Ben Davis joining Phillies broadcast team

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Former major-league catcher Ben Davis, a Malvern Prep graduate and West Chester resident, will join the Phillies' broadcast team this season as the third member in the booth, Comcast SportsNet announced Thursday.

Davis and second-year broadcaster Matt Stairs will provide color commentary alongside play-by-play man Tom McCarthy. Davis replaces Jamie Moyer, who opted not to return for a second season in order to spend more time with his family on the West Coast.

The other finalist for the job, former Phillies shortstop Kevin Stocker, turned down the position, several sources told The Inquirer. Stocker is an analyst for the Pac-12 Network.

Stairs and Davis will work on a rotating schedule the way Stairs and Moyer split road trips last season. Mike Schmidt, who joined the booth for Sunday home games last season, also returns to the broadcast team.

Davis, the second overall pick of the 1995 draft, played seven years in the majors with the San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, and Chicago White Sox. He spent the last four seasons as an analyst on Comcast SportsNet's Phillies pregame and postgame shows.

In a statement, Davis, 37, called the job a "dream come true."

He will debut in the booth March 3, when the Phillies host the New York Yankees in their Grapefruit League opener at Bright House Field.