Cardinals Broadcasts Get Boost with McCarver’s Arrival Monday

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

As the Cardinals host the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night, St. Louis Cardinals fans will hear a new voice on the Fox Sports Midwest TV broadcast: analyst Tim McCarver, a 21-year major-league veteran who played for the Cardinals from 1959-69 and 1973-74. The 72-year-old McCarver retired from national broadcasting following the 2013 season after a 30-year long career which saw him broadcast for each of the four major networks (FOX, CBS, NBC and ABC). For the past 18 years, he had been partnered with St. Louisan Joe Buck as FOX’s primary baseball broadcasting team.
Now he’ll make his debut as a Cardinals broadcaster, pairing with play-by-play announcer Dan McLaughlin to cover 30 games on FS Midwest. With longtime radio broadcaster Mike Shannon significantly cutting back his workload due to his age and health, Al Hrabosky and Rick Horton, who were previously exclusive members of the TV broadcast team, have had to shift over to the radio side to fill his void. By being able to hire McCarver, one of the most esteemed commentators in the history of baseball television who has called 24 World Series, the Cardinals immediately added a bunch of credibility to the broadcasting team. While some baseball fans will argue that McCarver’s commentary can be unfocused at times, it’s difficult to dispute that he was a major get for the team. It should be fun to hear how McCarver and McLaughin interact and to hear what kind of unique spin that McCarver adds to the broadcast.