The 2016 local MLB TV announcer rankings

8. Toronto Blue Jays: 2.58

Previous ranking: 20
Previous grade: 2.06

-Buck Martinez (play by play)
-Pat Tabler (analyst)
-Dan Shulman (play by play – select)

Most popular grade: B (33.99% of votes)

Analysis: I’m not sure what to attribute this jump to – Dan Shulman doing a handful of games? People becoming more familiar with the Jays broadcasts because the team has been a contender over the past two seasons? Their jump of 12 spots was the highest of any team in the rankings this year.

7. Oakland Athletics: 2.58

Previous ranking: 6
Previous grade: 2.70

-Glen Kuiper (play by play)
-Ray Fosse (analyst)
-Mark Mulder (analyst)

Most popular grade: B (36.47% of votes)

Analysis: Oakland’s crew’s rating dropped from two years ago, but it didn’t matter all that much, as they dropped just a spot. The A’s team has the second-highest percentage of B grades at 36.47%, and the second-fewest total votes.

6. Chicago Cubs: 2.82

Previous ranking: 5
Previous grade: 2.72

-Len Kasper (play by play)
-Jim Deshaies (analyst)

Most popular grade: A (43.67% of votes)

Analysis: The Cubs’ rating increased from two years ago, and you’ll soon see why they dropped out of the top five. However, they did end up with the highest percentage of F votes (11.92%) of any team in the top 12.

5. San Diego Padres: 2.87

Previous ranking: 12
Previous grade: 2.46

-Dick Enberg (play by play)
-Don Orsillo (play by play)
-Mark Grant (analyst)
-Mark Sweeney (analyst – select)

Most popular grade: B (36.12% of votes)

Analysis: The Padres shot up seven spots in the rankings and their grade also improved by a substantial amount, though they couldn’t crack the ranks of the hallowed top four (all of which made up the top four in the prior rankings). The addition of Don Orsillo, and the presence of the legendary Dick Enberg, was key for San Diego, which had nearly 88% of its votes concentrated in the top three grades.

4. New York Mets: 3.06

Previous ranking: 4
Previous grade: 2.99

-Gary Cohen (play by play)
-Ron Darling (analyst)
-Keith Hernandez (analyst)
-Steve Gelbs (play by play – select)

Most popular grade: A (55.77% of votes)

Analysis: The rating for the Mets crew ticked up this year, but they couldn’t make the top three. New York’s 55.77% of A votes is the third-highest of any team on the list, and the main reason they’re not higher is their unsightly 10.56% of F votes, by far the highest of any teams in the top five.

3. Baltimore Orioles: 3.15

Previous ranking: 3
Previous grade: 3.14

-Gary Thorne (play by play)
-Jim Palmer (analyst)
-Jim Hunter (play by play – select)
-Mike Bordick (analyst – select)
-Brian Roberts (analyst – select)

Most popular grade: A (45.06% of votes)

Analysis: Nothing really changing here. The Orioles received nearly an identical grade to two years ago, and check in at the same spot in the rankings. Incredibly, more than 80% of Baltimore’s grades were either A or B, and more than 92% of their votes were either A, B, or C. They also received the lowest percentage of F votes overall at just 3.50%.

2. San Francisco Giants: 3.54

Previous ranking: 1
Previous grade: 3.46

-Duane Kuiper (play by play)
-Mike Krukow (analyst)
-Dave Flemming (play by play – select)
-Jon Miller (play by play – select)

Most popular grade: A (77.40% of votes)

Analysis: The previous winner has been dethroned, despite their rating increasing. More than three-quarters of the votes they received were A grades, and no team received more total votes or more A votes than the Giants. Somehow, it wasn’t good enough.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (home): 3.62

Previous ranking: 2
Previous grade: 3.41

-Vin Scully (everything)

Most popular grade: A (82.06% of votes)

Analysis: Without having the road crew to weigh him down, Vin Scully stands triumphant in this year’s rankings as he finishes his final season as a broadcaster. Scully received the highest percentage of A votes of any team at 82.06%, and more than 90% of you gave him either an A or a B. There’s really not much else to say here – this is well-deserved.

Reader comments: