The changes to the Los Angeles Angels’ broadcast booth are continuing, with the latest move there being the departure of José Mota. Mota had worked on the Angels’ English- and Spanish-language radio and television broadcasts in various roles, including both play-by-play and analysis, since 2002, beginning his work on the English-language side in 2007. He also served as a second analyst in their main booth last year. But he’s now leaving. Here’s the Instagram post he put up on that Thursday:
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Here’s more on Mota (seen above in 2014) from MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger:
Mota began calling Spanish-language broadcasts for the Angels in 2002 before getting his start in English-language TV broadcasts in 2007. After serving in a variety of roles over the years in both Spanish and English, he began a new role last year as the club’s second in-game analyst alongside Mark Gubicza. The native of the Dominican Republic made history in the process, becoming the first Latin-born former player to serve as a full-time broadcaster for a Major League club.
…Mota, 56, played 19 games in the Majors with the Padres (1991) and Royals (1995) after being selected in the second round of the 1985 Draft out of Cal State Fullerton. Mota, the son of Dodgers pinch-hit legend Manny Mota, retired after the 1996 season and began his broadcast career with FOX in 1997, calling games in Spanish.
It’s unknown if Mota will be replaced or if the Angels will stick to a two-man booth in 2022. Matt Vasgersian returns as the primary play-by-play announcer, and Patrick O’Neal will step in when Vasgersian is unavailable. Gubicza remains as an in-game analyst.
As noted above, this is one of the many changes to Angels’ broadcasts recently. They surprisingly let go of secondary play-by-play voice Daron Sutton last July, in the middle of the season, bringing in Rich Waltz to replace him. They then told Waltz he wouldn’t be returning this January. Vasgersian (the team’s primary play-by-play voice beginning last year, replacing long-time voice Victor Rojas) is taking on a larger role still with the team after leaving ESPN, continuing the changes there. And now Mota is exiting as well. So the Angels’ broadcasts will look and sound quite different in 2022.
[MLB.com; photo from Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports]
