CHICAGO -- Baseball is a way of life for Brooke Fletcher, as much as it’s an exciting part of her chosen profession.
Her father, Scott, played six years for the White Sox among his 15-year Major League career. Her brother, Brian, spent the 2015 campaign as an outfielder for the White Sox Double-A Birmingham affiliate, while her husband, Jake Cronenworth, is an integral part of the San Diego Padres. Her brother-in-law, Gordon Beckham, started for seven years with the White Sox in his 11-year-run, while her cousin, Michael Barrett, is a well-known player to Cubs and White Sox fans alike.
Now, Fletcher adds her name to the family diamond lore, as she joins White Sox broadcasts on Chicago Sports Network as a reporter. Fletcher will be part of all home games and some of the road schedule, doing pregame and postgame interviews and in-game reporting.
“I have always wanted to cover a team, but just the fact that it’s the White Sox, it feels really special and I feel truly blessed to have this opportunity,” Fletcher told MLB.com. “It’s not about me. It’s about these guys and sharing their stories: What goes on within the game and using my background in broadcasting to be able to share those stories.
“But also using my family’s background and my history and just to offer a different perspective on what these guys go through on a daily basis. I can share their stories for White Sox fans to have something to cheer for and understand as we go through this rebuild and look ahead.”
Fletcher, who will remain an employee of Chicago Sports Network, joins Connor McKnight as new additions to the White Sox broadcast featuring John Schriffen in the play-by-play role and Steve Stone as the analyst. McKnight has been tabbed as the team insider, and will fill in on play-by-play duties on the television and radio side, with Len Kasper and Darrin Jackson on the radio call.
The 2025 season also marks the first for CHSN to be broadcasting White Sox games. Fletcher presently hosts The Lead, a daily program on CHSN, while also serving as a sideline reporter for Big Ten Network’s college football coverage. She previously covered the Tigers, Red Wings and Pistons through Bally Sports Detroit, winning a 2020 Michigan Emmy.
Experience and expertise clearly is in place for Fletcher. She also can draw on that knowledge gained from her family’s baseball past and present. There even could be White Sox games where she works with her brother-in-law, with Beckham serving as a fill-in analyst on the ‘24 broadcasts.
“Yeah, which will be fun. Hopefully he won’t pick on me too much. But no, I’m super proud of him,” said Fletcher of working with Beckham. “I understand what goes on when the lights go out, when the guys go home. With baseball, that’s what makes it so unique.
“There’s the physical aspect, but [also] the mental aspect and it’s such a grind in that way. Given what I’ve seen with my dad, with my brothers, even with Jake, I understand what it’s like so I think it’s going to give me a different perspective, especially with a team going through a rebuild. I hopefully can share these guys’ stories in a different light.”
Scott Fletcher’s two playing stints with the White Sox took place before Brooke was born, as she added with a laugh how she vaguely remembers his 1995 time in Detroit, which was his last season. The White Sox Winning Ugly campaign of 1983 was Scott’s favorite part of playing in Chicago, according to stories he has told his daughter, and now Brooke hopes she is part of covering a White Sox team simply moving toward winning consistently.
“When I covered Detroit for a little bit, they were kind of in the same state as the White Sox now,” Fletcher said. “It was tough covering the big league team when they are losing as much as they were. It was tough going into the clubhouse, I’m not going to lie, trying to get some postgame interviews there.
“You focus on the farm system and the long term. You focus on the prospects, the guys coming up. The future is bright. And [White Sox general manager] Chris Getz has built an incredible [front office] team, [manager] Will Venable and just his staff and the direction this team is going. And I know it’s kind of hard to see right now as a Chicago fan. It’s been disappointing, but I really do feel like this is an organization heading in the right direction.”