While the Washington Nationals are leaving MASN, the broadcast will be a familiar one. After Bob Carpenter’s retirement, the Nats had to find a new play-by-play voice. They decided to go with an internal option. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reported that Dan Kolko will be taking over play-by-play duties in 2026.
Kolko is a very familiar face to Nationals fans. He has been working at MASN since 2012, and has been a staple of Nats coverage for many years. Kolko gained popularity as a young sideline reporter when the Nats were rolling in the 2010’s. He got along well with the players on those teams, who often treated him like a little brother.
Dan Kolko was the butt of many jokes for those teams, getting teased in good fun by the likes of Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth. Over the years, Kolko’s role has expanded. Over the past couple years, it has felt like he was being groomed for this role. As Bob Carpenter took more time off, Kolko got plenty of reps as a play-by-play guy.
In my opinion, the role did not come as naturally to him as sideline reporting. However, I do think he has improved over the last couple years. A lot of Nats fans wanted to get an outside voice to replace Bob Carpenter, but Kolko deserves a chance to grow into the role.
Replacing a figure like Bob Carpenter is not an easy task. We did a profile on Bob at the end of last season, and it is clear that he is a special figure in the Nats community. Those are big shoes to fill, but Kolko is well aware of that.
One plus of keeping Kolko on board is that he knows the team very well. In this new era of Nats baseball, that knowledge is important. Kolko knows what a good Nationals team looks like as well. The online reaction to this news has been a bit lukewarm, but I think Nats fans should give him a chance.
It does sound like Kevin Frandsen will be back as the color commentator. His passion for the team and his work is clear on the broadcasts, though he can go over the top at times. Part of me hoped for a new booth as we enter a new era, but we should give this tandem a chance.
Like the team on the field, this is a year of transition in the booth as well. There could be some growing pains, but hopefully they can show progress. I am curious to see what this MLB TV broadcast looks like and how Dan Kolko grows into his new role.
