Awful Announcing’s 2025 MLB local broadcaster rankings

15. Minnesota Twins (Cory Provus, Justin Morneau; also Anthony LaPanta and Kris Attebury on play-by-play and LaTroy Hawkins, Glen Perkins, Tim Laudner, Trevor Plouffe, and Denard Span on analysis): 2.30

Most common grade: C (46.2%)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 85.4%

The 32 F grades the Twins’ booth received tied with the Blue Jays and Orioles’ booths for the least in our poll, but Minnesota drew fewer overall votes (900 versus 1,017 and 1,091 for those teams, respectively). The Twins also only drew 83 As, which is part of why they’re not higher here. But they drew less harsh criticism than many teams above them.

This season marks Provus’ second year as the Twins’ primary play-by-play voice, following Dick Bremer’s famed 1983-2023 run. Provus had previously worked on their radio broadcasts since 2012, and had done some work on the TV side as well. 

Morneau has been working on the Twins’ broadcasts since 2018 and became their lead analyst in 2020. Many of the guest analysts listed here have been regular contributors over the past few years as well. The Twins drew a 2.31 (17th) in our 2023 rankings and a 2.35 (14th) last year.

The comments here saw some nostalgia for past broadcasters. That included “Not the same since Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven left” and “Twins fans LUST for the days of Dick Bremer.” However, Provus received his own praise, from “day-by-day very solid” to “fantastic” to “nails big-time calls.” 

The Twins’ overall broadcast drew some plaudits as well, especially for three days of players-only broadcasts in June while Provus took a vacation. That saw lines such as “The players-only broadcast solidified that I love what the Twins broadcast is doing” and “Their recent players-only three-game series was outstanding.” And several respondents cited year-over-year improvement in general, including “The broadcast made a huge jump this year.”

14. Seattle Mariners (Aaron Goldsmith, Angie Mentink; also Rick Rizzs and Brad Adam on play-by-play and Jay Buhner, Ryan Rowland-Smith, and Dave Valle on analysis): 2.35

Most common grade: C (43.1%)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 86.1%

The Seattle broadcast saw some changes this year, with Goldsmith taking over full play-by-play thanks to Dave Sims (who he’d previously split the TV role with when not on the radio side) leaving for the Yankees’ radio job, and Mentik replacing Mike Blowers as the primary analyst. The Mariners’ booth drew a 2.89 (eighth) in 2023 and a 2.69 (11th) last season, so this is a drop for them, and some of that was about receiving 81 Ds and 43 Fs out of 895 votes.

In the comments, several viewers expressed dissatisfaction with this year’s shifts. On the play-by-play side, that included lines like “Not sure Goldsmith is an everyday announcer. Sims’ departure is taking its toll on fans” and “Man, they miss Dave Sims.” Others called Goldsmith “a little too much of a homer at the play-by-play spot” and said he has “regressed.” But a few respondents praised him with lines like “very good” and “one of the most underrated broadcasters in any sport,” and one found him an upgrade over Sims 

On the analysis side, there was some criticism for Mentink, including “rough” and “has not grown into the role.” But one viewer found her “a wonderful change of pace.” There was also some praise for each of the other analysts, but also some critiques, including “None of their analysts can speak in complete sentences.”

13. Atlanta Braves (Brandon Gaudin, C.J. Nitkowski; also Jeff Francoeur on analysis): 2.36

Most common grade: C (37.1%)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 83.8%

The Braves’ broadcast has undergone some recent changes. That saw Gaudin slide in for Chip Caray (who left for the Cardinals) ahead of the 2023 season and Nitkowski move over from the Rangers as the main analyst ahead of the 2024 season, with Francoeur shifting into a smaller role at that time. Gaudin and Francoeur (primarily) drew a 2.66 in 2023, 11th, while Gaudin and Nitkowski drew a 2.61 last year (12th).

Several commenters here had high praise for Nitkowski. That included “the best color commentator in the game IMO!”, “the highlight,” “one of the best analysts around,” and “excellent.” However, others had more criticism for him, including “unbearable with how smart he thinks he is” and “has the most boring voice I have ever heard,” and quite a few stated their preference for Francoeur over Nitkowski.

On the play-by-play front, some loved Gaudin, offering lines such as “best baseball play-by-play commentator on television,” “a rising star and needs more national assignments,” and “The upgrade from Chip Caray to Brandon Gaudin a few years ago has greatly improved my quality of life.” But others criticized Gaudin with lines like “spends nine innings trying to work a sexual reference in” and “a rough listen.” And there were several shots at the booth overall for homerism.

12. Los Angeles Dodgers (Joe Davis, Orel Hershiser; also Stephen Nelson and Tim Neverett on play-by-play and Nomar Garciaparra, Eric Karros, Dontrelle Willis, Rick Monday, and Jessica Mendoza on analysis): 2.45

Most common grade: A (31.4%)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 73.0%

We have our first booth, which is the most common grade of A, and it received 386 A votes out of 1228 total votes. They also received 345 Bs. However, they didn’t finish higher mainly due to drawing 233 Fs, the third-highest total (behind only the Athletics and Yankees).

This marked Davis’ ninth season as the Dodgers’ lead TV play-by-play voice, following his split of that role with Vin Scully in 2016. Hershiser has been working on the team’s TV broadcasts since 2014 and has been the lead analyst alongside Davis since 2017. The Dodgers’ booth drew a 3.05 in both our 2023 and 2024 rankings, good for fifth in both, so this is a drop for them.

Notably, many of the critical comments here praised Davis while bashing others. Lines there included “Davis is a good play-by-play guy, just wish the broadcast team overall was less biased” and “Davis is great, but the others are homers.” But he drew criticism as well, including “Joe Davis is either reading the Wikipedia page of a player or yelling,” and “too smarmy,” and one respondent called him “too much of a Dodger cheerleader for me.”

Another note here came around praise for the top team of Davis and Hershiser, but criticism for the others. Some of that included “When it’s the top team on the game, they are excellent. …The large bench of others can make it confusing at times,” “They’re much better when it’s Joe and Orel,” “A with Joe Davis, D with Stephen Nelson” (on a C grade), and “Great when Davis is there. Otherwise, not as good.” But there were some positive comments about Nelson, Neverett, Karros, and Mendoza in particular.

Hershiser also drew both plaudits and criticism. Some praise included “Orel knows and explains the details of the game better than most” and “the best there is out there” (in combination with Davis). But there were a lot of people who weren’t high on him, with lines there including “Hershiser’s smugness and general idiocy is unbearable,” “an unabashed homer,” and “This would be a B except for Orel Hershiser. His homering and inability to shut the hell up are the pits” (on a D grade).

11. Boston Red Sox (Dave O’Brien, Lou Merloni; also Mike Monaco and Tom Caron on play-by-play and Will Middlebrooks and Kevin Millar on analysis): 2.47

Most common grade: B (40.0%)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 80.9%

The Red Sox are the second team to receive a most common grade of B, and they’re well ahead of the 23rd-ranked Yankees. A significant portion of that is due to a much higher percentage of A/B/C votes. This booth drew 195 As and 101 Fs out of 1,125 total votes.

This is a bit of a step up for the Boston booth. They drew a 2.37 (16th) in 2023 and a 2.31 (15th) last year, but wound up just outside the top 10 this time. They’ve drawn a B as their most common grade in each of those years, but the extra As here helped bolster this score.

O’Brien, who the team tabbed as their lead play-by-play voice to replace Don Orsillo ahead of the 2016 season, drew particular discussion in the comments. Some of that was positive, including “first rate,” “a consummate pro,” and “the best.” But others went in on him with lines such as “so boring,” “has no personality,” and “If you had AI create a baseball announcer, it would spit out Obie.” Many noted they’re still disappointed about Orsillo being gone, and several readers stated a preference for backup announcer Monaco, with one calling him “a million times better than O’Brien could ever be.”

On the analysis side, many offered high praise for Merloni (who has been on the TV calls since 2023 following a long time on the radio, but has been taking on more and more TV games lately). That included “Lou is great” and “Lou saves the broadcast.” But some others offered plaudits for Middlebrooks and Millar. And while there was some criticism of the team for its analyst rotation,  some others wanted more of the non-Merloni analysts.

10. Los Angeles Angels (Wayne Randazzo, Mark Gubicza; also Patrick O’Neal and Matt Vasgersian on play-by-play and Tim Salmon, Garret Anderson, Bobby Grich, and Bobby Valentine on analysis): 2.59

Most common grade: B (35.3%)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 85.8%

We’re into the top 10, and a big reason this booth made it that high came from their significant percentage of A/B/C votes. They only received 47 Fs and 98 Ds out of 1,022 votes, and they earned 217 As. 

Gubicza started on the Angels’ TV broadcasts in 2007 and has been their main analyst since 2010. Randazzo became their main play-by-play voice in 2023. The 2.59 this team drew this year is a boost from the 2.46 they drew in 2023 (15th) and the 2.23 they drew last year (16th).

In the comments, there was a lot of praise for Randazzo. That included “Wayne Randazzo needs more love—top five PxP guy in the game,” “one of the few P-B-P announcers that’ll play more down the middle (big plus) while unafraid to speak his mind,” and “Randazzo is fantastic with Mark!” Beyond that, there was some praise for Vasgersian in a fill-in role, but there was a lot of criticism for O’Neal, including “Randazzo and Gubicza get a B+, but O’Neal is an F-, bringing down the grade.”

Gubicza received significant praise as well, especially for his work with Randazzo. Some of that included “one of the best across the league,” “Randazzo and Gubi are the goats,” “Wayne Randazzo and Gubi are awesome together,” “Best in the league and it’s not close, especially Mark Gubicza who is the best in the league by a country mile,” and “Wayne and Gubi make me love baseball again, but unfortunately it requires watching Angels’ baseball.” And that’s notable too; despite the Angels’ on-field struggles, their broadcast is still getting a lot of love.

9. Milwaukee Brewers (Jeff Levering, Bill Schroeder; also Brian Anderson and Craig Coshun on play-by-play and Tim Dillard, Chris Singleton, Vinny Rottino, and Jeff Cirillo on analysis): 2.66

Most common grade: B (37.3%)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 89.1%

The Brewers’ booth wound up in around the same place in these rankings as it did the past two seasons. They finished ninth in 2023 with a 2.87 and eighth last year with a 2.84. This is a grade drop for them, perhaps driven by their Ds (73 of 971), but they still wound up with some of the fewest F grades (33). 

Levering has been working with the Brewers since 2015, starting on the radio side. He took on more television work beginning in 2021, thanks to Anderson (who’s been calling games for the team since 2007) getting more national work for TBS. Schroeder has been the Brewers’ main analyst since 1995.

The comments here saw a lot of praise for Anderson despite his less-than-full-time role. Those included “Brian Anderson is the best play-by-play guy in the business,” ““The more BA the better the grade, he’s an ace” (on a B grade), and “BA is great…would be A if he did all games” (on a B grade). However, Levering drew some compliments of his own, including “future star,” “incredibly steady and remarkably versatile,” and “very underrated.”

On the analysis side, Schroeder took some criticism. That included “continues to be one of the worst color guys in the majors.” And several lobbied for Dillard to get more work, including “Jeff Levering and Tim Dillard together is fab and we need more of it throughout the season,” “When Anderson and Schroeder are on the call it’s an A-quality broadcast” (on a B grade), and “Tim Dillard should be the full-time backup analyst.” But many liked the booth overall, calling it “solid” and “really professional and enthusiastic.”

8. Detroit Tigers (Jason Benetti, Andy Dirks; also Dan Dickerson on play-by-play and Dan Petry, Carlos Peña, and Todd Jones on analysis): 2.74

Most common grade: A (45.6%)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 79.2%

The Tigers saw one of the most significant year-over-year changes from 2023 to 2024, going from dead last with a 1.55 to 10th with a 2.71. A large part of that was about bringing in Benetti from the White Sox. Dirks started with the team on the radio side in a substitute role in 2023, worked more games there last year, and then shifted to TV ahead of this season, splitting duty with Petry as the main analyst.

The overall response here saw the Tigers move even higher in the Top 10. However, that came with some intense polarization. They received the fourth-most As (620 of 1,362), but also the fourth-most Fs (230). 

That polarization was reflected in the comments as well, especially when it came to the discussion of the broadcast’s increased tangents away from the field in the Benetti era. That included “Not sure when a baseball broadcast became a standup comedy act, but that’s what we have every night,” “Wish more people would see through the Benetti schtick,” “Too many jokes, not enough baseball,” and “Ugh, I wish they would just talk about the game.”But there was a huge amount of praise for Benetti and this approach too, such as “Benetti is one of the top PxP commentators in the sport,” “Benetti is a treasure,” and “Jason and Andy are the ultimate duo, providing humor and insight to each broadcast.”

On the analyst side, Dirks drew particular praise. That included “Benetti and Dirks work really well together. This is a top-of-the-line broadcast,” and “Benetti and Dirks have incredible chemistry.” Another viewer said, “Dirks is one of the most beloved glue guys the team has seen in years and is an absolute joy to listen to as a color guy.” And Dickerson (who mostly works on the radio side, but fills in for Benetti during Benetti’s breaks for nationals work) drew significant plaudits too, including “a breath of fresh air” and “the best in the business.”

7. Baltimore Orioles (Kevin Brown, Ben McDonald or Jim Palmer; also Scott Garceau, Brett Hollander, Melanie Newman, and Ben Wagner on play-by-play): 2.82

Most common grade: B (39.8%)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 91.6%

The Orioles’ broadcast is interesting to contrast with the Tigers’ one, which ranked just below them. Both have younger primary announcers who often draw attention for segues away from the game. But with Brown and the Orioles, that produces less extreme responses. This booth received the fewest F grades (32 out of 1,091), tied with the Blue Jays and Twins, and also earned the ninth-most As.

Brown has been on the Orioles’ TV broadcasts since 2020, taking the primary role there in 2023. Palmer has worked on these broadcasts since 1993, with McDonald starting on the radio in 2017 and joining the TV side in 2018. This booth earned a 2.70 in 2023, 10th, and a 3.07 last year (following a strange Brown suspension saga in August 2023), fourth. 

In the comments, there was a lot of praise for Brown in particular. That included “fun, personable, knowledgeable and tells great stories surrounding baseball and anything else,” “the best PXP guy in MLB and deadpan hilarious,” “best young PBP guy in baseball,” and “Kevin is top notch! Great sense of humor and pop culture!” He had a few critics, including “sounds like most generic PBP men” and “an annoying homer,” but there were many more plaudits than criticisms.

On the analysis side, some respondents preferred McDonald, while others preferred Palmer. McDonald received more positive comments overall, including “The combination of Kevin Brown and Ben McDonald makes every game interesting and a fun listen,” “Kevin and Ben are the absolute best,” “prefer Ben to Jim now,” and “Ben and Kevin Brown have crazy good chemistry.” 

But some criticized McDonald, offering lines such as “McDonald talks way too much, and never says anything of substance.” And Palmer drew his own praise, including “Jim Palmer is amazing and we’re so lucky his analysis remains spot-on without a trace of the bitterness displayed by many retired jocks” and “Would be an ‘A’ if Palmer was in the booth” (on a B grade). There was also some overall bashing of the amount of rotation with this crew, including “too many cooks in the kitchen.”

6. Philadelphia Phillies (Tom McCarthy, John Kruk; also Scott Franzke on play-by-play and Ben Davis, Mike Schmidt, Rubén Amaro Jr., and Cole Hamels on analysis)

Most common grade: B (38.3%)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 90.1%

This is the second-straight top-10 finish for the Phillies’ booth. They placed seventh last year with a 2.85, up from 14th with a 2.48 in 2023. 

McCarthy has been the team’s primary TV play-by-play voice since 2008, while Kruk took his lead analyst role in 2017. They drew 447 As and 455 Bs out of 1,187 votes.

The comments here had a lot of praise for Kruk in particular. That included “Such a drop off from when Kruk is there to when he isn’t,” “Kruk is obviously great,” “the best analyst on any RSN anywhere,” “John Kruk is the Charles Barkley of baseball,” and “Great with Kruk, terrible with Ben Davis and Ruben.” But not everyone was a fan of his, as seen through lines such as “Kruk sounds drunk and stories are stale” and “Replace Kruk—hard to listen to.”

McCarthy drew significant approval for his work as well. That included “very solid and a good straight man for Kruk,” “a hidden gem,” and “Tom McCarthy is America’s most underrated broadcaster.” However, some offered negatives for him, including “talks too much.”

Hamels, Franzke, and Davis also saw some of their own praise. But many were critical of the non-Kruk versions of this booth. And Amaro in particular took criticism, including “brutally bad,” “Knocking down their grade is Amaro, who is simply terrible” (on a B grade), and “this reverts to a C or D when Amaro is on the broadcast” (on an A grade).

5. Chicago Cubs (Jon Sciambi, Jim Deshaies; also Alex Cohen on play-by-play and Rick Sutcliffe, Doug Glanville, Elise Menaker, Ryan Dempster, Taylor McGregor, and more on analysis): 3.01

Most common grade: B (38.3%)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 92.3%

The Cubs’ booth not only retained the top-10 ranking they earned the past two seasons, but improved on it. They placed seventh in 2023 with a 2.95 and ninth last year with a 2.79. Sciambi has been the main play-by-play voice here since 2021, while Deshaies has worked on these broadcasts since 2013, mainly as the lead analyst. This booth drew 425 As from 1,149 grades.

In these comments, there was particular praise for the central pairing of Sciambi and Deshaies. That included “Boog and JD are strong,” “Sciambi is up there with Cohen, Shulman, Brown and Miller for the elite tier,” “Sciambi is an ace, and Deshaies has an authentic quirkiness to him that doesn’t feel like a desperate act,” “Great chemistry between Sciambi and Deshaies,” and “Big fan of Sciambi. Notable voice with knowledge, offering authenticity and humour.”

However, there was criticism there as well for both of the lead figures. Some of that for Sciambi included “I am over Boog,” “I like when Glanville is on. I’m not a Sciambi guy,” and “F unless Pat Hughes is on, then it’s an A.” There was also praise for substitute Cohen, including “Alex Cohen should be the full-time voice.”

For Deshaies, some of the criticism included “Deshaies drags down the whole broadcast” and “Deshaies is working hard to become as sh*tty as Hawk Harrelson was.” But many people preferred the main booth of Sciambi and Deshaies to any of the backup options. 

4. Toronto Blue Jays (Dan Shulman, Buck Martinez; also Martinez, Matt Devlin, and Ben Shulman on play-by-play and Joe Siddall and Caleb Joseph on analysis): 

Most common grade: A and B (each 38.1%)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 91.8%

A significant number of people liked the Blue Jays’ booth, with it receiving 387 As and 387 Bs out of 1,017 votes. This booth also only received 32 Fs, tied for the fewest in our poll with the Orioles and Twins. Toronto finished fourth in 2023 with a 3.07 and sixth last year with a 2.89.

Martinez has been a long-time fixture on Blue Jays’ telecasts, working on their TSN broadcasts from 1987-2000 and then on their current Sportsnet ones since 2010. Shulman actually worked with Martinez on TSN from 1995-2001, then left for ESPN; he returned as a guest announcer for Jays’ games on Sportsnet beginning in 2015, then took over the primary play-by-play role in 2020. 

The comments showered Shulman with numerous accolades. Those included “Shulman elevates this booth in a big way,” “Every Blue Jays game feels special because I associate Shulman with the best games of the week,” and “Dan Shulman’s voice fits baseball, miss him on ESPN Sunday Night.” Many also praised his chemistry with Martinez, including “Shulman/Martinez as good as it gets,” “Dan and Buck are the best in the league,” and “You get the pro in Shulman and the old-timer in Buck with the wacky stories. What more could you ask for?”

However, there was also some criticism of Martinez. That included “Not much of a Martinez fan here,” “Martinez is an absolute no-go if he’s on the call,” and “Martinez clearly does zero prep work other than hanging around the clubhouse.” 

Other figures, including Siddall and Joseph, won some plaudits as well, but also had some detractors. Still, the overall comments here were quite positive, matching the high grades this booth received.

3. San Francisco Giants (Duane Kuiper, Mike Krukow; also Dave Flemming and Jon Miller on play-by-play and Javier López, Shawn Estes, and Hunter Pence on analysis): 3.20

Most common grade: A (54.4%)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 90.8%

The Giants continue to do very well in these polls. They’ve finished first in four of the seven we’ve run to date, most recently in 2023 with a 3.41, and were second last year with a 3.35. This year is a little bit of a step down for them, with 59 Fs out of 1,200 playing a role there, but they still drew more than half A responses (653).

This is a well-established booth, especially for the first four of Kuiper, Krukow, Flemming, and Miller. Krukow joined the booth in 1993, with Kuiper following a year later. Miller has been there since 1996, and Flemming, the youngest of the four, has been there since 2006.

In the comments, there was significant praise for the Giants’ setup overall. That included “The cream of the crop, and it’s not particularly close,” “The absolute best in the business, TV and radio. Cadence, modulation, humor, insight, chemistry – they’re the model for everyone else,” “The whole crew is incredible, and depending on the day you can see that they all mesh well together,” and “Great guys that love baseball and it shows. They are timeless.” 

When it came to individual remarks on broadcasters, there were notable plaudits for each of the main figures. Those included “Kuiper is great on play-by-play,” “Kuiper/Krukow chemistry is best in the business. Miller could narrate paint drying and make it entertaining,” “Duane and Mike are hands down the best in baseball right now,” and “Kuiper has the best home run call EVER!” There was also praise for the way the main analysts are rotated between TV and radio work in different combinations, including “I like that everyone can alternate between radio and television, gives everyone a taste of everything.”

There wasn’t a lot of criticism for the Giants’ announcing lineup overall, but there was some. One viewer said Kuiper “barely says anything except for the bare minimum,” while another found the whole team “old and tired and on autopilot,” and someone else said “Kuiper/Krukow schtick is passé.” There were also some critical comments on the substitute analysts, including “None of the three add much,” but some others had positive remarks for Pence.

2. New York Mets (Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling; also Steve Gelbs on play-by-play and Todd Zeile, Jerry Blevins, and Daniel Murphy on analysis): 3.32

Most common grade: A (64.7%)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 90.4%

The Mets finished first in our rankings last year with a 3.37, and were second in 2023 with a  3.34. This numerical grade is pretty close to those, but there was some separation here from the No. 1 booth. And that showed up in the grades: the 849 As this booth received were by far the second-highest in this poll, but were still 198 behind the top team, while the 65 Fs they got were 31 more than that of the top booth.

There were a lot of people who loved this booth more than any other, though, and that showed up in the comments. Some of the remarks there included “best booth in baseball, the Mets owe these guys a lot of money for keeping fans interested during the lean years on the field,” “Gary, Keith, and Ron are the gold standard,” “My girlfriend, who is not a fan of baseball, said of these 3 guys ‘I could listen to these guys all day,’” and “Simply the best, and I’m not even a Mets fan.”

Many of the booths lower down in these rankings drew criticism for perceived homerism. In contrast, many of the comments here specifically praised the Mets’ booth’s willingness to criticize their team when warranted. Some lines there included “Simply the best in the business. Not afraid to rip the team or its players. …Do not live in a home team bubble,” “they’re not afraid to be critical when it’s warranted,” and “The best!! Honest analysis and just enough entertainment.”

The comments did see some mild criticism for Cohen and Hernandez in particular. Some lines there included “They do a great job but Cohen grates on me after awhile,” “Gary has been making a lot of mistakes this year on the count, ball-strike calls,” “Keith Hernandez being stuck in the 80s way of thinking and evaluating baseball keeps this grade from being an A” (on a B),” and “lately Keith Hernandez has gotten a little preachy.” But the overall sentiment of the comments here was definitely “best in baseball,” with more than 10 people offering versions of that.

1. San Diego Padres (Don Orsillo, Mark Grant; also Jesse Agler on play-by-play and Tony Gwynn Jr. on analysis): 3.47

Most common grade: A (69.5%)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 94.6%

We have a new top booth, and a significant part of its success was due to the spectacular 1,047 A votes it received out of 1,507 votes. They also received only 34 Fs, the fifth-lowest in this poll. 

Grant has been on these calls since 1996, while Orsillo has been there since moving over from the Red Sox ahead of the 2016 season. This booth finished first in our 2019 poll with a 2.99, third in 2023 with a 3.24, and third last year with a 3.26.

Interestingly enough, these comments saw more negativity than some of the other top booths. Some of the lines there included “Orsillo’s faux excitement just doesn’t do it for me,” “I cannot stand when Don Orsillo yells on any semi-exciting play,” and “Not convinced they have personalities.”

However, there were many more positive comments overall. Some of those included “One of the few booths that can achieve unhinged humor,” “Orsillo has been an ace for a long time, and Grant is a ‘quirky’ analyst who makes the game fun to watch,” “Hilariously entertaining while simultaneously doing an excellent job announcing the game,” and “Would give an A+ if I could. Orsillo and Grant are by far the best duo in the game.”

Indeed, the most common sentiment in these comments was the idea of “best.” There were at least 65 usages of either “best” or “GOAT” for this booth, far more than we saw for any other announcing team. Thus, the comments wound up reflecting the numerical grades, and both pointed to this team as Awful Announcing readers’ favorite by far this season.