Who should NBC pick as its top MLB announcer?

NBC’s return to baseball broadcasting after more than two decades presents the network with an opportunity to establish a fresh identity for Sunday Night Baseball.

Starting in March 2026, NBC and Peacock will carry 25 Sunday night games, the entire Wild Card round, and exclusive Opening Day and Labor Day primetime windows. But the most important decision NBC will make has nothing to do with inventory or scheduling — it’s who sits in the play-by-play chair.

Before diving into specific candidates, let’s establish some ground rules. This is pure speculation. Some of these names are contractually obligated to stay with their current employers — not just for their regional gig — but because they call other sports for the same network. An announcer might be perfect on paper, but completely unavailable because they’re locked into multi-year deals or because their current network won’t let them moonlight for a competitor. That’s the business.

With that caveat out of the way, here are nine names worth considering.

Jason Benetti

The Tigers’ television voice brings everything NBC should want in a national baseball announcer. Benetti’s work calling college football and basketball for Fox has elevated his national profile, and his Tigers broadcasts jumped from 30th to 10th in Awful Announcing’s annual rankings after just one season. He’s clever without being gimmicky, knowledgeable without being pedantic, and has proven he can connect with audiences beyond a regional fanbase. His cerebral palsy has made him an inspiration without that becoming his defining characteristic, which speaks to how good he is at the actual job of calling games. NBC could do far worse than putting Benetti in the chair.

Boog Sciambi

There’s an argument that ESPN made a colossal mistake by not making Sciambi the television voice of Sunday Night Baseball when it had the chance. Instead, Karl Ravech got that role while Sciambi became the radio voice, which is a fine job, but not the showcase role. Sciambi has spent years studying the greats — the voices that made baseball sound like poetry — and you can hear it in his work without him ever trying to be them. His work on the Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network has been universally praised. If there’s any broadcaster whose talent exceeds his current platform, it’s Sciambi.

Kevin Brown

The Orioles’ lead television voice on MASN has quietly become one of the best in the business, and his rise coincided with Baltimore’s resurgence as a playoff contender. Brown’s worked his way up through ESPN’s college sports coverage — football, basketball, softball — while establishing himself as Baltimore’s primary voice, and he’s got the versatility NBC would love, moving seamlessly between sports and handling big moments without flinching.

Matt Vasgersian

If NBC wants instant credibility and name recognition, Vasgersian delivers. He was the voice of MLB The Show from 2006-21, which means an entire generation of baseball fans associates his voice with the sport. His “Santa Maria!” home run call is iconic. He’s done everything from the Brewers to the Padres to Fox to ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, and now MLB Network and the Angels. Vasgersian left ESPN specifically because he couldn’t do everything he enjoyed with MLB Network and the Angels while being away for 30 weekends a year. That was in 2021, and his priorities seemingly haven’t changed.

Vasgersian worked for four years on NBC Sports’ Major League Baseball Game of the Week in the 1990s, was NBC’s lead play-by-play announcer for the original XFL in 2001, and has called multiple Olympic assignments for the network, including baseball and softball at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

Don Orsillo

The Padres’ beloved television voice has one of the best pure broadcasting voices in baseball. He’s smooth, witty, and pairs brilliantly with Mark Grant to create one of baseball’s most entertaining booths. Orsillo spent 15 years calling Red Sox games on NESN before an inexplicable decision to let him go, and San Diego immediately recognized what Boston lost. If NBC wants someone who can handle the big moments while keeping things loose during the dog days of August, Orsillo checks every box. He’s proven he can be both the voice of a franchise and a national presence.

Dave Flemming

Flemming has been one of baseball’s best-kept secrets for years. He’s called San Francisco Giants games on the radio alongside Jon Miller, served as ESPN’s college football and basketball voice, and handled MLB International’s World Series broadcasts since 2022. Flemming’s stuck in the pecking order on ESPN’s college football depth chart, which means he’s not getting the premium assignments his talent deserves. NBC’s Sunday Night Baseball would instantly become his highest-profile gig, and he’d bring the credibility of being Bob Costas‘ successor at MLB International. This is someone ready for the spotlight.

Brendan Burke

Burke replaced Jason Benetti as the lead play-by-play announcer for MLB Sunday Leadoff on Peacock in 2023, the morning game package that NBC reclaimed from Roku. He’s also the television voice of the New York Islanders on MSG Networks and one of TNT’s top play-by-play announcers for national hockey broadcasts. He’s covered events at two Olympics for NBC, including hockey and rowing.

At 41, Burke represents the path of least resistance. He’s in-house, he’s already called baseball for NBC on Sunday mornings, and he’s proven he can handle national broadcasts. Promoting him from Sunday Leadoff to Sunday Night Baseball would be a natural progression, and he’s young enough to anchor the package for the next decade if NBC’s deal with MLB gets extended. He represents the next generation of multi-sport broadcasters, and NBC could mold him into its signature baseball voice while still being fresh enough to grow with the role.

Brandon Gaudin

Gaudin is currently living out his childhood dream as the Braves’ play-by-play voice on Bally Sports South while also working college football and basketball for Fox and the Big Ten Network. He’s the voice of EA Sports’ Madden NFL, which gives him significant name recognition among younger sports fans. Gaudin grew up a Braves fan and has called games for Georgia Tech, Butler, and now his favorite team.

Ted Robinson

Robinson has been one of the most versatile voices in sports broadcasting for decades. He’s called 49ers games, Stanford football, tennis majors, and spent years with NBC Sports covering everything from Notre Dame football to the Olympics. Robinson has the most extensive NBC history of anyone on this list, and it’s not particularly close. He called baseball for NBC Sports’ Game of the Week in the 1990s, worked at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where he called the U.S. baseball team’s upset over Cuba for the gold medal, and has been with NBC Sports since 2000, calling tennis, swimming, diving, and various Olympic events. He’s called 36 Grand Slam tennis tournaments since 1992.

At 68, he brings gravitas and experience to a booth. Robinson could slide into Sunday Night Baseball and immediately sound like he’s been doing it for years because he has. NBC wouldn’t have to teach him how to be a network broadcaster, since he’s been one for 40 years.

For now, we’re left guessing, but we’ll find out soon enough.

NBC’s first game is March 26, 2026, when the Dodgers raise their World Series banner against the Diamondbacks.