Busch Stadium | St. Louis Cardinals
Busch Stadium | St. Louis Cardinals
Ten broadcasters have been named finalists for the 2026 Ford C. Frick Award, which recognizes excellence in baseball broadcasting. The award is presented annually by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
This year’s ballot is the last in a four-year cycle that features candidates whose broadcast careers began or extended into the Wild Card era, starting in 1994. In 2026, a separate ballot will be held for those whose careers ended before this period.
The list of ten finalists includes Brian Anderson, Joe Buck, Skip Caray, Rene Cardenas, Gary Cohen, Jacques Doucet, Duane Kuiper, John Rooney, Dan Shulman and John Sterling. At least one foreign language broadcaster is required among the nominees. All are living except Caray.
Joe Buck is noted for his long tenure as Fox Sports’ lead baseball announcer over 26 seasons and as a Cardinals broadcaster for 17 years. He has called 24 World Series games during his career with Fox Sports and St. Louis Cardinals broadcasts.
The selection criteria for the Frick Award are “Commitment to excellence, quality of broadcasting abilities, reverence within the game, popularity with fans, and recognition by peers.” Broadcasters must have at least ten years of continuous major league service to qualify.
The subcommittee that created this year’s ballot included previous recipients Marty Brennaman, Joe Castiglione and Bob Costas along with historians David J. Halberstam and Curt Smith.
Voting will be carried out by an electorate consisting of thirteen living Frick Award winners—such as Tom Hamilton and Al Michaels—and three historians or columnists including Barry Horn (formerly of Dallas Morning News). The winner will be announced December 10 during baseball’s Winter Meetings in Orlando and honored July 25 during Hall of Fame Weekend in Cooperstown.
Further information about all finalists can be found at https://baseballhall.org/frickaward2026.
The Ford C. Frick Award commemorates Ford C. Frick—a former sportswriter who also served as National League president and MLB Commissioner—honoring significant contributions to baseball broadcasting.
Alerts Sign-up