White Sox hire John Schriffen as new play-by-play announcer

Schriffen, 39, comes with a vast resume. He attended Dartmouth College, studying journalism while pitching for the baseball team there. He began his career for News 12 in New York where he moved to the news side. This led to his work as a New York-based correspondent for ABC News from 2012-14, contributing reports for Good Morning America and Nightline. Schriffen joined ESPN in 2020 and initially called KBO League baseball for the network. He has gone on to broadcast mostly college sports on the network, in addition to NBA G-League and Summer League games. This will be his first play-by-play job for a team, and Schriffen will also become the second Black television play-by-play announcer in MLB, joining Seattle’s Dave Sims.

According to Merkin’s article above, Schriffen and the White Sox agreed on a multi-year deal after the White Sox and Jason Benetti agreed to forgo the final year of his deal. The national search for Benetti’s replacement resulted in hundreds of reels and resumes being sent in, with a large pool being cut down to candidates who were personally interviewed. In addition, according to Merkin, Schriffen sat down with Steve Stone before being offered the job, and a dinner meeting turned into a three-hour conversation.

“We hit it off immediately. Everybody knows Steve Stone is the greatest. He has done everything in baseball broadcasting – the dude is a legend.”

John Schriffen (via Scott Merkin)

Schriffen’s ongoing work with ESPN is still being figured out with the White Sox, but his priority and main commitment will be to the White Sox, in line with previous reports about Jerry Reinsdorf and the team’s wishes for their next announcer.

In Merkin’s article, Schriffen makes it clear that he understands he is following two incredible announcers in Benetti and Ken “Hawk” Harrelson. But, he’s ready to put his own spin on White Sox broadcasts:

“I can’t wait to get to Spring Training, because there is so much work to do. I want to get involved. There’s some cool segments I want to do and have fun with the players and find a way to get to know them and introduce them in a way that’s been different in the past. No matter what’s happening on the field, make sure the broadcast is fun and entertaining.”

– John Schriffen (via Scott Merkin)

Welcome to the South Side, John Schriffen!