Kevin Youkilis to be NESN's primary color analyst on Red Sox broadcasts in 2023

simplicio

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Apr 11, 2012
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Agreed. I like WMB and Merloni fine, but O'Brien is the broadcaster equivalent of plain cold toast and needs whatever flavor you can spread on him. Youk does that best to my ears.
 

pedro1999mvp

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Dec 9, 2022
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Youk has been good, much better than last year, but I like Middlebrooks better. I like his use of advanced stats, without overusing them. I have enjoyed his podcasts for a while now, and I just think he has the personality and knowledge of the game to be a great media person. I think that experience has translated well to having success in the booth. Overall, I think Will has been the best so far.
 

Mantush

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Jul 30, 2014
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I feel the opposite of most. I think Merloni did the best job. WMB was okay, but he was pretty boring. It would have been nice for him to show more of his personality. He talked and shared anecdotes, but I never really felt his personality shine through like Merloni or Youk's did. With someone as bland as DOB, you need someone engaging next to him or the broadcast is very boring.
 

YTF

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I'm not as anti OB as many here, I think he's OK. Nothing more, nothing less, but would prefer to see what Mike Monaco could do given the opportunity. That said, I think what sets Merloni (and to a lesser extent Middlebrooks) apart from Youk is that Merloni doesn't really fall into the trap of being sidetrack by some of the goofiness that Youk seems to embrace. At times it seems to me that Youk is trying too hard to bring a bit of Remy and Eck into the booth, but it somehow falls flat for me.
 
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Skiponzo

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I like WMB and Youk but they lack "something" that I cannot place a finger on....I am fully on board the Merloni train. I think Lou offers some good insights and doesn't seem afraid to call out things as he sees them...good or bad. OB though adequate is a tough listen, especially since I'm in SD and get to hear Orsillo on a nightly basis.
 

derekson

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Jun 26, 2010
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I like Youk personally, but I'm sure all 3 would be better with Monaco over DOB. I thought he was impressive in his fill in stints.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Jan 23, 2009
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I think Merloni is the most polished, thanks to his experience on WEEI both in the booth and on his show. I think that's what people are hearing that put him above the other two. I've been on team Middlebrooks since they hired him last year for the studio. I think he's already solid and has the most potential for improvement as well.
 

YTF

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I think Merloni is the most polished, thanks to his experience on WEEI both in the booth and on his show. I think that's what people are hearing that put him above the other two. I've been on team Middlebrooks since they hired him last year for the studio. I think he's already solid and has the most potential for improvement as well.
I completely agree. Merloni's been at it long enough where he's found his comfort level in the booth and has had time to hone his craft. What we see from him now is likely to be what we should expect moving forward. Middlebrooks seems like a natural early on and should only get better with experience.
 

richgedman'sghost

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I completely agree. Merloni's been at it long enough where he's found his comfort level in the booth and has had time to hone his craft. What we see from him now is likely to be what we should expect moving forward. Middlebrooks seems like a natural early on and should only get better with experience.
I agree that Merloni is the most polished of the trio. WMB has the highest ceiling of the NESN announcers and uses advanced stats without being boring. Youk is good but tries too hard to be goofy sometimes In past years, Youk would be considered a great fill in announcer as compared to some of the other fill ins (Steve Lyons, Ellis Burks Johny Gomes anyone LOL )
Overall I think NESN has a good selection of analysts to choose from. I was worried when Remy passed and Eck retired that their successors would suck but I've been greatly surprised
I still think that one night a year NESN should do a 3 analyst booth of Burks, Gomes; and Lyons just so we can thank our lucky stars none of those 3 are NESN announcers anymore