Former big-league star Joey Votto was the top MLB broadcasting prospect this past offseason before signing a deal with NBC Sports. And he’s now set to make his debut for NBC’s Sunday Night Baseball.
Votto will serve as an NBC analyst on July 26 for the Sunday Night Baseball game between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. NBC play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti informed viewers of the news during the Yankees’ Sunday Night Baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
According to John Kiesewetter of Cincinnati’s WVXU, Votto will join Bob Costas on the field for the Sunday Night Baseball pregame show, and he will serve as an “Inside the Pitch” analyst for NBC during the game. Anthony Rizzo, CC Sabathia, and Clayton Kershaw have taken on the innovative “Inside the Pitch” role this season, offering expertise from the camera well in the dugout or bullpen.
Votto put together a fantastic career as a major-leaguer, with a robust .294/.409/.511 slash line over 17 seasons, all with the Cincinnati Reds. He was named the National League MVP in 2010, when he put together a 1.024 OPS. He’s considered one of the smartest hitters of all time with impeccable strike-zone judgment and swing decisions.
And to go with an extremely high IQ on the field, the Canadian first baseman has long been known for being one of the sport’s top personalities. His blend of smarts and charisma made him an ideal media target for networks, with NBC ultimately coming out on top for his services. And as he’s shown in-studio on MLB Network’s MLB Now, he’ll likely seem like a natural at the job rather quickly.
“When I tune in to the Hall of Fame event, I want to look up at the stage and know every single person up there… so for me when it comes to this potential list, Buster Posey is the clear standout.”
Joey Votto shares his view on who should be honored in the HOF. pic.twitter.com/jUV2cidBrh
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) July 22, 2026
In February, Votto explained that he’s modeling his approach to broadcasting after Inside the NBA analyst Kenny Smith.
“Probably my favorite of the four—Ernie is fabulous—but Kenny is probably my favorite,” Votto said. “Charles is hilarious, of course, and Shaq. But the two of them, Shaq and Charles, will say, ‘I don’t watch the games. Like, I’ll just kind of check in. I don’t know the players. I don’t know this, I don’t know that.’ And that to me, I can relate to because I think it gives you, there’s an authenticity to the moment when they’re on, when they’re talking about the teams.”
“I do think what made me good in baseball was my preparation, my attention to detail,” Votto added. “And I don’t think that I’m going to do something like this and not carry those same characteristics into any sort of TV work. Two reasons: first of all, I owe it to the watchers because I don’t want to waste people’s time the second I open my mouth. And second of all, I think anytime I’ve got any credit for anything I’ve said publicly, which led to this job, I was prepared, like I could speak to it and was passionate about it.”
In addition to Votto being part of the coverage, an NBC Sports publicist told Kiesewetter that Joe Girardi will make his Sunday Night Baseball debut as the color commentator alongside Benetti and Phillies color commentator John Kruk in the booth for the Yankees-Phillies game.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.