CHICAGO -- The White Sox hope to bring back the entirety of their broadcast teams, as Brooks Boyer, the organization’s executive vice president, chief revenue/marketing officer, told MLB.com prior to Friday’s game with the Padres.
That list of returnees includes John Schriffen, who would be entering his third season as the team’s television play-by-play voice.
“He’ll be back for 2026,” said Boyer of Schriffen. “John is enthusiastic. He’s sometimes, and maybe this could be a detriment, he’s in it with the guys. He has created good relationships with the players ... that’s part of what we have to do as an organization. You tell stories about these guys.
“So, I’m comfortable, confident that moving forward, he’s going to continue to do that. He has worked very hard at connecting with fans. Didn’t connect with fans as well last year as he did this year. That’s always a work in progress. When you look at our broadcast last year compared to this year, it’s a significant difference. I’m pleased with that.”
Steve Stone, one of the game’s top analysts for many a decade, would be back for his 19th season with the White Sox, while the team also hopes to return Dan Plesac and Gordon Beckham alongside Schriffen. That duo admirably filled in for Stone during his games off in ‘25, with Beckham joining Schriffen for three games each at the Yankees and Nationals next week to conclude the season.
Boyer raved about the work from Brooke Fletcher, in her first year as White Sox in-game reporter, and Connor McKnight, fellow in-game reporter and play-by-play man. In fact, Boyer looked at the team’s first season on Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) through the prism of the entire broadcast crew.
“So, it’s not a one-man broadcast. It’s not a two-man broadcast. We have what we believe is an amazing coverage team,” Boyer said. “You can make an argument, especially when you look to Friday all-access broadcasts we do, that we have one of the best local broadcasts in Major League Baseball and maybe all of pro sports.
“Brooke and Connor complement each other so well, with their baseball knowledge, they play off each other. We can go super deep in the analytics, we can tell the human stories, at the same time calling the games and letting Steve do what he does best.
“Where we were last year, we knew we needed to make a significant jump,” Boyer added. “We feel we’ve made that jump because it’s a completely different broadcast with the coverage team as opposed to just two guys in the booth.”
Last year’s broadcasts, which marked Schriffen’s first as the primary play-by-play man for a baseball team, were centered around a team with a 41-121 record. This year’s team has improved, especially post All-Star break, with compelling play from their burgeoning young prospects.
As Boyer pointed out, “This is clearly a different product moving forward.” Boyer reiterated the strength of his radio team, featuring Len Kasper as the play-by-play voice and Darrin Jackson as the analyst for ESPN Radio 1000.
“I would love to see them get an opportunity to call postseason games because their broadcast is so smooth, they are so good. They play off each other,” Boyer said. “You think about the radio play by play for baseball in this town -- with Pat Hughes for the Cubs and Len Kasper for the White Sox -- there’s no one close to them.”
While Boyer was happy with the overall product, focusing back on television, he’s not ignoring criticism. But he feels the group of Schriffen, Stone, McKnight and Fletcher, paired with the work from producer Chris Withers and the relationship with CHSN, gives them a highly positive path on the air.
“I have a few people that I like and trust that have given me very honest feedback on a lot of things. I know where their heart is,” Boyer said. “Their heart is they want the White Sox broadcast to be the very best that it can be.
“We listen to that. We take that into consideration as we try to work with CHSN to create the best possible baseball broadcast for our fans.”