Once considered a strong contender to succeed John Sterling in the Yankees’ radio booth, Emmanuel Berbari, 25, was ultimately overlooked for the role in favor of veteran broadcaster Dave Sims, 72. Sims, who made his mark as the television voice of the Seattle Mariners, is set to return to New York and WFAN as Sterling’s successor. With Sterling stepping away early last season, Berbari and Justin Shackil managed most of the broadcasting responsibilities, while Brendan Burke, Ricky Ricardo, Ryan Ruocco, and even Craig Carton rotated in for Yankees games on WFAN. Despite calling a majority of the games, Berbari did not secure the full-time position.
However, he remains involved with the Yankees’ broadcasts. According to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, Berbari will step in as WFAN’s Yankees postgame host and will continue to serve as the station’s backup play-by-play announcer when Sims is unavailable.
Emmanuel Berbari, 25, will be the Yankees postgame host for WFAN.
He will continue as the station’s fill-in play-by-player if Dave Sims has a day off.
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) February 25, 2025
Gary Cohen praised Berbari as a “very talented young broadcaster” during a Mets-Yankees Rain Delay last June. However, he did become collateral damage as the No. 1 broadcast booth in Major League Baseball, as voted by Awful Announcing’s readers, took a jab at Michael Kay over a one-sided feud.
Gary Cohen: I met one of the young Yankee broadcasters for the first time, Emmanuel Berbari.
Ron Darling: How does he feel about our show?
Keith Hernandez: I heard it was the best rain in Major League Baseball.
Cohen: I think it’s time to play some baseball. https://t.co/yIYa0IBGfK pic.twitter.com/rLWq2TXPl7
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 27, 2024
While Berbari may have missed out on becoming the Yankees’ lead radio broadcaster, he remains a key player at WFAN. With a growing resume and endorsements from industry veterans, his career trajectory shows no signs of stagnation. If his upward momentum continues, this likely won’t be the last time he is mentioned in discussions about the future of baseball broadcasting.
