Following the conclusion of the All-Star break, play-by-play announcer Daron Sutton will no longer be a part of the Los Angeles Angels and Bally Sports West broadcast team. He had spent the first half of the 2021 season serving as the back-up play-by-play announcer when Matt Vasgersian was unavailable.
When Vasgersian could not attend Angels games, Sutton and Mark Gubicza would be in the booth with Jose Mota on the field. Now, the Angels will look for a replacement — either from within or an outside hire — for those games when Vasgersian is unavailable.
Sutton released a statement about the decision, showing his gratitude towards the Angels for giving him a chance, according to Jeff Fletcher of The O.C. Register:
“This was definitely more of a trial or test than I understood when we started,” Sutton said in a text to reporters. “I enjoyed every second of this opportunity and will cherish the memories always. I am proud of every moment of television the Bally Sports team produced, that I was a part of, without incident, and to the joy and satisfaction of so many.
“I am grateful to Bally Sports for this opportunity and our relationship remains strong and productive to this very moment. I’m looking forward to working with them again in the future.
“It was great to reconnect with Angels fans. They’re the best! The very best!”
As previously stated, the Angels have not yet announced a replacement. Although they will have to work quickly, as the second half of the season begins this Thursday. The Angels play-by-play position has been in flux since the departure of Victor Rojas after the 2020 season.
One potential option — beyond Vasgersian doing more games — could be to have Mota make the full-time move to the booth. Bally Sports West experimented with that on multiple occasions with “Players Only” nights and had great success.
David Fletcher has 24-game hit streak
Angels second baseman David Fletcher is hoping to keep an unbelievable hot streak going after the four-day All-Star break. He is currently holding a 24-game hit streak — with a .439 batting average in that span — and has a chance to capitalize on it after the break. Only 57 players in MLB history have a hit streak of 30 games or longer.
