John Kruk agrees to role as Phillies TV broadcaster

By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor

Just two days after MLB.com's Todd Zolecki noted that Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia had continued to negotiate with Wall of Fame first baseman John Kruk about joining the network's television broadcasts of Philadelphia Phillies games, it appears that a deal is done.

According to Jim Salisbury of Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, Kruk has agreed to a contract to join the television broadcasts for the team in 2017:

According to sources, Kruk will join the team’s television broadcast crew on CSNPhilly during the 2017 season. Kruk will replace Matt Stairs on the broadcast crew and join a team that already includes lead broadcaster Tom McCarthy and color men Mike Schmidt and Ben Davis.

The vacancy that Kruk is filling was created when the Phillies named former color commentator Matt Stairs as their new hitting coach on Nov. 2.

Salisbury noted that it's unclear to what extent, in terms of games, Kruk will be joining Comcast SportsNet. Zolecki, who initially noted the discussions between Kruk and CSN, wrote on Nov. 2 that if Kruk joined the broadcast crew, it would be on a 'limited schedule.' So perhaps him joining is a sign that Ben Davis will call more games in 2017 than he has in the past two years.

Since firing Chris Wheeler and Gary "Sarge" Matthews after the 2014 season, Comcast SportsNet has had a revolving door of sorts around play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy. Jamie Moyer and Matt Stairs were the initial replacements, but Moyer left after just one season and Stairs left to fill another role in the organization after three. Davis, who had been on the team's pre-game show, seems like he could be a long-term fit as a color commentator, though it's unclear whether Kruk plans to join the Phillies broadcast role for a limited time or views this as a potential long-term venture.