On Thursday, the Chicago White Sox announced that John Schriffen has been hired as the team’s new play-by-play broadcaster, replacing Jason Benetti.
The 39-year-old Schriffen has worked for ESPN since 2020 calling multiple sports. Before his time at ESPN, Schriffen had a stint at CBS covering the NFL, college basketball, and college football.
John Schriffen is bringing 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙮 & 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 to the booth…
but also needs some Chicago recommendations! Help him out ✍️⬇️
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) January 25, 2024
In an interview with MLB.com, Schriffen said he would be himself because Chicago fans can “see you as a fraud” if you’re trying to be someone else.
“You can’t try to be somebody that you are not,” Schriffen told MLB.com. “Chicago sports fans are intelligent, they are smart, they are the best fans in the country. If you are trying to be somebody else, they are going to see you as a fraud.
“That’s not who I am. That’s not who I want to be. I can’t be someone else. My style as a broadcaster is a passionate, energetic fan. I’m going to bring the energy, the passion.”
Schriffen also detailed how he connected with White Sox analyst Steve Stone. A planned hour-long dinner meeting on Sunday turned into three hours.
“We hit it off immediately,” Schriffen said. “Everybody knows Steve Stone is the greatest. He has done everything in baseball broadcasting – the dude is a legend.
“So, I said, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen, but can I keep in contact with you even if I don’t get this job?’ That’s how much I liked him. I kept him in the loop [on the hire], and he was as excited if not more excited for me. That’s how much of a good dude he is.”
As for his ESPN future, MLB.com notes that Schriffen’s “ongoing work with ESPN is still being figured out with the White Sox,” but that the team will be his priority during the season. Schriffen said he would call “the majority of the games” for the White Sox” and that the team “said whoever the next person is going to be, we want to make sure this job is their priority.” This was a point of contention in the team’s discussions with Benetti a year ago.
Benetti left the White Sox for the Detroit Tigers in November, saying the Tigers “wanted me. And I wanted them just as much.” Comments by a team executive about respect also spurred Benetti’s departure. Like Schriffen, Benetti worked for ESPN when hired by the White Sox, but in 2022, he began calling games for Peacock’s Sunday Leadoff package and also left ESPN for Fox Sports. When the White Sox were attempting to retain Benetti for the 2023 season, his national work played a major role in negotiations. Ultimately, a multi-year contract option was picked up by the team, but the White Sox allowed Benetti to leave for the Tigers job following the season.
[MLB.com]
