The Diamondbacks’ 19-23 record isn’t the only aspect of the team lagging behind the rest of the league.
According to the readers of Fangraphs, their announcers aren’t too great either.
Steve Berthiaume and Bob Brenly were ranked the 18th-best broadcast team in baseball by the website. The rankings were crowdsourced, with Fangraphs readers rating them based on charisma and analysis on a one-to-five scale. They received a 3.2 for charisma and a 3.0 for analysis.
“There are mixed reviews for Berthiaume and Brenly among FanGraphs readers, although most seem to prefer either of them to Mark Grace, who seemed to have indulged in the less appealing qualities of the former athlete and/or just men, in general,” Chris Cistulli, the article’s author, said of the ranking. “One critique that appeared on multiple occasions: a possible excess of enthusiasm for team-related promotions or events. This seems like a challenge that faces a number of broadcasters — namely, how to promote the team in a way that appears (or actually is!) authentic. It’s not an enviable position, really.”
A very solid case could be made that the Diamondbacks’ announcers tend to be homers. From calling Paul Goldschmidt “America’s first baseman” about five times a game to pushing throwback Thursday posters like a used car salesman, they are more biased than a lot of other broadcasters out there. It is, however, refreshing to get an old-school guy like Bob Brenly’s take on today’s game every once in a while.
Berthiaume has been broadcasting with the Diamondbacks since leaving ESPN in 2012. Brenly has been with the team in the booth since 2013.