Meet Fox's announcers for 2026 World Baseball Classic, from Derek Jeter to Adam Wainwright
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Meet Fox's announcers for 2026 World Baseball Classic, from Derek Jeter to Adam Wainwright originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Just a few months after being the broadcaster of the 2025 World Series, Fox has another major baseball event on the horizon.
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The 2026 World Baseball Classic will be on the network's airwaves, including Fox, FS1 and FS2, in the first few weeks of March. As some of baseball's premiere stars compete for their countries in the international tournament, Fox will have its top broadcasters on-site for the United States' matchups.
Coverage of non-United States teams in the World Baseball Classic’s pool play games will be provided by MLB, which will have announcers positioned internationally. However, Fox's main crews, which MLB fans will already be well-familiar with, will be calling some of Team USA's biggest games, as well as the semifinals and final in the knockout round.
Here's a guide to Fox's broadcasters for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
MORE: Full 2026 World Baseball Classic rosters
Fox World Baseball Classic announcers
AnnouncerRoleJoe DavisPlay-by-play (semifinals, final)Adam AminPlay-by-play Kevin KuglerPlay-by-playJohn Smoltz Analyst (semifinals, final)A.J. PierzynskiAnalystAdam WainwrightAnalystKen RosenthalReporterTom VerducciReporterKevin BurkhardtStudio HostDerek JeterStudio AnalystDavid OrtizStudio AnalystAlex RodriguezStudio AnalystFor the pool play round of the 2026 WBC, Fox's own lead broadcast crews will only be calling Team USA matchups and knockout rounds. For games involving non-U.S. teams, there will be broadcasters provided by MLB who may also be heard on Fox's airwaves, despite not being on-site for the network.
Those teams are as follows:
- Pool A (Puerto Rico): Tyler Maun (play-by-play), Ryan Rowland-Smith (analyst)
- Pool B (Houston): Rich Waltz (play-by-play), Dan Plesac (analyst), JP Morosi (reporter)
- Pool C (Japan): Stephen Nelson (play-by-play), Jose Mota (analyst)
- Pool D (Miami): Paul Severino (play-by-play), Yonder Alonso (analyst)
Additionally, there will be a Fox Deportes crew on the call for the WBC games, with the broadcasters as follows:
- Adrian Garcia-Marquez, announcer
- Carlos Alvarez, announcer/reporter
- Edgar Gonzalez, analyst
- Ronaldo Nichols, analyst
- Jaime Motta, analyst/reporter
When it comes to Team USA's games and the elimination bracket matchups, Fox will have its main broadcast crews on-site, as well as its Fox Deportes crew on some calls.
Here's what to know about each member of the crew.
Joe Davis
MLB fans should be familiar with the biggest voice of the 2026 WBC, as Joe Davis has been the voice of the World Series and MLB All-Star Game since 2022. Just a few months ago, he was on the call as the Los Angeles Dodgers went for back-to-back titles.
Davis, who also calls NFL and college basketball games for Fox and serves as the Dodgers' lead play-by-play voice in MLB's regular season, has become one of the most prominent sportscasters in the country.
At the WBC, Davis will be the play-by-play voice for both semifinal games and the final in Miami.
Adam Amin
Another top play-by-play voice for Fox who will be calling WBC games is Adam Amin, who has been with Fox Sports since 2020. He also calls the NFL and college basketball for the network.
NBA fans may also be familiar with Amin, as he calls the Chicago Bulls on TV for Chicago Sports Network.
Kevin Kugler
Fox's final play-by-play voice at the WBC is Kevin Kugler, who calls MLB, the NFL, college basketball and UFL for Fox Sports.
Kuglar first called an MLB game for Fox in 2018, and since then, he's seen his role expand for select MLB games.
John Smoltz
Joe Davis' running partner in the booth, John Smoltz, is the analyst for Fox's top MLB broadcast team. A Hall of Fame pitcher best known for his time with the Atlanta Braves, he was elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2015.
Smoltz has been a top MLB analyst since his playing career ended, formerly calling games for MLB Network and TBS. He has been paired with Davis calling top MLB events like the World Series since 2022.
Smoltz will be on the call alongside Davis for the WBC semifinals and final.
A.J. Pierzynski
Fox will also have former big-league catcher A.J. Pierzynski on the call for WBC games; he has been a full-time analyst with the network since 2017.
During his playing career, Pierzynski was a two-time All-Star and one-time World Series champion for the Chicago White Sox.
Adam Wainwright
The final analyst of Fox's WBC crew is Adam Wainwright, the former World Series champion and All-Star pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Since 2020, Wainwright has been a broadcaster with Fox, even during his playing career, which lasted until 2023. He was initially brought on as a part-time contributor in the postseason, then in 2024, he was hired as a full-time color commentator as one of the top analysts for Fox.
Ken Rosenthal
Rosenthal is one of the most well-known baseball reporters in the country, also a senior writer for The Athletic. He is formerly an in-studio reporter for MLB Network.
Rosenthal has been a member of Fox's top MLB crew as a sideline reporter for decades, first joining the network in 2005. He will be appearing alongside Davis and Smoltz for Fox's lead WBC crew in the semifinals and final.
Tom Verducci
Fox's other top sideline reporter, Tom Verducci, has also been with the network for a long time. He called his first World Series for Fox in 2014, and he's remained a staple of top MLB games since, focusing on reporting.
Verducci also writes for SI.com and appears on MLB Network.
Kevin Burkhardt
Fox's studio coverage for MLB remains the same as the 2025 World Series, as Kevin Burkhardt will be hosting the show. He's primarily known for his work on the NFL, as Burkhardt is the network's lead NFL play-by-play voice alongside Tom Brady.
However, he is also the lead studio host for MLB coverage, and he became the first person without the last name Nantz, Buck, or Michaels to call a Super Bowl in 2024. Burkhardt's MLB commentary career began as the New York Mets’ field reporter on SNY.
Derek Jeter
Fox has three big-time names in its studio as analysts. Derek Jeter, the New York Yankees' legendary shortstop, is one of them.
"The Captain" has been a member of Fox's studio coverage since 2024.
David Ortiz
"Big Papi" helps balance out the pro-Yankees analysts on Fox's studio coverage, as David Ortiz and his big personality been a full-time studio analyst with the network since 2019. He had previously been a part-time analyst for the 2017 World Series.
Ortiz, elected to the Hall of Fame in 2022, was one of the greatest power hitters in MLB history, owning 541 career home runs.
Alex Rodriguez
One of the most controversial names in baseball history, Alex Rodriguez has been a studio analyst for Fox since 2017, not long after his decorated, but up-and-down career ended. He has been nominated for an Emmy for his coverage in Fox's studio.
Rodriguez formerly worked for ESPN as a "Sunday Night Baseball" analyst.