FOX is currently searching for an MLB color commentator to replace Tim McCarver, who retired at the culmination of the World Series, and Harold Reynolds is reportedly at the top of the list of candidates.
The Boston Globe‘s Chad Finn, building off an earlier report from Sports Illustrated‘s Richard Deitsch, has the news:
MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds is the front-runner to replace McCarver, as Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch was the first to report several weeks ago, and at this point it seems a fait accompli that he’ll be the choice over candidates such as Tom Verducci and John Smoltz.
The 72-year-old McCarver, who worked his first World Series in 1985 and has been around the game extensively since he broke into the big leagues as a 17-year-old in 1959, will be a tough act to follow. He joined FOX’s broadcast team in 1996 and has served as one of the most prominent color voices in all of baseball.
Reynolds spent 12 seasons in the major leagues, mostly with the Seattle Mariners, where he was a two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner.
He joined ESPN in 1996, where he worked on Baseball Tonight for 11 years. After being fired for sexual harassment in 2006, he eventually joined MLB Network in 2009, which is where he remains today.
While Reynolds clearly has an extensive baseball history and a passion for the game, he certainly wouldn’t be everyone’s favorite candidate to fill the big shoes of McCarver.
As Finn puts it, he “rarely says much beyond the obvious.”
That’s not what you look for in a color commentator, who is supposed to add to the viewer experience by pointing out intricacies of the game.
Per Finn, John Smoltz and Tom Verducci would be FOX’s other choices.
Smoltz, who retired in 2009 after a marvelous career with the Atlanta Braves, has worked as a color commentator for Braves games and made guest appearances on MLB Network and TBS.
Verducci doesn’t have the playing experience of Reynolds or Smoltz, but the sportswriter has worked as a broadcaster for MLB Network, TBS and FOX.
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