Tampa Bay Rays: Dewayne Staats, play-by-play, Brian Anderson, color
Staats is very obviously the anchor around which the Rays’ TV presentation is built. There’s a reason for that: the guy’s been around. Starting out as a radio voice of the Houston Astros in the 1970s, he has worked for the Cubs, Yankees and in various network capacities before becoming the voice of the Rays when they were formed in 1998.
Save for the Covid-restricted 2020-21 seasons, there is literally nothing the Rays have done that Staats hasn’t seen in the flesh.
A 13-year veteran pitcher with four MLB teams, Anderson’s lifetime 82-83 record included a stint with the 2001 World Series winning Arizona Diamondbacks: He took the loss in World Series Game 3. Following his 2005 retirement, he worked for a time as an assistant pitching coach before joining Tampa Bay’s booth in 2011.
Staats’ experience easily gives the Rays team maximum marks in that category. In most other categories, however, their generally factual, straightforward approach destines Staats and Anderson for middle-ground marks.
To the extent anything is missing, it would be the fire, the joie de vivre that might attract viewers who need a measure of entertainment value to stay hooked to the game.
Neither Staats nor Anderson would wear naturally the label of ‘humorist, and while both their rapport and oratorical abilities are solidly professional, they don’t rise above that descriptor to the level of exceptional.
Experience: 5
Likeability: 4
Knowledge: 5
Humor: 3
Rapport: 4
Oratory: 4
Total: 25