The White Sox are closing in on Jason Benetti’s play-by-play replacement.
According to Jeff Agrest of the Chicago Sun-Times, the three finalists are Will Flemming, John Schriffen, and Connor McKnight. Mike Monaco, who many considered to be the favorite, removed himself from consideration this week due to scheduling conflicts with ESPN.
Flemming, who is arguably the most experienced of the three, has called Red Sox games since 2019 on the WEEI Red Sox Radio Network. Before that, he served as the play-by-play voice of the Pawtucket Red Sox, Boston’s Triple-A affiliate. He also has called a wide range of sports including college basketball and hockey for both ESPN and CBS.
Schriffen joined ESPN in 2020 and initially called KBO League baseball for the network. He has go on to broadcast mostly college sports on the network, in addition to NBA G-League and Summer League games. Unlike the other two candidates, Schriffen has never called a Major League Baseball game, so it would be an interesting move by the White Sox to go in this direction.
McKnight, the most familiar name among fans, has been a regular fill-in on White Sox radio broadcasts. He also has a few TV broadcasts under his belt, occasionally handling Benetti’s play-by-play duties whenever necessary. Fans will mostly know him from his work as the host of the Sox pregame and postgame show on ESPN 1000, a role he’s held since 2021. Before that, he co-hosted middays on The Score and has over 10 years of media experience in the Chicago market.
Monaco, a favorite among many fans, has regularly filled in for announcer Dave O’Brien on NESN broadcasts dating back to the 2019 season. Fresh off a three-year extension with ESPN that ultimately led to his removal from the running, Monaco also calls college football, a variety of baseball (MLB, college and Little League World Series), college basketball, and the NHL for the network. The Notre Dame alum has also stepped in for Benetti on White Sox broadcasts in recent years, while occasionally calling Bulls games for NBC Sports Chicago.
With the season slowly but surely approaching, the White Sox will need to decide whether or not to stick with a familiar name or branch outside the Chicago Market. As we hear more, we will provide additional updates.
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None of these three are ideal.