15) Cincinnati Reds – 2.20

-Thom Brennaman (play by play)

-Chris Welsh (analyst)

-Jim Kelch (play by play – select)

-Geroge Grande (play by play – select)

-Jeff Brantley (analyst – select)



Most popular grade: B (27% of voters)

Analysis: The Reds crew received more F votes than any other team in the Top 20, but that didn’t stop them from making the midway point of the rankings. Cincinnati’s feedback was comprised of polarizing comments that filled every corner of the spectrum so maybe the middle of the pack is a fair end result.

Reader Comments:

“Welsh and Kelch are tremendously bad. You’d hardly know you were watching baseball if your eyes weren’t on the screen. Brantley is at least entertaining and Thom is a complete pro and we’re lucky to have him by relation.” -MikeFerguson1

“Reds the best hands down. George Grande is one of the all-time best. Kelch, Welsh and Brantley are vastly underrated.” -brownsredsbucks

“Is there anything worse than F to give the Reds broadcast?” -@nairb_d

@awfulannouncing As a person who watches a lot of other teams' games, I'd say Reds fans are pretty lucky. Chris Welsh is great. — Church of Baseball ⚾ (@churchofbasebal) April 22, 2014

14) Pittsburgh Pirates – 2.28

-Greg Brown (play by play)

-Tim Neverett (play by play)

-Bob Walk (analyst)

-Steve Blass (analyst – home)

-John Wehner (analyst – road)



Most popular grade: C (30% of voters)

Analysis: The Pirates were the highest-ranked team to have C as their most popular grade. Greg Brown got rave reviews from our readers.

Reader Comments:

“Greg Brown is as good as it gets. A homer too, but who cares, I love the fact he cares so much. Nicest guy in the world too. He and Blass are a great pair, and even though Blass is a little goofy at times he’s really fun to listen to as well. ” -justinfleischmann

“Blass and Walk are simply pathetic as “color” guys — it’s almost unlistenable, like watching paint dry.” -BillSpitz

“Greg Brown and Steve Blass are the best the Pirates have.” -18nalax

“The Pirates have a very average team outside of Greg Brown and Bob Walk. While both have their shortcomings, the two provide some of the best entertainment when on TV. ” -acpregler

13) Boston Red Sox – 2.44

-Don Orsillo (play by play)

-Jerry Remy (analyst)

-Steve Lyons (analyst – select)

-Dennis Eckersley (analyst – select)

-Jim Rice (analyst- select)

-Derek Lowe (analyst – select)



Most popular grade: A (28% of voters)

Analysis: The Red Sox were the lowest-ranked team to have an A as their most popular grade. They also had the slimmest margin between their two most popular grades at just three votes between A and B. I think the preference here is with the sharp Orsillo as opposed to the aging Remy, who might end up losing broadcast time to NESN’s other analysts.

Reader Comments:

“Remy is just flat out unbearable for the Red Sox, which is a shame because Orsillo is very good.” -sangell2007

“Don and Jerry are good announcers. They have great chemistry, know the league, and are likable. They know when to seriously call the game and when to joke around. What makes many Red Sox games difficult to watch is the incessant “extras” on the telecasts. The stupid graphics, polls, and pointless interviews with fans can just ruin a game.” -AnthonyJennings

@awfulannouncing #Yankees fan here and can watch @NESN all day. Don and jerry are very professional and not typical homers. — George Sisca (@bigsportsfan40) April 15, 2014

@awfulannouncing Tough to give an overall grade to Sox announcers. Orsillo is a pro, but seems better with Eck than Remy. Remy shouldn't…. — Fitz (@plantierwarts) April 14, 2014

12) San Diego Padres – 2.46

-Dick Enberg (play by play)

-Mike Pomeranz (play by play)

-Jesse Agler (play by play)

-Mark Grant (analyst)

-Tony Gwynn (analyst)



Most popular grade: B (37% of voters)

Analysis: Only Oakland and Seattle (who were part of the AL West crunch) had fewer A grades in the top 15 than the Padres. Our voters showed a lot of respect for the venerable Dick Enberg and the humor of Mark Grant, which we’ve seen on display before.

Reader Comments:

“Enberg deserves an A, but I really think Gwynn brings down the broadcasts when he acts as an analyst.” -DanielOrmsby

@awfulannouncing mark grant is awesome. Humor to make a 1-0 padres loss enjoyable. Drew goodman put u to sleep during Coors field slug fest. — Rob Scanlan (@RobScanlan) April 23, 2014

11) Detroit Tigers – 2.46

-Mario Impemba (play by play)

-Rod Allen (analyst)



Most popular grade: B (28% of voters)

Analysis: 78% of readers gave the Tigers either an A, a B, or a C, with all three grades receiving between 24% and 28% of the vote. Impemba and Allen got a lot of reviews that talked about them not taking things seriously too often, which immediately jumps out as one of their defining qualities.

Reader Comments:

“They also have this generalized silliness to them that at some points in games which makes me think I’m watching a game broadcasted by little kids” -jbaker1987

“Mario Impemba for the Tigers is pretty decent as an announcer, not bad but certainly not the best, but Rod Allen can be unbearable to listen to at times.” -dishnet34

@awfulannouncing @RodAllen12 & @mario_impemba for Tigers. Entertaining, informative & call the game rather than try to be part of the game. — Big Harky (@jayharkness89) April 16, 2014

@awfulannouncing I like Tiger team. Some think @RodAllen12 is hokey but the guy knows the game and chased a Japanese pitcher around field. — Chris M. (@cmad3961) April 16, 2014