Report: Phillies hire 4 former players to fill radio color commentator role

As Major League Baseball continues to crumble before our eyes, the Phillies are still making moves for the upcoming season. According to Todd Zolecki, the team has four former players lined up to replace Kevin Frandsen as their new “Radio Color-Commentator”…Chad Durbin, Erik Kratz, Michael Bourn, and Kevin Stocker.
Kevin Frandsen announced his departure from the Phillies organization back in January, as the former Phillie would be heading to the Washington Nationals to start his first TV gig. Frandsen was with the Phillies for four years, color-commentating alongside Scott Franzke during Phillies away games.
The Phillies wanted to continue to fill that role with former players, and it seems like they are doing just that. Durbin, Kratz, Bourn, and Stocker have all played for Philadelphia at one point in their career. Chad Durbin was on the 2008 World Series team, and Erik Kratz was behind the plate from ’11-’13. Stocker’s run with the Phillies came from 1993-97, while Bourn was here for just two years. Michael Bourn was part of the trade that brought Brad Lidge and Eric Bruntlett to Philadelphia in 2007.
With four potential options, the role will be filled on a rotation to start, with each player announcing their own respective amount of games. Each player will be alongside Scott Franzke, as Gregg Murphy will see an increased role as well, leading the pregame and postgame segments.
Kevin Stocker is no stranger to Phillies radio. Stocker was a color commentator with Frandsen and Kevin Jordan back in 2018, the year Larry Anderson started his reduced role with the ballclub. This upcoming season will be most of these players’ radio debut, so having them on a rotation will benefit each of them, and get them a feel for the game with a headset on.
Major League Baseball is in shambles as we speak. A deal was not finalized before the deadline (5:00 PM on Tuesday), and the first two series of the year, including Opening Day, have officially been canceled. We don’t know when baseball will come back; however, we do know the voices we’ll hear on the Phillies radio broadcast for the 2022 season.
Mandatory Credit: USA Today Sports