Awful Announcing confirms painful truth Reds fans have been shouting for years

Each year, the website Awful Announcing asks its readers to grade their local MLB broadcasts. The Cincinnati Reds television crew ranked 22nd out of all 30 teams, but were ahead of the broadcast teams who call the games for likes the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, and Pittsburgh Pirates. The San Diego Padres, led by play-by-play voice Don Orsillo, took home top honors this year.

Of the 954 submissions for the Reds' broadcast group, most (491) gave them a C grade. The outlet revealed that Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, who usually offers analysis for the Reds home games, drew the most criticism from the fanbase.

Larkin was beloved as a player during his tenure with the Reds, and gets the benefit of the doubt more times that not due to his hometown ties. But it's not an exaggeration to suggest that most Reds fans would prefer to listen to Chris Welsh over Larkin on most nights.

Reds fans loved Barry Larkin as a player, but he's seen in a different light as a broadcaster

Larkin drew the ire of Reds fans late last month after essentially referring to home runs as rally-killers. During the first inning of a Reds game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 28, play-by-play voice John Sadak was speaking about the benefit of hitting home runs, to which Larkin responded, "They also stop rallies."

Larkin joined the Reds broadcast crew five years ago, and essentially replaced Welsh in the booth during the team's home games. Welsh did color commentary for most of Cincinnati's road games until this season, and now Jeff Brantley has stepped in to offer his perspective when the Reds are playing away from Great American Ball Park. The Cowboy still handles radio duties for most Reds' home games and Welsh is part of the team's pregame show.

The comments from the fans, as part of Awful Announcing's MLB Broadcaster Rankings, also revealed mixed opinions on Sadak and Brantley. Overall, it appears as though Welsh is the most well-liked member of the Reds broadcast team, and the fans would like to hear more from him.

Welsh has been around for 33 years, and always gives reliable information — especially when it comes to the rules of the game. It remains to be seen if the Reds' decision-makers will take this information under advisement and give Welsh more television opportunities in the future.

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