With F.P. Santangelo's departure from MASN after 11 seasons, the Washington Nationals will have a new face representing the club on its television broadcasts in 2022.
The Nats had cycled through a number of color analysts prior to 2011, when they found a more permanent fixture in Santangelo, who quickly became beloved by Nats faithful.
Now their search begins anew. Whether they pull from outside the organization or within, there are several strong candidates who would be a great fit for the role, some of whom already have on-the-job experience. Here are eight potential candidates we came up with:
Dan Kolko
Dan Kolko seems to be one of the more obvious options should the team not go the route of a former player, given his tenure working alongside the organization in various capacities since 2012. Kolko first signed on with MASN as a beat reporter/blogger, a position he held until 2014 when he made the transition to on-field reporter. In 2019, Kolko began hosting the pre- and post-game broadcasts, a role he held until they were eliminated in a series of harsh budget cuts by MASN in 2021. Kolko was hired to work directly for the Nationals last March and served in various capacities for the organization, while also filling in at times on MASN broadcasts last season.
Kolko's familiarity with the Nats and to the fanbase would make him a natural fit, and would surely leave many Nats fans shouting, "You go, Dan Kolko!"
Justin Maxwell
A Montgomery County native, Justin Maxwell has the local ties to really tap into the psyche of lifelong D.C. sports fans and the resume to match — both on the field, as a former Washington draft pick who played parts of three seasons for the Nats, and off the field. Maxwell served as Santangelo's primary fill-in throughout the 2021 season. Currently a dental school student at the University of Maryland, Maxwell can deliver concise analysis of a hitter's swing and his incisors.
Ryan Zimmerman
Few could bring the credentials to Nats broadcasts that Ryan Zimmerman could. Of course, this would assume that Zimmerman's ready to hang 'em up now, which would be a wild assumption considering the season he just had at 36 years old. Zimmerman has the type of dry wit that could plug in seamlessly to a baseball broadcast, not forced and unassuming, rather than the look-at-me personality of someone too concerned with their own self-image. Who could better represent the club on a nightly basis than 'Mr. National' himself? A World Series champion, Zimmerman could prove to be the Nationals' answer to Jim Palmer up in Baltimore, a living, breathing representation of class and what the organization and the game should stand for.
Kevin Frandsen
Kevin Frandsen had but a cup of coffee in Washington, but it was memorable. A pinch-hitting extraordinaire, Frandsen gave the Nats life off the bench in their 96-win season — that resulted in the team's second NL East championship in three years — while starting 42 games in the field.
After wrapping up his MLB career a year later, Frandsen began his second career in radio, hosting a morning sports talk show in San Francisco and later moved to evenings. In Jan. 2018, he returned to another one of his baseball stops, landing a gig as a part-time color analyst on the Philadelphia Phillies Radio Network, a role that would expand the following season. Frandsen remains an active part of the Phillies' radio broadcasts.
Even in his short time here, Frandsen was a vocal champion for Nats fans, calling on them to make the team's second-ever playoff series a "red-out" in 2014 (although the organization opted to go in a different direction). Frandsen has the personality and the resume of a 10-year MLB veteran to make himself a valued addition on television.
Jayson Werth
Of all the candidates on this list, Jayson Werth probably needs the most polish, if he's to conform to FCC regulations. If he's not too busy running his organic farm in Southern Illinois, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more likeable personality to entertain fans on a nightly basis. Werth has maintained a consistent profile in the Nats community since retiring in June 2018, is often still spotted by keen observers attending games at Nats Park, and in 2018, he became just the third former National to be inducted into the Nationals Park Ring of Honor. Though Werth was recently said to be selling his McLean mansion, it's not uncommon for team announcers to live outside their broadcast regions during the offseason (on the radio side, both Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler have roots elsewhere). He may, however, always be looking over his shoulder for the D.C. strangler.
Michael Morse
Michael Morse was such a loveable member of the 2012 Nationals squad that surprised the league and its fans by sprinting to 98 wins and the first-ever playoff appearance in team history. Who could forget his phantom grand slam, when Morse — entirely on his own — chose to pantomime swinging the bat when told by umpires to go back to home plate and re-touch all the bases. You never forget your first true love, and for many younger Nats fans, that includes Morse's walk-up song 'Take On Me' filling the park on a nightly basis, bringing fans to their feet to sing along. It became such a beloved tradition at the park, the Nationals awkwardly tried keeping it a thing even after trading Morse away. Morse already has experience in the color analyst role as an occasional fill-in for Santangelo in the past.
Gio Gonzalez
Gio Gonzalez was a staple on Nationals broadcasts every fifth day for seven seasons. Though he was never able to duplicate the results of his All-Star first season in Washington, Gonzalez still played an integral role in leading the Nats to four division titles (2012, 2014, 2016, 2017). The lefty has personality for days and a knowledge of the game that few other former Nats could match.
Drew Storen
Are Nats fans ready to forgive Drew Storen after all these years? Before blowing Game 5 in 2012 and Game 2 in 2014, Storen was a valued member of the Nationals franchise and adored by the fanbase. 2014 was just as much on Matt Williams, anyhow. Storen was once the golden boy of the franchise, an undersized reliever taken 10th overall in 2009. Quick to the Majors, Storen delivered 95 saves for the organization from 2010 to 2015. His run in D.C. ended in bitterness, upset to lose the closer's role to Jonathan Papelbon midway through the pressure-packed 2015 season. He was ultimately traded away the following offseason and his career fizzled out from there.
For Storen, broadcasting runs in the family. A distant relative of ESPN sportscaster Hannah Storm (born: Hannah Storen), Drew's father, Mark Patrick (Storen), was a sports personality in Indianapolis for years, best known as the main character actor on the nationally syndicated radio show, 'The Bob & Tom Show.'
Drew Storen was known as much for his humor as he was for his on-field performance in Washington. Who could forget when he added an old-school phone booth to the Nationals' bullpen? Or when he publicly remarked that he was "doing a little Netflix and chill" with his wife when he found out he'd been traded.
If fans can find it in their hearts to take him back (and my gut tells me Nats fans are forgiving people), Storen would be a top-notch personality to add to game broadcasts. And for once, fans could enjoy him in crucial moments of a game without having to cover their eyes.
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