In news reported widely for a while now, Fox Sports today officially confirmed Joe Davis will be their next lead MLB voice.
That means Davis will be in the booth for the World Series, which remains on Fox through at least 2028.
The move is a logical one for Fox. Davis is clearly a rising star, having followed perhaps the toughest possible act in sports broadcasting history when he replaced Vin Scully in Los Angeles. He’s also done plenty of work for Fox already, calling both MLB and NFL games for the network. When Fox’s top NFL job went to Kevin Burkhardt in the wake of Joe Buck’s exit, the network didn’t give Burkhardt the dual-sport role Buck had filled, and Davis was pretty clearly the frontrunner to land the MLB half of that equation.
Now, it’s official, with all the attendant press release praise from Fox executives you’d expect:
“It’s been amazing to watch Joe’s continued growth over the years developing into one of the elite broadcasters in all of sports,” said Zager. “As an integral part of our coverage over the last several years, his transition onto baseball’s biggest stage is a natural fit and we couldn’t be more excited to have him as the new voice of MLB on FOX.”
Jon Smoltz also weighed in about working alongside Davis, which he’s already done on a few occasions:
“Having worked with Joe before, finding our chemistry in the booth is already well underway and I’m looking forward to our partnership over the next several years,” said Smoltz. “I had the opportunity to work with the very best at FOX Sports in Joe Buck, and I feel fortunate to get to continue with another exceptionally talented ‘Joe’ in Joe Davis.”
And, finally, Davis himself went on the record about the new role:
“If you had asked me when I was 10 what I wanted to do when I grew up, I would’ve told you ‘Call the World Series.’ So when I say this is a dream-come-true, I really mean it.,” said Davis. “One of the best parts about this is the team I get to work with. Obviously Smoltzy…I’ve had a blast getting to know John and building such a comfort together in the booth these last few years. He, Kenny and Tom along with our producer Pete Macheska and director Matt Gangl are all superstars – the absolute best at what they do. They’ve been so welcoming to me through the years as I’ve worked more and more with their group. It’s all about the people you’re with, and I’m really lucky in that regard.”
Most networks would struggle to replace someone like Joe Buck with internal candidates, but Fox is fortunate to have such a deep bench to draw from on both the MLB and NFL side of the equation. Davis, still just 34, is the kind of talent Fox could build around for a long time.
[Fox Sports]