McCarver to make Fox Sports Midwest debut today
Former Cardinals catcher, Frick Award winner expected to work 30 games this season
JUPITER, Fla. -- Tim McCarver, the newest member of the Cardinals broadcast team, is scheduled to make his booth debut for Fox Sports Midwest on Friday. He'll be joining Dan McLaughlin and Al Hrabosky for an inning or two during the Cardinals' split-squad game against the Marlins.
This will be McCarver's only Spring Training appearance, though the Ford C. Frick Award winner plans to remain in Jupiter through Saturday to watch the team.
In conjunction with McCarver's guest appearance in the telecast, FSM is expected to announce that it will have McCarver work 30 games on the station during the regular season, beginning with the Cardinals' May 2 game in Chicago. Adding McCarver to the rotation of broadcasters will help FSM when it shuffles around assignments to cover when Mike Shannon is absent.
The Cardinals previously announced that Shannon, who signed a two-year extension in January, will skip about 50 road games.
This is a homecoming of sorts for McCarver, who played 12 seasons with the Cardinals, beginning in 1959. He was teammates with Shannon for seven seasons and was a part of the 1964 team that won the World Series. As a Cardinal, McCarver, 72, was a two-time All-Star and finished second in the 1967 vote for National League Most Valuable Player.
After retiring as a player, McCarver transitioned into a successful second career as a broadcaster. He is most well-known for his time as a national baseball analyst for Fox. He worked alongside Joe Buck for 18 seasons before signing off following the 2013 World Series between Boston and St. Louis. Prior to his time at Fox, McCarver called games locally for the Phillies, Yankees, Mets and Giants.