Brice Zimmerman of the Fort Myers Miracle has been named the Florida State League‘s Broadcaster of the Year for 2016.
The award was voted on by the general managers and broadcasters of the Florida State League.
“This award truly is a special honor,” said Zimmerman. “There is a history of fantastic broadcasters that have called games in the FSL. I always listen in to my colleagues around the league and the quality of the broadcasts were exceptional this season.”
Zimmerman, 33, completed his sixth season with the Miracle in 2016 and has called over 700 games in the Florida State League. Joining the Fort Myers staff in 2011 as a Broadcasting and Multimedia Assistant, Zimmerman moved into his current role prior to the 2012 season. In 2014, Zimmerman was the voice behind the first-ever championship season for the Miracle, culminating in a 3-1 series win over the Daytona Cubs in the FSL Playoffs.
During Zimmerman’s time in the booth for the Miracle, the Minnesota Twins farm system has been one of the top-rated in baseball, producing the likes of Brian Dozier, Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler.
“The Twins do a wonderful job of bringing in players with premier baseball talent, but also guys that are lively, colorful, good-natured and personable. It makes my job much easier,” said Zimmerman. “The coaching staff this season was great to work with on a daily basis and I hope our listeners enjoyed the broadcasts as much as I did from the booth.”
In addition to on-air responsibilities, Zimmerman serves as the public address announcer for Minnesota Twins Spring Training at Hammond Stadium. Zimmerman is the primary media contact, produces all internal and external graphic content for the Miracle, runs the team’s social media platforms, writes press releases and contributes in advertising and ticket sales.
This year, Zimmerman hosted the 55th Florida State League All-Star Game dinner on Friday, June 17 and conducted an interview with Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame play-by-play broadcaster John Gordon.
“We are very proud of Brice’s award,” said Miracle owner Jason Hochberg. “His broadcast makes you feel like you are at Hammond Stadium, watching the game with a good friend on a warm summer night.”
In 2015, Zimmerman was named one of 12 Under-40 Achievers in Southwest Florida by the News-Press. This fall, Gulfshore Business magazine tabbed Zimmerman as one of Southwest Florida’s 40-under-40.
Inspired by the Southern League, Eastern League, Carolina League and California League, circuit president Ken Carson introduced the Broadcaster of the Year Award to the Florida State League in 2015. Tyler Murray, formerly of the Daytona Tortugas, won the award last year.