Dodgers: Joe Davis, Orel Hershiser might be calling games off site in 2020

Dodgers announcers might be calling games from a SportsNet LA studio in 2020.

Los Angeles Dodgers fans have learned a lot about broadcaster Joe Davis and his partner Orel Hershiser during the current pause from the MLB season. The two started a podcast from their respective homes that has been growing in popularity.

If baseball returns in 2020, it’s possible the Dodgers’ television broadcast team will continue to do their work remotely, as SportsNet LA must decide whether it is worthwhile sending an announcing crew to the ballpark amid the health risks associated with the novel coronavirus.

According to a recent report by the OC Register, the Dodgers’ regional sports network hasn’t decided what to do about the 2020 season, but it’s possible the Joe & Orel show will be broadcasting games live from SportsNet’s El Segundo studio instead of Dodger Stadium, or wherever the team happens to be playing.

Dodgers fans finally get to see the team play on SportsNet LA.

During Spring Training, SportsNet LA announced they had finally reached an agreement with AT&T to broadcast Dodger games in the greater Los Angeles area, ending a seven-year dispute. Bittersweet news for fans who are now blacked out from watching baseball entirely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Even when the sport resumes – and based on recent negotiations, perhaps it is better to say IF the sport resumes – fans will be prevented from attending games, at least at first.

The television experience will become the closest access point for fans to watch the Dodgers in 2020, and ironically, the people who call the games might be doing so from the same perspective.

It will be interesting to see how telecasts evolve based on the current conditions. The player’s union is reportedly open to providing more access, such as using microphones on the field, as the league explores options to make up for the missing crowd environment that is so integral to the atmosphere of watching a baseball game, even from the couch.

Dodgers: 4 relievers who could improve the 2020 roster

While the Los Angeles Dodgers roster is loaded heading into a potential 2020 season, there are always areas where they could get better.

But if there is any broadcast team that can make it work remotely, it is Joe and Orel.