Rich Herrera Stepping Up To The Plate

An open letter to baseball fans around the world. I am very excited to join the team at BaseballNewsSource.com as the newest blogger to the site.  I have covered MLB for almost two decades working for many different ball clubs along the way.  I have hosted the San Francisco Giants post game call in show, as well as hosting pre and post game shows for the Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays and met a lot of great baseball people along the way.  With the Giants I was around Dusty Baker on a  daily basis and was able to pick his brain, in Oakland I was there during the beginning of the Moneyball Era and got to see Billy Beane and Art Howe up close and personal, and with the Tampa Bay Rays I listened to Lou Pinella for a season and watched Joe Maddon turn Tampa Bay into a winner after years of futility.

I have also been fortunate enough to be around some of the best GM’s and baseball people in game, Brian Sabean, Billy Beane, Sandy Alderson and Andrew Freidman and have been able to ask questions to learn about the game from them as well.  The list of broadcasters I have been lucky enough to work with is rather impressive listening to Jon Miller, Mike Krukow, Dewayne Kuiper, Ted Robinson, Bill King, Ken Korach, Greg Papa, and Ray Fosse.

For the last three years I have been a host on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM Radio.  I have been partner with some amazing co hosts like Mike Stanton, Steve Sax, Brad Lidge, Cliff Floyd, Kevin Kennedy, just to name a few.

I love the game of baseball, growing up going to minor league games at Salinas Muni watching Cal League games as a child, and when I got a little older we would drive two hours north to see the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A’s.  I watched Will the Thrill, and met a rookie named Ricky Henderson while I was in Jr High.  A friend of my dad’s knew a minor league coach in the Cal League and one day I had half the team at our house for BBQ.  There is no other place I would rather be than at the ballpark.  I love the game so much I named my son after he last manager of the New York Giants. One of my greatest moments was when Willie Mays manager Bill Rigney told me I was a great baseball man.   Baseball has been part of my family as long as I can remember my grandmother making dinner with the sounds of the game coming from her radio as she cooked.  I have been lucky enough to be around the game for most of my adult life and that is why I am so excited to share my thoughts on our game.

I love old school baseball, but understand SABRMETRICS.  I want to see a complete game, yet know in the back of my head Dr Andrews knows why we need pitch counts.  I have gone to Umpire Camp and was taught by MLB Umpires and know when they are in or out of position.  I love great pitching, slick defense and sac fly as well and three run homer.  But most of all I love talking about the greatest game the good lord ever created.

I look forward to sharing my opinions with you and want your feedback here on our site BaseballNewsSource.com.

There is no such thing as too much baseball

Rich Herrera