Broadcasters: Waltz | Hutton | Minervini | Conine | Williams
Floyd | Wilson | Striker, Jr. | Rojas | Van Horne | Geffner | Ramírez | Quintana
2013 marks Waltz's ninth year as the television play-by-play voice of the Marlins on FOX Sports Florida/Sun Sports and his 18th consecutive year covering Major League Baseball.
This spring, Rich served as one of the primary play-by-play voices of the World Baseball Classic for MLB Network and MLB International. In March of 2009 Waltz also called games in the WBC, including two of the biggest upsets in International Baseball history as the Netherlands twice stunned the Dominican Republic.
Last year Waltz was a part of Fox's National Saturday Baseball coverage, and in 2011 Rich filled in on MLB Network's coverage of Thursday Night Baseball. Waltz has also called Major League Baseball on a national basis for ESPN, ESPN Radio, and FX. Prior to joining FOX Sports Florida, Waltz served as the fill-in announcer and pregame host for the Seattle Mariners television and radio networks. In 2000, he served as the fill-in voice of the Toronto Blue Jays on CBC across Canada.
For the past two seasons Rich has been the voice of ACC College Football Saturdays produced and distributed by Fox Sports Net and Raycom. In 2010, Rich called games on FSN's coverage of SEC Football Saturday Night.
From 1997-2002, Waltz called College Football for ESPN, ESPN Radio and ABC in the Big Ten, SEC and ACC conferences; including many Bowl and Championship Games. Waltz's ESPN assignments also included: Major League Baseball, NCAA Basketball, Arena Football, NCAA College Softball World Series, Little League World Series Regional Finals, and Major League Soccer. His football experience also includes NFL Europe for Fox, Pac-10 Football for FSN and NFL Preseason games for the Seattle Seahawks.
Waltz also has served as the voice of the ACC Basketball Game of the Week for Fox Sports Net and Raycom Sports since 2011. He has been a part of FSN's ACC and SEC College Basketball since 2006. His College Basketball work includes the Big Ten, Big East, Pac Twelve, Mountain West, West Coast, and Big Sky Conferences. As well, Waltz has called ATP and WTA Tennis events for Tennis Channel and IMG.
In 2006, Waltz helped create and organize the FSN Fantasy Auction, which in seven years has raised more than $515,000 for the Marlins Foundation. In 2008, he was honored by the Marlins with their Community Service Award.
Born in Martinez, California, Rich was a starting infielder on two championship teams at the University of California-Davis. Waltz resides in Coral Springs, FL with his wife and two daughters.
Tommy Hutton enters his 17th season as FOX Sports Florida's Marlins analyst. 2013 marks Hutton's 49th year in professional baseball; 17 years as a player and 32nd year as a broadcaster.
A veteran sportscaster, Hutton worked as the color commentator for the 2000 National League Championship Series and World Series for Major League Baseball International. He also covered the 2003 Marlins championship season in its entirety and, in 2005, was selected by FOX Sports to serve as analyst on a number of nationally distributed Major League Baseball game telecasts.
Hutton spent seven seasons (1990-96) as a color commentator with the Toronto Blue Jays organization while also doing weekly telecasts for ESPN.
Hutton, a member of the New York Yankees' radio broadcasting team from 1987-89, spent the prior five seasons (1982-86) with the Montreal Expos, teaming up with Marlins radio broadcaster, Dave Van Horne, in the radio booth.
His Major League playing career spanned 12 years, playing first base and outfield for the Dodgers, Phillies, Blue Jays and Expos. He delivered 79 career pinch hits posting a .269 career pinch-hitting average and was named to the 1972 Topps All-Rookie Team.
Hutton was a teammate of both Marlins Special Assistants to the President, Tony Perez for two seasons and Andre Dawson for three and half seasons, both in Montreal. He was also elected to the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
Tommy, who is chairman of the Tommy Hutton Baseball Academy in Jupiter, FL, has resided in Palm Beach Gardens, FL for nearly 30 years with his wife Debby. They have two sons both living in Palm Beach County, Jason and his wife Allison and younger son Derek.
Minervini is in his 12th season as pregame host/in-game reporter for Marlins games on FOX Sports Florida. He also has handled play-by-play for select Marlins games on TV/radio.
In 2010, Craig was the national play-by-play voice for the United Football League (UFL) games on Versus. And also during the winter season, Minervini serves as host for Florida Panthers (NHL) hockey on FOX Sports Florida and has called several Panthers games on radio as well.
Before joining FOX Sports Florida, Minervini spent seven years with WTVJ-NBC 6 in Miami as a sports anchor/reporter. He anchored sports on WNBC-TV (NY) in 2004.
Minervini's extensive television broadcasting experience includes a wide variety of assignments such as play-by-play voice for NBC Sports (Notre Dame football), CBS Sports Spectacular, ESPN's college baseball playoffs and Roller Hockey International events, Major League Soccer, XFL Football, boxing and mixed martial arts' events.
Minervini latest Hollywood stint includes a special appearance in Kevin James' blockbuster movie "Here Comes the Boom."
Minervini earned a broadcast journalism degree from Syracuse University in 1985 where he called Orangemen football, basketball, lacrosse and soccer while handling AAA Syracuse Chiefs baseball.
A native of Huntington, Long Island (NY), Minervini has two sons, Chase and Maxwell, and a daughter, Spencer.
FOX Sports Florida/Sun Sports' Frank Forte hosts all seven editions of INSIDE THE MARLINS and two Hot Stove Report shows. Over the past seven seasons, Forte has served as pre-game host and in-game reporter for multiple Marlins regular season telecasts, and produced episodes of the Inside The Marlins series.
Forte also has extensive experience as a play-by-play announcer; since 1996 he has called the action on numerous games/events on Sun Sports and FOX Sports Florida, including college basketball, football and baseball in addition to the FHSAA High School Football Finals. Forte has filled in as Marlins play-by-play announcer for several games.
Prior to joining Sun Sports/FOX Sports Florida in 2006 Forte worked as a sports anchor at WPLG, an ABC affiliate in Miami for 23 years.
A graduate of Syracuse University, Forte received his B.S. in Television Journalism. Forte and his wife Carol reside in Pembroke Pines. They have one son Brendan, who is currently attending the University of Central Florida.
Jeff Conine returns for his fifth season as a Marlins television pre and postgame analyst on FOX Sports Florida. In addition to his pre and postgame duties, Conine will serve as a color analyst for select games throughout the season. The former Marlins outfielder also has duties in the front office, serving as a special assistant to team president David Samson.
Conine, a valuable member of both Marlins' World Series Championship teams in 1997 and 2003, enjoyed a 17-year Major League career finishing with a total of 1,982 hits, 385 doubles, 214 home runs, 1,071 RBI and a .285 batting average in 2,024 games.
A two-time All-Star (1994-95), Conine was twice named the Marlins' MVP by the South Florida Chapter of the BBWAA (1994-95) and was the MVP of the 1995 MLB All-Star Game. For his Marlins career, "Mr. Marlin" hit .290 and ranks among the all-time Marlins leaders in games (1,014 -2nd), hits (1,005 -2nd), RBI (553 -2nd), at-bats (3,471 -3rd) and home runs (120 -7th). He also hit six grand slams as a Marlin, more than any other player. He was the Opening Day left fielder in their Inaugural Game in 1993, going 4x4 with the first stolen base in Club history.
Among his career highlights, he carried a .304 average in 32 postseason games, all with the Marlins. In addition to his MVP honors with the Club, he also earned the award with the Baltimore Orioles in 2001. He garnered AL Player of the Week honors for May 27-June 2, 2002, after posting a .375 average with five home runs, nine RBI and 26 total bases. In 1995, he earned the NL Player of the Month for June, batting .340 with six doubles, nine home runs and 24 RBI. Conine was named to TOPPS and Baseball America's All-Rookie teams in 1993 and was the 1990 Southern League Most Valuable Player, the Royals' Minor League Player of the Year and a double-A All-Star as voted by TOPPS and Baseball America.
After retiring from baseball, Conine successfully completed the 2008 Ford Ironman World Championship, becoming the first former Major Leaguer to finish the endurance race. Currently, Conine also serves as a Special Assistant to the President.
Born in Tacoma, WA, Conine and his family, wife Cindy, daughter Sierra and sons Griffin and Tucker, reside in South Florida. The family has been active in the South Florida community since his arrival in 1993, including founding the Conine All-Star Classic, an annual golf tournament to raise money for the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Fla.
A 17-year Major League Baseball outfielder, World Series Champion and former All-Star, is in his second season with FOX Sports Florida for the 2013 season as a pre and postgame analyst for select Marlins Live shows.
An Illinois native, Floyd made his major league debut in 1991 when the Montreal Expos drafted him with the 14th pick overall.
In 1997, Floyd was traded to the Florida Marlins and became a key player on a team along with Gary Sheffield, Edgar Renteria, Bobby Bonilla and Kevin Brown. Floyd captured the coveted championship ring when the Marlins won their first of two World Series in '97.
2001 was Floyd's best statistical year in the majors and was awarded the opportunity to play in the Mid Summer Classic. That season Floyd drove in a career high 103 runs, hit 31 home runs and finished 22nd in the NL MVP voting. A fan favorite that season, Floyd was the first ever Florida Marlins bobblehead doll produced.
After five years with the Marlins, Floyds' career took him to the Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays and then finally ending his career in 2009 with the San Diego Padres.
Cliff hit a total of 233 lifetime home runs and drove in 865 runs with a .278 batting average in his 17-year professional career.
Since his retirement in 2010, Cliff formed his own 501(c)(3) Non-profit charitable organization "Cliff Floyd Foundation." He is a regular host of radio programs nationally distributed on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio.
Floyd resides in Florida with his wife Maryanne and three children.
Allison Williams is in her fourth season with the Marlins where she hosts select pre and post-game shows. She also serves as an in game reporter and provides feature content for Marlins games. Allison also is the primary host for the Florida Panthers pre and post- game shows as well as in game reporter for home games. In addition, she is a sideline reporter for college football and basketball.
Allison has been working in the South Florida market, doing both television and radio, since graduating from the University of Miami in 2006 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. Since then she has hosted several shows, including Miccosukee Sports Rap, the Jason Taylor Celebrity Golf Special, Ultimate Fan Experience and others.
A Michigan native, Allison loves all sports but her favorites are football, hockey, baseball and basketball. In her free time she enjoys running, going to the beach, doing crosswords, kickboxing, playing softball and spending time with her friends and family.
Preston Wilson enters his second season with the FOX Sports Florida staff as a pre and post-game analyst, after enjoying a nine year MLB career. Wilson will add his baseball expertise and analysis to select Marlins Live shows throughout the 2013 season.
Wilson was drafted by the New York Mets in the first round of the 1992 Amateur draft. Preston made his MLB debut in May of 1998. Just two weeks after joining the Mets, he was traded to the Florida Marlins along with two other minor leaguers for catcher Mike Piazza. As a rookie centerfielder, Wilson led the team in home runs and runs batted in. He finished second place in the NL Rookie of the Year balloting. The following season (1999) Wilson joined the 30-30-club, slugging 31 home runs and stealing 36 bases.
During Wilson's MLB career he made stops in Colorado, Washington, Houston and St. Louis. Wilson, like his step-father Mookie Wilson in 1986, would win a World Series ring in 2006 as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.
On February 14, 2009 Wilson announced his retirement from Major League Baseball.
Born in Bamberg, South Carolina, Preston and his family now reside in South Florida.
Raul Striker, Jr. begins his 11th year as the Marlins play-by-play SAP television announcer. Joined by Cookie Rojas in the broadcast booth, Striker, Jr. has called all Marlins home games since 2003 on secondary audio programming. In addition, Striker, Jr. currently serves as the Miami Dolphins (NFL) football Spanish-language radio analyst and play-by-play announcer.
Striker, Jr. was the Spanish-language television pre-game, half-time, and in-game reporter of the Miami HEAT (NBA) for the 2005 & 2006 seasons. He has also served as play-by-play announcer for Radio Cadena Univision's NFL playoffs and served as color commentator during the 2010 and 2013 Pro Bowl and Super Bowl.
Before joining the Marlins, Striker, Jr. served as anchor/reporter on a variety of sports show for the Spanish-language television network Telemundo.
Son of renowned Spanish sportscaster Raul Striker, Striker, Jr. has covered sporting events that include the 1997 and 2003 World Series, Miami Dolphins playoffs (1998-99), 2002 FIFA World Cup, 2001 Sugar Bowl, 2002 Rose Bowl and 2003 Fiesta Bowl, and NFL playoff game for Univision Radio. Striker, Jr. also served as producer/host of Marlins Semanal, the Marlins official Spanish television show during 2003 and 2004. He also worked a field producer for Fox Sports' weekly show Fox al Bate during 1997 and 1998.
A native of Santurce, Puerto Rico, Striker, Jr. and his wife Margie reside in Miami.
Rojas returns to FOX Sports Florida/Sun Sports' SAP broadcast booth for his 11th year as color commentator alongside Raul Striker, Jr. Rojas has provided analysis for all regular season home games since 2003.
Rojas has served as color commentator for ESPN Spanish Radio during the 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 National League Championship Series and World Series. He was also a member of Caribbean World Series Spanish-language broadcasting team in 2005 and 2006. In addition, he was an analyst for the MLB Network during the 2009 Caribbean World Series.
An experienced baseball mentor, Rojas last coached at the Major League level in 2002 as the Toronto Blue Jays' bench coach. In 2000, he was the New York Mets' third base coach and served as the Marlins third base coach and infield coach from 1993-96. Prior to joining the Marlins' coaching staff, Rojas spent 10 seasons with the California Angels as manager (1988), special assistant to the general manager, Major League scout and coach.
During his 19-year major league career, Rojas posted a .263 batting average and was named to five All-Star teams, including four in a row (1971-74). He played in the first-ever game played at Dodgers Stadium and collected his first Major League hit off Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax.
A native of Cuba, Rojas is a member of the Kansas City Royals', Philadelphia Phillies' and Cuba's Baseball Hall of Fame. Rojas was also inducted into the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce's Sports Hall of Champions in 2008 and The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame in 2012. Most recently, Cookie was inducted into to the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame (class of 2013) in the Dominican Republic.
Octavio Victor "Cookie" Rojas and his wife, the former Candy Rosa Boullon, reside in Aventura, Fla. They have four children: Octavio Jr., Miguel, Victor and Bobby.
Dave Van Horne is entering his 13th season as the lead Play-by-Play broadcaster on the Miami Marlins Radio Network, and his 45th season broadcasting Major League Baseball. The National Baseball Hall of Fame honoree was the primary radio and television voice of the Montreal Expos for 32 years before joining the Marlins radio team. He began his baseball broadcast career in Richmond Virginia, broadcasting the Richmond Braves games in the International League.
During his Major League broadcasting career, Van Horne has been behind the microphone for many baseball milestones, including 11 No Hitters, three of which were "Perfect Games". Other highlights included the Marlins 2003 Post Season playoff games and World Series victory. He had the opportunity to call the 3000th hit by Willie Mays and Tony Gwynn, as well as the 3000th and 4000th hits of Pete Rose. Van Horne could be heard broadcasting the 3,510th strikeout by Nolan Ryan when he passed Walter Johnson for the All-Time strikeout lead, as well as Steve Carlton's 4000th strikeout. In addition, Van Horne called Andre Dawson's feat of hitting two home runs in one inning, twice.
Dave was a two- time winner of the Virginia Sportscaster of the Year Award for his work broadcasting high school and college football and basketball and professional baseball.
In Canada, he received the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame's Jack Graney Award for contributions to baseball through broadcasting. He also received the 2011 Career Achievement Award from Sports Media Canada.
Dave's broadcast partners over the years have included, Don Drysdale, Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, Buck Martinez, Tom Cheek, Ken Singleton, Gary Carter and Tommy Hutton. His current partner on Marlins Radio is Glenn Geffner.
In 2011, he was honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown with the Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcasting; the award was presented at the Annual Induction weekend awards ceremony.
In June 2012, Dave was honored with induction into the Wilson High School Hall of Fame, during its commencement ceremonies in Easton, PA.
In March 2012, he was honored to receive the Sonny Hirsch Excellence in Sports Broadcasting Award at the Reid & Fiorentino Call of the Game Dinner. (Eric Reid and Tony Fiorentino, charity dinner organizers.)
Dave was born and raised in Easton Pennsylvania. He has been a resident of Palm Beach County since 1982 and lives there with his wife Josee and their daughter Madison. He also has 5 sons and 11 grandchildren.
Miami native Glenn Geffner enters his fifth season as a member of the Marlins radio broadcast team in 2012, his 16th season in the Major Leagues and his 21st year in professional baseball as a broadcaster and front office executive. In addition to his play-by-play duties, Glenn hosts the Marlins On Deck pre-game show and the 10th Inning post-game show throughout the season as well as the Marlins Insider hot stove radio show in the winter.
Geffner owns the rare distinction of having done baseball play-by-play at every level--from college, to Single-A, Double-A, Triple-A, and the Major Leagues. Having broadcast for the Boston Red Sox and the San Diego Padres prior to his return to South Florida, he previously served as the voice of the Rochester Red Wings of the Triple-A International League and handled television play-by-play for the New England Sports Network's coverage of Red Sox minor league baseball during his time in Boston.
Geffner, who has two World Series championship rings (Boston, 2004, 2007) and a National League championship ring (San Diego, 1998), is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, where he began his broadcasting career calling Wildcats baseball, football and basketball.
Glenn and his wife Christine reside in Weston with sons Corey and Gregg and their daughter Caroline.
Ramírez has been the Spanish "Voice of the Marlins" since the birth of the franchise in 1993. He has called all of the Club's four no-hitters by Al Leiter (1996), Kevin Brown (1997), A.J. Burnett (2001) and Anibal Sanchez (2006) as well as the 1997 and 2003 championship seasons.
As one of the most recognizable voices in sports broadcasting, Ramírez was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on August 5, 2001 as the Ford C. Frick Award winner, a tribute presented each year by the National Baseball Hall of Fame to a broadcaster for "major contributions to the game of baseball."
For more than 35 years, he has been the play-by-play voice of professional baseball in Puerto Rico, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Ramírez's baseball coverage on CMQ Radio in Habana, Cuba (1953-61), was highly regarded among journalists in Latin America. Felo has been the voice of, all but nine, Caribbean World Series since 1949.
A true pioneer of baseball broadcasting in his native Cuba, Ramírez was the first Hispanic broadcaster to have his narration included in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, with his call of Hank Aaron's 715th home run, his call of Roberto Clemente's 3000th hit and Don Larsen's perfect game during Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.
He has lent his voice to more than 32 World Series and All-Star Games, and was recognized by former Commissioner Bowie Kuhn in 1980 for his extensive contribution to promoting baseball in Latin America from the broadcast booth.
Felo Ramírez is also a member of the Puerto Rican National Sports Museum (class of 2004). A life-size statue of Felo was erected during the inaugural event of the National Sports Museum in Guaynabo, PR, commemorating his valuable contributions to the game of baseball. In 2010, Felo was inducted as an honoree member of the Latin American Hall of Fame in the Dominican Republican.
Rafael Ramírez Arias resides in Miami, FL.
Quintana returns for his 12th full season as the Marlins' Spanish play-by-play announcer. Besides radio, Quintana serves as the main sports anchor/producer for WJAN41 América Teve in Miami.
With more than 30 years of broadcasting experience, Quintana began his career as a journalist writing for several Cuban national sports magazines and newspapers. Over the airwaves, Quintana served as a commentator and play-by-play announcer for the providence of Las Villas' radio network.
Quintana worked for TV Cubana (1980-1993) as a sports commentator and play-by-play announcer for several national and international championships including baseball, volleyball, basketball, and boxing, among other sports.
After acquiring political asylum from the Venezuelan Republic, Quintana worked as sports analyst and play-by-play announcer for Cadena Super Suave as well as serving as the official play-by-play announcer for the "Tigres de Aragua", of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.
Quintana was selected by fans as the Most Popular Sports Commentator as well as one of the 10 Most Popular Artists in Cuba. He is also a member of the National Cuban Hall of Fame (Class of 2007) for his contributions to the sports journalism field and was named the Miami Life Awards Sports Broadcaster of the Year in 2008 & 2009.
Quintana received his bachelor's degree in Physical Education and Sports, with a specialization in baseball from Instituto Superior de Cultura Física. Quintana also served as pitching coach for several baseball national championships in Cuba.
Yiky and his wife, Lizet, reside in Miami, Fla.