Kevin Frandsen leaving Phillies’ radio booth for Nationals’ TV analyst job

Add “radio announcer” to the Phillies’ list of offseason needs.

Kevin Frandsen, a member of the Phillies’ broadcast team for the last four seasons, will take over as the television color analyst for Washington Nationals games on Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, the Nationals and MASN announced Thursday. Frandsen, 39, played for the Nationals in 2014 after spending the previous two seasons with the Phillies.

“Thrilled is an understatement to describe how I feel right now,” Frandsen said in a statement in which he also thanked the Phillies for his first opportunity in the booth.

Frandsen called mostly road games alongside radio play-by-play announcer Scott Franzke, who works with popular longtime analyst Larry Andersen at home. Mark DiNardo, the Phillies’ director of broadcasting and video services, said the club is “in the process of evaluating our options” to replace Frandsen.

Franzke, meanwhile, received a one-year extension from the Phillies after his five-year contract expired at the end of last season, a decision that executive vice president David Buck described as “proper timing given everything going on.” Buck said the Phillies hope to discuss a longer-term deal with Franzke later this year. Franzke has been a fixture in the radio booth with Andersen since 2007.

When Andersen chose to reduce his travel schedule in 2018, Frandsen split road games with fellow former infielders Kevin Jordan and Kevin Stocker. Frandsen emerged from among the “three Kevins” and took on a regular role in 2019, developing a strong rapport with Franzke.

Frandsen’s profile within baseball broadcasting circles has risen over the past few years, with hosting gigs on MLB Network Radio. He also hosted a show from the Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa, in August.

In Washington, Frandsen will replace longtime analyst F.P. Santangelo. The Nationals declined to bring him back after last season, when he was accused of sexual misconduct in an anonymous Instagram post. An investigation by Major League Baseball did not find evidence to support the allegations.

The Phillies have not announced their 2022 broadcast teams.

(This story has been updated to reflect Franzke’s contract extension.)