Following the retirement of Dennis Eckersley, it appears NESN has their next primary Red Sox analyst.
Per MassLive, Kevin Youkilis will be the primary analyst next season, and is expected to call roughly half of the team’s games alongside play by play announcer Dave O’Brien.
Youkilis was in the booth last season for 50 games, as were Eckersley, MLB Network fixture Kevin Millar, and Boston radio personality Tony Massarotti. Millar is expected to return to call some games in 2023, while Massarotti announced “that the station did not ask him back to the booth next season” on Monday.
Studio analyst Will Middlebrooks, who joined NESN in 2022, is also expected to spend time in the booth this year. Tim Wakefield, another studio analyst, also could get a look.
MassLive reports that “NESN has not finalized its analyst rotation” and that other ex-players could enter the fray as the season approaches.
It was always going to be tough for NESN to replace the legendary Jerry Remy following his death in October 2021, and the retirement of the well-respected Eckersley last year threw another wrench into the succession plan. Youkilis is the next man up, but it seems like NESN is keeping its options open with other former players potentially joining the fray.
[MassLive]
