SF Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper nominated for 2023 Ford C. Frick Award

SF Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper has been selected as one of the 10 finalists for the Baseball Hall of Fame's 2022 Ford C. Frick Award.

Marc Delucchi | Oct 6, 2022

SF Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper nominated for 2023 Ford C. Frick Award /

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San Francisco Giants

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum revealed the finalists for the 2023 Ford C. Frick Award, an annual award for excellence in baseball broadcasting. Longtime SF Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper was selected as one of the 10 finalists.

SF Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper waves to the crowd from the booth at Oracle Park during the 2020 season. — SF Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper waves to the crowd from the booth at Oracle Park during the 2020 season / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Kuiper played 12 big-league seasons as a defensive-minded second baseman from 1974-1985, finishing his career with four years in a Giants uniform. Over his career, Kuiper played in 1,057 games and hit .271/.325/.316 with 91 doubles, 29 triples, and a home run.

In the final years of his playing career, Kuiper began his career as a broadcaster, hosting his own show on Bay Area sports radio in 1982. Immediately after he retired as a player, Kuiper moved to the broadcast booth and began calling Giants games. From 1986-1992, Kuiper was a mainstay in San Francisco's booth before the threat of the franchise moving to Florida led him to take a job with the Colorado Rockies for the 1993 season.

Thankfully for Giants fans, Kuiper returned to the team after it was clear they would stay in San Francisco, where he has stayed one of the team's radio and television broadcasters ever since. Kuiper has won 10 Emmy Awards for his work and, of course, has become a fan favorite alongside his former teammate turned broadcast partner Mike Krukow.

Dave Campbell, Joe Castiglione, Gary Cohen, Jacques Doucet, Tom Hamilton, Jerry Howarth, Pat Hughes, Ernie Johnson Sr., and Steve Stone were the nine other nominees for the award. Voting for the award winner will be done by the 12 living past winners of the award and three baseball historians.

The panel is made up of Marty Brennaman, Bob Costas, Ken Harrelson, Jaime Jarrín, Tony Kubek, Denny Matthews, Tim McCarver, Al Michaels, Jon Miller, Eric Nadel, Bob Uecker, Dave Van Horne, David J. Halberstam, Barry Horn, and Curt Smith.

While SF Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper does not need another award to go down in history as one of the best broadcasters in franchise history, fans would surely love to see him honored at the Hall of Fame.

Published Oct 6, 2022

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).