Royals add Sweeney, Guthrie to broadcast team

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Royals will welcome two new -- but very familiar -- faces to their broadcast in 2023.

Former players Mike Sweeney and Jeremy Guthrie are joining Bally Sports Kansas City for the upcoming season, providing the club with more voices and fresh perspectives. They’ll both make their debuts this spring, and, once the regular season begins, both will be on the pregame and postgame shows and on radio and TV broadcasts with Ryan Lefebvre, Jake Eisenberg, Steve Stewart and Hall of Famer Denny Matthews.

“To join an already incredible team, and to do it with guys that I love being around -- and most importantly for the team I have loved since I was 17 years old and the Kansas City Royals drafted me -- it’s a dream come true,” Sweeney said.

“Above all, I just appreciate the opportunity the Royals and Bally Sports are giving me, to be able to join a really great team and learn from amazing people,” Guthrie added.

All other roles on the Royals broadcast team remain unchanged. Rex Hudler will continue to be in the booth as an analyst, as well as join Joel Goldberg and Jeff Montgomery on the pregame and postgame shows.

“I was elated,” Hudler said. “Because we don’t have any depth. I like to be an Ironman and I love doing all the games, it doesn’t bother me. Even in my 60s, I have plenty of energy. I bring it every night. But it will be nice to have some more people. And it wasn’t just that they brought in more, it was who they brought in.

“The bottom line is, we want to bring the best Kansas City Royals broadcast that we can bring. Our job is to enhance the product. And man, it’s even better now.”

Sweeney spent 13 of his 16 Major League seasons in Kansas City (1995-2007) and was inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame in 2015. He is one of five Royals to be selected to five or more All-Star Games, was named Royals Player of the Year three times and ranks among the club’s all-time leaders in several offensive categories. He has broadcasting experience with MLB Network, FOX Sports and filled in for a week last year on Royals Radio. Sweeney will remain part of the Royals’ front office as special assistant to baseball operations.

“I was happy to be a one-and-done last year, a week of work,” Sweeney said. “But they said they were looking to add some former players to the team. I was really honored they wanted me.”

Guthrie pitched 13 seasons in the Major Leagues, including 2012-15 with the Royals. He led the 2013 Royals with 15 wins and pitched more than 200 innings in both ’13 and ’14. He was the winning pitcher of Game 3 of the 2014 World Series and started Game 7 against the Giants. He has dabbled in broadcasting with MLB Network and has been interested in a second career in the booth over the past couple of years.

Now, he’ll bring his insightful knowledge of the game to Royals broadcasts.

“I hope, first, to make it fun and to be able to speak the language of baseball in a way that both fans old and young can appreciate,” Guthrie said. “Hopefully, I can speak to the old-school fan who enjoys understanding the whys and everything going on behind the game, as well as the newer fan, the more casual fan, who is looking for the entertainment value of the game or understanding how it’s played based off analytics and numbers.”

The Royals held a seminar for their broadcasters in Kansas City this offseason to meet the new team and lay out their vision for the broadcast this year. Lefebvre will be working with three new people this season in Eisenberg -- who replaced Steve Physioc this winter -- Sweeney and Guthrie.

That’s something that won’t be without its challenges and adjustments, but Lefebvre is looking forward to it.

“At this stage in my career, I still get a thrill from learning something new or hearing something in a way that’s never been presented before,” Lefebvre said. “Mike’s going to do that with his perspective as a position player, and a team captain at one point, and Jeremy will do that as a very cerebral pitcher who understands a ton about the analytical world. He’ll be able to speak the pitchers’ language.

“Anything that’s going to give the broadcast a new perspective is a good thing. Over the course of six months, fans are going to hear a lot of us. So anything that keeps it fresh is good for the listener.”