With baseball analyst Gregg Zaun out at Sportsnet, a look at possible replacements
TORONTO — Sportsnet is looking for a new member of its baseball broadcast team after longtime analyst Gregg Zaun was fired Thursday for inappropriate actions and comments against women in the workplace. Here are some potential candidates to fill the role:
J.P. ARENCIBIA
A former Blue Jays catcher, Arencibia seems to be a favourite choice on social media. The affable and telegenic Arencibia, who retired from baseball in January at age 31, would likely have less of an edge than Zaun, a boon or a bane depending on the viewer. He also might think twice before criticizing the players. While playing with the Jays in 2013, Arencibia publicly sounded off on Zaun and former Jays broadcaster Dirk Hayhurst for being too critical. That might be a problem for viewers who preferred Zaun’s no-holds-barred approach.
But Arencibia was a popular player in Toronto during his four years with the Jays, and in his retirement statement the Miami native said “Toronto and Canada will always hold the biggest piece of my heart, I always felt home there.” And he has a vocal supporter in Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman, who has tweeted several times over the past couple of months that he would like to see Arencibia replace Zaun at Sportsnet.
