came before him.”
Gaudin, who lives in Atlanta, also called football, men’s basketball, and baseball games at Georgia Tech prior to his move to BTN. He also shared a Twitter thread about growing up a Braves fan and what the opportunity means to him, and noted that he’ll continue his work with Fox and BTN.
When it came to naming Caray’s replacement, Gaudin wasn’t even in the initial picture. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman initially mentioned Braves radio broadcaster Ben Ingram, former Braves broadcaster and reporter Tom Hart, and former Marlins and Angels broadcaster Rich Waltz as potential replacements. Soon after, he named Hart “a top finalist” for the position. AA has also learned that former Angels broadcaster Victor Rojas, who left his role with the team prior to the 2021 season, also was a finalist for the role.
Following Caray’s departure, I opined that there were two different directions the Braves and Bally Sports South could go. Would they hire a short-term bridge announcer for the 2023 season, aiming to hire a long-term replacement next offseason when they had more time to conduct a search? Or would they immediately go for the long-term solution in their brief time this offseason, knowing their shorter timeframe might limit the possible applicants? Gaudin falls into the “long-term solution” bracket, and snaring a broadcaster with his profile and connection to the city is a coup with such limited time.
