Syracuse University graduate and former Syracuse Chiefs announcer Jason Benetti is headed to another Major League Baseball broadcast booth.
Benetti is leaving the Chicago White Sox to become the play-by-play TV announcer for the Detroit Tigers in 2024, he announced Thursday. Benetti had been with the Tigers’ division rival since 2016.
“Dear @whitesox fans, you’ve spent 8 years making me feel welcome and loved and appreciated. And I love you dearly. I will always cherish you and your passion and joy. You mean more than you know to me,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Thank you for filling my heart. #IsItRaining Yes, as I type this.”
According to MLive.com, Benetti will replace Matt Shepard, who was let go after the 2023 MLB season. Benetti will be Detroit’s new lead for television broadcasts as part of a multi-year deal with the team.
“I’m incredibly proud to join this historic and ascending Tigers franchise,” Benetti said in a statement. “From every single person I talked with throughout the interview process it was clear why so many respected professionals and creative people have joined the organization in the last several years. There’s something special about it, and I’m excited to bring that energy to Tigers fans around the globe. I’d also like to thank Chris Ilitch, Ryan Gustafson, Scott Harris, and everyone else I’ve met with in the last several weeks who have been so welcoming. Everyone I spent time with made it clear this was the right place for me. I was born and raised in the Midwest, and understand how important sports are, especially here in the Motor City.”
Benetti, 40, is a nationally known broadcaster who’s inspired audiences with his personal experiences with cerebral palsy and a limitless knowledge of the game. The Detroit Free Press reports he’ll continue working national jobs while covering a minimum of 127 Tigers games; radio broadcaster Dan Dickerson will handle on-camera duties whenever there’s a scheduling conflict.
Benetti studied broadcasting at SU’s Newhouse School and has done play-by-play work for a variety of sports, including baseball, football, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, hockey and wrestling. He worked in the broadcast booth for the Syracuse Chiefs (the minor league baseball team now known as the Syracuse Mets) from 2005-2006 and 2009-2014 and worked a side job with the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse, helping with disability policy research.