Dodgers hire Kirsten Watson for broadcast team

The Dodgers added to their broadcast team on Friday, hiring Kirsten Watson as a reporter and host. She’ll work on game broadcasts and in studio for SportsNet LA, as well as pregame and postgame for both television and radio.

That is a similar role to what Alanna Rizzo did for the previous seven years, before stepping down in January to spend more time running her charitable foundation.

Watson has been in the Spectrum family for the last two years, where she was a reporter and host covering Lakers, Sparks, and the G-League South Bay Lakers for Spectrum SportsNet. She also currently works as a producer for the NFL, and has previously hosted an international broadcast of Monday Night Football.

“I am excited to continue my passion as a storyteller with the Los Angeles Dodgers,” Watson said in a statement. “To have the opportunity to be a member of and represent one of the most iconic sports franchises is an honor.”

“We feel that our broadcast is one of the best in sports and know that Kirsten can help make it even stronger,” said Dodgers chief marketing officer Lon Rosen. “We’re excited for Dodger fans to get to know her.”

Links

• Bill Shaikin at the Los Angeles Times answers questions heading into spring training.
• The Baseball Hall of Fame will hold its induction ceremony indoors and without fans in July, in a made-for-television event.
• J.J. Cooper at Baseball America outlines the changes to the minor leagues now that all 120 teams have signed their professional development licenses.
• Kerry Crowley at the Bay Area News Group caught up with Giants fan Bryan Stow, who has helped thousands of kids in the nearly 10 years after he was beaten in the Dodger Stadium parking lot.
• Austin Barnes and his wife Nicole welcomed their son Royce into the world this week: