Respected and experienced broadcaster Todd Kalas will spearhead the Astros' new broadcast team for ROOT Sports Southwest in 2017, replacing longtime play-by-play voice Bill Brown.
The team announced Thursday that Kalas, a Houston native, will be joined by color analyst Geoff Blum. Blum, the former Astros infielder, steps into a full-time analyst role after spending the last four years as the club's primary analyst for road games.
Brown retired in 2016 after 30 seasons of calling Astros games.
"Our process for finding a new broadcast team was based on finding a duo that could connect with our fans," said Astros president of business operations Reid Ryan. "We are very excited about Todd Kalas and Geoff Blum. They will bring a new energy to our broadcast, mixing the history of the Astros' organization with our current, exciting young team."

Kalas comes from a broadcasting family -- his father, Harry, called Astros games and is enshrined in the broadcasters' wing of the Hall of Fame -- and has 25 years of experience as a baseball broadcaster. He spent the last 19 seasons as part of the Tampa Bay Rays' broadcast team, where he handled play-by-play duties, hosted pre and postgame shows and served as an in-game reporter. Kalas is a two-time Suncoast Emmy Award winner.
"This is the fulfillment of a dream, to work a full season doing play-by-play as part of the Astros' new broadcast team," Kalas said. "This opportunity with Houston has been my long-term goal since my collegiate broadcasting days. To return to the city where I was born, work with such great organizations as the Astros and ROOT Sports, and to be a part of an exciting Houston team with great expectations is beyond anything I could have hoped for."