There’s no mistaking who’s behind the mike when the Round Rock Express take the field, as broadcaster Mike Capps continues one of the most successful runs in baseball. This long and distinguished career, which culminated in Capps calling the Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game on ESPN2, led to his being named by Ballpark Digest editors as their Broadcaster of the Year for the 2009 season. His gravelly voice makes an instant connection with listeners, and his descriptions of what happens at the ballpark — both inside and outside the lines — resonate with fans and help make the Express one of the most popular minor-league franchises in the country.
There’s no mistaking who’s behind the mike when the Round Rock Express (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) take the field, as broadcaster Mike Capps continues one of the most successful runs in baseball. This long and distinguished career, which culminated in Capps calling the Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game on ESPN2, led to his being named by Ballpark Digest editors as their Broadcaster of the Year for the 2009 season.
“Mike Capps is truly a baseball institution behind the mike,” said Kevin Reichard, publisher of ballparkdigest.com, the Internet’s leading resource on the culture and business of baseball. “His gravelly voice makes an instant connection with listeners, and his descriptions of what happens at the ballpark — both inside and outside the lines — resonate with fans and help make the Express one of the most popular minor-league franchises in the country.”
“We are blessed to have a talent like Mike Capps in the booth for the Express,” said Ryan-Sanders Baseball CEO Reid Ryan. “His passion for the game exudes in every word he speaks. Mike is the ultimate professional, and he prepares for every game as if it were the World Series. He understands that fans look to him to provide an intimate peak into the lives of the players and the game, as well as paint the mental picture of the action on the field.”
“This is a great honor for Mike, and, frankly, we’re not at all surprised,” said Express President Jay Miller. “Mike is a big-league announcer working for the Round Rock Express. He has been with us since day one. You can turn on the radio when we’re up five or down five, and you can’t tell a difference; you can’t teach that. Mike’s energy and enthusiasm is unmatched. Furthermore, he is loved by our fans. It’s great to see fans in the stands with radios, listening to the game; that’s when you know you have the right guy.”
Amazingly, this is a third career for Capps. In the 1980s, Capps was sports director at WFAA-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth, where the station’s coverage of scandals in the Southern Methodist University athletic department led to the station receiving a Peabody Award. He then moved to 24-hour cable-news network CNN, where a five-year stint as an on-air correspondent led to an Emmy Award nomination and a Cable Ace Award.
But sports was still in his blood, so he went to the minors to hone his craft as a broadcaster, working in markets like Tyler, Texas, and Sioux Falls, S.D. before landing the Express job in 2000 when the team played in the Texas League.
“I first met Mike in 1999 when he was the voice of the Sioux Falls Canaries, and my first thought was how the heck such a talented guy ended up in what then passed for a broadcast booth at Sioux Falls Stadium,” Reichard said. “He’s come a long way since then, and he’s now an institution in baseball’s broadcast world.”
“From the depths of my heart, I owe a handful of people nothing but thanks for believing the transition from news to baseball was the correct move,” Capps said. “This award amplifies their love and belief in me, and the recognition from true baseball fans, and true fans of the baseball broadcasting craft is most humbling.”
The runner-up for this year’s award: Andy “Bull” Barch, the Voice of the West Virginia Power (Low Class A; Sally League). Barch was nominated by most of his peers in the South Atlantic League. Besides possessing one of the great names in baseball, Barch also is heir to the legacy of broadcaster as storyteller, moving past what’s happening on the field to tell many of the great stories of the game.
Ballpark Digest Awards are chosen by the editors of the website following nominations from teams and fans alike. Last year’s winner of the Broadcaster of the Year was Paul Edmonds, Voice of the Winnipeg Goldeyes.
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