Get to know new White Sox play-by-play announcer Schriffen

CHICAGO -- There’s a major goal, a major focus, for John Schriffen in taking over the vast responsibilities as the White Sox new television play-by-play broadcaster, beginning with the upcoming 2024 season.

Don’t try to be Harry Caray or Ken ‘Hawk’ Harrelson, Hall of Famers who have previously worked in the White Sox television booth. Don’t try to be Jason Benetti, who was the White Sox previous television voice and has risen to national prominence.

The goal for Schriffen, 39, simply is to be true to himself.

“You can’t try to be somebody that you are not,” Schriffen told MLB.com. “Chicago sports fans are intelligent, they are smart, they are the best fans in the country. If you are trying to be somebody else, they are going to see you as a fraud.

“That’s not who I am. That’s not who I want to be. I can’t be someone else. My style as a broadcaster is a passionate, energetic fan. I’m going to bring the energy, the passion.”

Schriffen and the White Sox agreed on a multi-year deal, following Benetti, who moved to the Detroit Tigers after the White Sox and Benetti agreed to forgo the final year of his deal. A national search for Benetti’s replacement resulted in hundreds of reels and resumes being sent in, with a large pool being cut down to candidates who were personally interviewed.

A small pool of finalists were selected and interviewed by a larger group. The process for Schriffen involved multiple phone interviews, and one in-person in Chicago becoming his first trip to Guaranteed Rate Field. He also went from his home in Las Vegas to Phoenix to meet with White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and Steve Stone, the team’s expert television analyst.

Their dinner meeting this past Sunday was set for one hour, just to see if they have any kind of chemistry. It turned into a three-hour deal for Schriffen and Stone.

“We hit it off immediately,” Schriffen said. “Everybody knows Steve Stone is the greatest. He has done everything in baseball broadcasting – the dude is a legend.

“So, I said, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen, but can I keep in contact with you even if I don’t get this job?’ That’s how much I liked him. I kept him in the loop [on the hire], and he was as excited if not more excited for me. That’s how much of a good dude he is.”

While Schriffen’s work for NBC Sports Chicago marks his first play-by-play duties for a team, his resume is vast and features interesting stops along the way. He attended Dartmouth College and pitched for the baseball team. He began his career for News 12 in New York, and in order for the company to keep him employed, Schriffen moved to the news side.

This change led to his work as a New York-based correspondent for ABC News from 2012-14, contributing reports for Good Morning America and Nightline. The job included a trip to Cordoba, Colombia, to do a story about animal trafficking.

• White Sox broadcasters

“What I learned from news was being a reporter, asking good questions, making sure you are not the story,” Schriffen said. “What I’ve taken from the news background is I want to spend time in the clubhouse, I want to spend time around the cage. I’m going to get to know the guys, I’m going to get to know their stories.

“I’m going to tell their stories and introduce the new players on the White Sox to the fans and do it in a way where it’s not about me, making the connection between fans and players. I don’t like to make myself a part of the game, but I do like to show people how passionate I am and I come from a fan’s perspective of, ‘Let’s just have fun.’”

Ultimately, Schriffen returned to sports and has worked the past four years for ESPN. He broadcast KBO games for the network during the pandemic and has done college basketball, college football, college baseball, the XFL, NBA preseason games, G-League and Summer League and Major League Baseball games for ESPN radio.

His ongoing work with ESPN is still being figured out with the White Sox, according to Schriffen. But his first priority and main commitment will be to the White Sox, with a chance to work with ESPN during the offseason.

“I’ll do the majority of the games,” Schriffen said. “They made it very clear up front. They said whoever the next person is going to be, we want to make sure this job is their priority. This is a big responsibility so I’m all for that.

“I can’t wait to get to Spring Training, because there is so much work to do. I want to get involved. There’s some cool segments I want to do and have fun with the players and find a way to get to know them and introduce them in a way that’s been different in the past. No matter what’s happening on the field, make sure the broadcast is fun and entertaining.”

Schriffen, who is biracial, becomes the second Black television play-by-play announcer in MLB, joining Seattle’s Dave Sims. Schriffen’s grandfather, Alphonso Deal, was president of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP. The man who started as a New York Mets fan and eventually gravitated to the Yankees is ready to watch Luis Robert Jr., a potential American League Most Valuable Player candidate, on a daily basis.

He’s ready to study how this White Sox team develops, and he’s ready to learn about the city of Chicago. He’s now ready to embrace the White Sox and their fan base and do it in his own way.

“They are passionate,” Schriffen said of White Sox fans. “I’ve done my homework on the White Sox fans, and I’ve learned there are so many different blogs. There are so many different podcasts. There are so many different shows and reports, because fans just can’t get enough information, which is what I love.

“No matter how well the team is doing, everyone always wants to know what’s going on with the organization -- whether it be the Major League team, the farm system or who they are potentially drafting. They always want more information, which tells me they have some of the best fans in the world, because it’s not whether they are winning or losing. It’s just, ‘I’m a White Sox fan for life.’”