New face of broadcast booth talks why he’s joining Braves

Originally posted on SportsTalkATL | By Alex Lord | Last updated 12/20/23

Last year, the Braves made one of their most substantial off-the-field moves in decades when they said goodbye to the long-time face of the club’s broadcast booth Chip Caray and replaced him with Bradon Gaudin, who was joined by hometown hero Jeff Francoeur.

To say Gaudin was a success would be an understatement. Braves Country immediately took to him, and so did the rest of the country. His incredible work for the 2023 season earned him a spot as a finalist for the 2023 NSMA Sportscaster of the Year Award.

Congratulations @BrandonGaudin! pic.twitter.com/7Hb3XCikka

— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) December 4, 2023

Gaudin and Frenchy rose to immense popularity, but Braves fans won’t be seeing the duo in the broadcast booth for a majority of the season as it was announced earlier in the week that C.J. Nitkowski would be making a move from Texas to Atlanta.

Francoeur’s desire to spend more time with his family prompted the decision to take a step back. He’ll still spend time in the booth, but it’ll be a supplementary role, similar to what Tom Glavine did for the club last year.

Ironically, Nitkowski’s motivation to leave the Rangers’ booth for the Braves is similarly aligned with his predecessor’s motivation to step away — family. He told MLB Network hosts that he and his family reside in Atlanta, so it was an easy decision to join the crew.

.@CJNitkowski is making a move to Atlanta following seven seasons behind the mic with the Rangers!

The former pro discussed his decision and mastering his craft as an analyst on #MLBNHotStove. pic.twitter.com/9ijpBQhnck

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 20, 2023

A lot of people familiar with his work have said that there will be little to no drop-off from Francoeur to Nitkowski, so it looks like the Braves got another great personality to spend our summers with.

This article first appeared on SportsTalkATL and was syndicated with permission.

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