By: Nick Mandarano, Sports Talk Philly Staff 
John Kruk will return to the Phillies' television broadcast team on CSNPhilly for the 2017 season. He'll be joining play-by-play broadcaster Tom McCarthy, color commentators Mike Schmidt and Ben Davis and reporter Gregg Murphy. The Phillies named Matt Stairs their new hitting coach in November, leaving an opening in the booth.
"I am looking forward to working with Tom, Mike, Ben and Gregg," Kruk said in a statement. "Although I have played with three different organizations, the Phillies are family. I am excited to get started with this new chapter in my life."
Kruk worked as an analyst for ESPN for 12 years until a mutual agreement to part ways last October. Saturday, Feb. 25 will mark Kruk's debut broadcast with the Phillies when the team takes on the New York Yankees in Clearwater, FL.
From 1989-1994, Kruk played for Philadelphia, where he hit .309 with 62 home runs and made three All-Star Games. In 2001, he served as the hitting coach for double-A Reading. Then, Kruk spent 2003 on Phillies broadcasts before joining ESPN.
Fangraphs ranked the Phillies' broadcasters 30th on a list of 32 crews last May.
