Padres Influencers & Media Guide: Who to Follow in San Diego

Broadcast & On-Air

Sammy Levitt

Pregame & postgame host, 97.3 The Fan

Now in his fifth season (joined 2022) hosting Padres pre/postgame coverage, and one of the few people covering the team who treats TikTok and Instagram as primary channels, not an afterthought.

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Instagram
97.3 The Fan

Don Orsillo

TV play-by-play, Padres broadcasts

Padres TV voice since 2016, paired with analyst Mark Grant in one of the most-watched local broadcast duos in baseball.

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Instagram
Padres TV

Mark Grant

TV color analyst, Padres broadcasts

Former Padres pitcher and Orsillo’s longtime broadcast partner — one of the most tenured, recognizable voices in the booth.

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Padres TV

Tony Gwynn Jr.

Radio color analyst, Padres Radio Network

Son of Padres legend Tony Gwynn and a former Padres outfielder, Gwynn brings both family history and firsthand MLB experience to the radio booth. He also co-hosts the afternoon “Gwynn & Chris” show on 97.3 The Fan.

Instagram
Gwynn & Chris

Jesse Agler

Radio play-by-play, Padres Radio Network

On the Padres broadcast team since 2014, now the lead radio play-by-play voice, also writing a personal newsletter on the team beyond the booth.

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Instagram
Beyond the Booth (Substack)

Bob Scanlan

TV sideline reporter & radio analyst, Padres broadcasts

Former MLB pitcher covering the Padres since 2004. Currently the primary TV sideline reporter and pre/post-game analyst, while also working the radio booth as play-by-play and analyst — one of the few people on the team spanning both mediums.

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Site

Mike Pomeranz & Mariluz Cook

Padres Pre-Game & Post-Game hosts

Pomeranz is the veteran host of Padres TV’s pre- and post-game shows, joined by Cook and Scanlan for interviews, analysis, and everything around the game itself.

Padres TV

Eduardo Ortega, Carlos Hernández & Pedro Gutiérrez

Spanish-language broadcast team, XEMO-AM La Poderosa 860

All 162 Padres games air in Spanish with this crew calling it. Ortega alone has been the Padres’ Spanish voice since 1987 — decades on the call, and a Ford C. Frick Award finalist. Hernández, a former MLB catcher, is the team’s Spanish TV color analyst.

Eduardo Ortega on X
Padres Broadcasters

Ben & Woods

Weekday morning show, 97.3 The Fan

San Diego’s daily drive-time Padres conversation, also available as an on-demand podcast.

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Instagram
Podcast

Reporters

Kevin Acee

San Diego Union-Tribune

Writes the daily “Padres Daily” column — one of the most essential follows for roster moves and clubhouse news.

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SDUT

AJ Cassavell

MLB.com

The MLB.com beat reporter. Day-to-day coverage, interviews and clubhouse reporting from one of the longest-running Padres beats.

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MLB.com

Dennis Lin

The Athletic

Best for the story behind the story — contracts, front-office decisions, and organizational trends.

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The Athletic

Jeff Sanders

San Diego Union-Tribune

Strong on game coverage and day-to-day roster detail — series previews, lineups, health updates.

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SDUT

Marty Caswell

The Sporting Tribune / Friar Territory

Longtime San Diego sports radio personality and Padres reporter, now a staff writer at The Sporting Tribune and co-host of the Friar Territory podcast alongside radio host Darren Smith and former Padres All-Star Heath Bell.

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The Sporting Tribune
Friar Territory Podcast

Podcasts

Padres Hot Tub

Craig Elsten, Chris Reed & Raphie Cantor

Funny, opinionated, deeply invested — goes beyond the podcast feed into a Patreon and an active Discord (400+ members) for real-time game chat.

Site
Apple Podcasts
Patreon & Discord

Talking Friars

Ben Fadden (Gaslamp Ball)

The year-round fan podcast — nearly 800 episodes and counting, with news, reactions, and interviews.

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YouTube
Spotify
Apple Podcasts

The Padfathers

Ryan Walls & rotating co-hosts

Fan-to-fan energy — weekly breakdowns of the past week and what’s ahead, less formal media, more sitting-around-talking-baseball.

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Buzzsprout

On Friar

Darnay Tripp & Derek Togerson, NBC 7

Padres discussion packaged with the broader San Diego sports scene.

NBC 7
YouTube

Gwynntelligence

Harold James Preller & Corey Stewart

Deep-cut Padres podcast — news, opinions, and plenty of baseball nonsense. Posting has slowed to roughly monthly.

Site
Apple Podcasts

Fan Sites & Communities

Gaslamp Ball

One of the longest-running independent Padres communities online — multiple articles a day, game threads, and comment-section debate.

Site
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MadFriars

Best for prospects & the farm system

The definitive source on the Padres’ minor league system — daily farm reports, draft coverage, and prospect interviews.

Site
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East Village Times

Independent local coverage with particular strength in prospects and roster analysis.

Padres coverage
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Padres Nation

A running archive of Padres player profiles and franchise history, from career stat pages to an all-time roster ranking.

Site
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r/Padres

The Reddit community — unfiltered, fast-moving, often first to break news in real time during games.

Reddit

Social & Fan Accounts

Best Spanish-Language Follow

@LosPadres — official Padres Spanish account

The Padres’ official Spanish-language social account, with game coverage, highlights, news, and community content en español.

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Best for Prospects

MadFriars

One of the best places to follow the Padres’ farm system, with prospect news, minor-league reports, interviews, and analysis.

Site
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Official Padres Channels

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Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
Facebook

Padres Media Guide

This is your full directory of Padres voices — broadcasters, beat writers, podcasters, independent fan sites, and the communities where the real arguments happen, all in one place. Follow the people who call the games, break the news, dissect the roster, track the farm system, or just keep the conversation going through 162 games and beyond.

Want the official version too? The Padres’ own front-office guide has team records, front-office bios, and full player stats. Download the official Padres Media Guide (PDF).