Dodgers Broadcaster Joe Davis Clarifies His Future With Dodgers
Joe Davis inherited quite a mantle in 2016, when the Dodgers installed him as their play-by-play broadcaster for road games, and the heir apparent to Vin Scully. Davis has since carved his own path, always being careful to not draw personal comparisons to Scully, who is without historical peer among baseball play-by-play men.
Setting his unparalleled talent aside, Scully brought something else to the Dodgers’ broadcast booth unmatched in MLB history: longevity.
Scully’s 67 years with the Dodgers began in Brooklyn in 1950 and ended in Los Angeles with the 2016 season. No broadcaster has spent that long with a single sports team — a record certified by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Like Scully in his early years with the Dodgers, Davis has begun to accept his share of national broadcast assignments over the years as well. Most prominently, Davis is Fox Sports’ lead baseball play-by-play commentator opposite analyst John Smoltz for the All-Star Game and World Series, having succeeded Joe Buck in 2022.
Davis’ other duties include calling NFL games for Fox Sports, as well as college basketball and football. The national assignments currently limit his schedule to 90 regular-season Dodger broadcasts a year.
Against this backdrop, would Davis’ national duties ever lead him to give up the Dodgers’ lead play-by-play chair altogether?
Not a chance, Davis said in a new interview with Awful Announcing.
“I don’t see it going anywhere assuming that they’ll continue to have me,” Davis told Brandon Contes. “This is my ninth year. It’s flown by. We love Los Angeles. My wife loves it here. There have been situations where potential opportunities to go back to the Midwest, where we’re both from, and every time that comes up she’s made it – ‘no, we’re not leaving here, the weather’s too nice out.’ It’s too great. This is kind of home now. We have three kids who are in the school year.”
Davis’ roots lie in the midwest. He was born in Michigan. He attended college in Wisconsin. He grew up a Cubs fan. Notably, the Detroit Tigers’ play-by-play seat recently came open. In Nov. 2023, the job ultimately went to former Chicago White Sox play-by-play man Jason Benetti.
The Tigers never presented Davis with a formal offer, he told Awful Announcing.
Although it might not be ideal for Dodger fans who wish to hear Davis’ voice on more than 90 SportsNet LA broadcasts each year, the current arrangement works well for the 36-year-old announcer.
“The Dodgers, Fox, and my bosses there have been great to me,” Davis told Contes. “They all know each other. So I’ve been so lucky that they’ve worked nicely and allowed me to coordinate the schedule. As the Fox role increased a little bit I was able to pull back on the number of Dodger games. If I couldn’t do that then maybe it’s be a different story.”
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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I do admit that there will never be another Vin Scully and I have been a Los Angeles Dodgers fan my whole life. Joe Davis you are doing a great job keep it up
? Joe Davis, the Dodgers’ current lead play-by-play broadcaster, is carving out his own legacy after Vin Scully’s historic tenure. With national duties and a growing profile, could his expanding role ever mean stepping away from the Dodgers’ mic? ???
Love Joe and Orel. Yes sometimes they talk too much but that’s usually when the game is a big snore. The other broadcasters drive me nuts. Especially the queen of cackles Mendoza!
Agree completely! I love their conversations. I think Joe has the greatest broadcasting voice.
they really need to get rid of jessie. She is so annoying.
I can’t stand this guy. He talks way too much. I love the Dodgers but listen to the opposing team broadcast at every opportunity. Between him and Orel I feel like Iam at Boy Scout camp. Please get rid of these two bootlicking sycophants. Try the Mets broadcast or Yankees, Gary Cohen and Michael Kay are the best along with the Giants John Miller. Real professionals.
I can’t stand this guy. He talks way too much. I love the Dodgers but listen to the opposing team broadcast at every opportunity. Between him and Orel I feel like Iam at Boy Scout camp. Please get rid of these two bootlicking sycophants. Try the Mets broadcast or Yankees, Gary Cohen and Michael Kay are the best along with the LPpp Giants John Miller. Real professionals.
I agree completely.
Be careful what you wish for. We could get more of Stephen Nelson. He is boring and bland. Joe Davis is okay, but he does talk a lot. And I really dislike his yelling. That is something that Vin never did.
In addition to his skills as a broadcaster what endeared Vin Scully to Dodger fans was the continuity. Year after year with the exception of his late years when travel became an issue we could expect to pull up a chair and listen to then paint .his picture. The current Dodger broadcasting format is like watching musical chairs. Three rotating announcers and I’ve lost track of how many different color people. And quite frankly none of them move the needle for me. As a result I’ve resorted to muting the sound throughout the broadcast. I would imagine the Dodgers announcing job is one of the top opportunities in all the baseball. Yet Joe Davis seems to feel compelled to spread himself way too thin. Dodger games, national broadcast, NFL football college football and basketball. Hey Joe, I hear there’s an announcing gig available for the national bocce ball world series coming up.
Vin called other sports too. When Dwight Clark made “The Catch” Vin was on the call.
As a Dodger fan since the early 1960s, I definitely am NOT a Joe Davis fan. I agree that he talks way, way too much. I don’t need to know about every player’s biography from the time he was born. I am fine with Orel because he’s played the game at the highest level. I do love Rick Monday and Charlie Steiner. Get well, Charlie. I’m also okay with Tim Neverett.
Could be worse than Joe and it is; that Steve Nelson should be doing T ball only. A real negative Nelly puts players down as well as Dodger team. (Useless) Friedman must like his pandering or he would have been gone a long time ago. Orel thankfully has put him in place on more than one occasion. Go Blue Go Dodgers!
Shmoe Davis needs to go . . He’s so annoying
Shmoe Davis needs to leave . . He’s so annoying
Completely disagree!
Because I watch many other teams’ broadcasts, I realize how good Joe Davis is. Broadcasters are like pizzas. There are really no bad pizzas but many are better than others. No sportscaster is going to satisfy all listeners but the Dodgers got what may have been the best available. However, I would like to know why the Dodgers have Jessica Mendoza in the broadcasting booth. Obviously they did not hire her for her professional ability. Jessica may be the only bad pizza.
I could careless about Joe! He talks way too much about how the players look then the game! I’d rather have Jessica Mendoza and Oral!
As a fan since ’59, I grew up with Vinnie’s voice. He was the best, always knowing when to stop talking and let us listen to the crowd. He had so many tales to tell, not just for Dodgers, but every team. He was a walking baseball encylopedia. I believe he was loved by many players and fans alike.
Joe has done a great job, following Vinnie. He and Oral might talk a little more than I would like, but that’s on every game everywhere nowdays. Too much talking, and even interviewing, even when the when the game is going on!
Keep up the good work Joe and Oral.
DodgerFan Foirever
I grew up with Vinnie, a fan since ’59. I think Joe and Oral are doing a fine job, no one can be as great as Vinnie. He knew when to stop talking and let us enjoy the game. He had info about every player and every team. He was a Baseball Encylopedia.
My only complaint is too much talking, even while the game is going on, but that is everywhere nowdays. Joe and Oral aren’t as bad as some others.
DODGER FAN FOR LIFE
Joe’s ok. He came in with impossible shoes to fill, how do you step in for the greatest Baseball broadcaster of all time? You can’t. You’re going to catch hell no matter what you do or how good you are. Joe’s not great, I’ve certainly heard better, but listen to many of the midwest/eastern homers and he starts to sound a whole lot better. I give him a B grade.
He, like many these days, does local games, national games, network games, and probably tiddlywink games. I don’t know if they’re paying them that little, or if they just want to cash in while they can. He could probably do better if he was just a Dodgers announcer, but he’s not, and that’s kind of the era we’re in.