Kevin Stocker receives multi-year deal to work in radio booth with Scott Franzke
The Philadelphia Phillies officially announced Tuesday that Kevin Stocker will be Scott Franzke’s primary radio partner in 2023.
Stocker, 53, has received a multi-year contract, the Phillies say. Matt Gelb of The Athletic had previously reported that the former shortstop was the leading candidate to serve as the color commentator alongside Franzke in games that Larry Andersen isn’t working. MLB.com‘s Todd Zolecki said earlier this week that Andersen will broadcast “around 60 home games” in 2023, leaving the entire road slate and select home games for Stocker.
“I’m very grateful to the Philadelphia Phillies for my expanded role in the broadcast booth and the opportunity to work alongside a group of broadcasters who are the best in the business,” Stocker said in a statement issued by the Phillies. “They love to bring Phillies baseball to the fans, and I am truly honored to be a part of it.”
Stocker was part of a four-man group essentially given tryouts with Franzke in 2022, as the team looked to replace Kevin Frandsen, who had departed to become part of Washington Nationals TV broadcasts. Stocker’s expanded role means that the trio of Erik Kratz, Michael Bourn and Chad Durbin will not return to the booth this upcoming season.
Once upon a time, Stocker lost out to Frandsen after those two and Kevin Jordan got a chance to audition in the 2018 season, when Andersen first scaled back from working all 162 games.
A second-round pick in the 1991 MLB Draft, Stocker slashed .262/.347/.350 in parts of five seasons with the Phillies. He was traded to the expansion Tampa Bay Devils Rays for Bobby Abreu in November of 1997.
The Phillies also announced that they have signed Franzke and TV voice Tom McCarthy to multi-year contract extensions as well.
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