Guardians radio announcer Tom Hamilton named Frick Award winner

DALLAS -- Tom Hamilton heard the words "Hall of Famer” and immediately burst into tears.

“Well, whoever had under 15 seconds before he cries, you won,” Hamilton said, laughing to stop his eyes from welling.

It had been nearly an hour since he got the news, yet it still hadn’t hit him. But it was true, the National Baseball Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday that Hamilton, the longtime voice of Cleveland baseball, is the 2025 Ford C. Frick Award winner. The 10 finalists included: Skip Caray, Rene Cardenas, Gary Cohen, Jacques Doucet, Ernie Johnson Sr., Mike Krukow, Duane Kuiper, Dave Sims, John Sterling and Hamilton.

Hamilton will be honored during the Hall of Fame Awards Presentation as part of Hall of Fame Weekend, July 25-28, 2025. Hamilton becomes the 49th winner of the Frick Award, as he earned the highest point total in a vote conducted by the Hall of Fame’s 16-member Frick Award Committee.

More: https://www.mlb.com/news/tom-hamilton-named-2025-ford-c-frick-award-winner

Congrats to Hamilton, though to someone who has listened a lot to both he and the Giants' team of Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow, I would have given the award to either of the latter. I've learned more about baseball by listening to Kuip and Kruk than from any other announcer. Not just strategy, but player mindset, and at any particular moment.