Big-league slugger Carlos Peña is stepping up to the broadcasting plate for the Detroit Tigers. The former first baseman is joining the Bally Sports Detroit game broadcast team to provide analysis for about 30 games during the upcoming 2024 season. Tigers fans can also expect pregame and postgame insights from the new addition, according to The Detroit News.
The Tigers, who seem to be playing chess while others play checkers, snagged Jason Benetti from the Chicago White Sox to lead the broadcast team, a move hailed as the team's best offseason play. Monroe will log the most airtime among the analysts with around 80 games, while Gibson will cover approximately 40. Additional reporting by MLive states that Peña, along with former players Dan Petry, Kirk Gibson, and Todd Jones, will be part of an analyst rotation with Benetti.
Peña, a standout during his tenure in Detroit and Tampa Bay, brings a wealth of experience to the broadcasting team. He retired after a 14-year career and has been building his credentials in the media since, including stints at the MLB Network and with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs broadcasts. Fans will surely benefit from his deep knowledge of the game, and the analysis from various eras of Tigers baseball is expected to enrich the broadcast invaluably. His appointment comes as Cameron Maybin exits the scene after a stint in the radio and TV booths for the team in 2023.
Sports broadcasting is seeing a flurry of changes, with personnel rotations mirroring a strategic lineup shuffle. Following Dickerson's move to TV, Greg Gania is expected to handle most of the radio fill-in work, doing a juggling act between his Erie SeaWolves commentating responsibilities and the Tigers' broadcasts. Meanwhile, on the Spanish radio front, the Tigers have doubled down, increasing their scheduled broadcasts to 45 games, with Carlos Guillen, and no, not that hauntingly familiar former player, but the team's PR maestro, set to call the shots alongside '84 World Series champ Barbaro Garbey, as reported by Detroit Sports Nation.
With the Tiger's first spring training game around the corner on March 4 against the Red Sox, fans are gearing up to not only see their team in action but also to tune in to the fresh voices accompanying the play-by-play. Peña's addition signals a continued commitment by Bally Sports Detroit to bring top-tier talent to their broadcast, enhancing fan engagement as they settle in for what hopes to be an electrifying 2024 season.
