(January 8, 2019) Building relationships and attending the Winter Meetings are two things a broadcaster can do to maximize their chances for working in minor league baseball. John Kocsis parlayed this strategy into the Director of Broadcasting/Media Relations position with the Hagerstown Suns.
The Suns are the Class-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Kocsis moves to Maryland after two years with the West Virginia Power. There, he worked his way up from video production and promotions to a broadcasting and media relations position.
In Hagerstown, Kocsis follows fellow STAA member Shawn Murnin, who has accepted a new position he has yet to announce. Murnin helped Kocsis land the job as his successor.
“I met Shawn through my work in West Virginia this past summer. When Hagerstown travelled to Charleston, I talked with Shawn. I had also spoken to him at the Winter Meetings prior to the job opening up,” says Kocsis.
The Hagerstown opportunity started to unfold when Murnin called Kocsis and asked to meet at a sports book to talk. “Shawn explained to me that he had accepted a new job and that Hagerstown was looking for a replacement, but did not want to open the job up. Rather, he was looking to compile a short list of names of people who were free agents that might be interested,” Kocsis says.”
He interviewed the next day and was eventually offered the position.
Kocsis credits West Virginia Broadcast and Media Relations Manager and fellow STAA member David Kahn with helping polish his skills. “I’ve workshopped a lot of my delivery with the help of David. Most importantly, I have learned to sell within the market of baseball. My time in Charleston [West Virginia] has set an incredible foundation for my future within the sport and I look forward to start building it in Hagerstown.”
Kocsis suggests that anyone looking to get into or move up in Minor League Baseball should attend the Winter Meetings.
“There’s no other place where every MiLB team gathers at the same time and it’s scheduled a year in advance. You may not walk out of Winter Meetings with a job, but you never know when you’ll find a connection to a new friend or potential boss/assistant in your future. There are a lot of people to learn from over the course of five days. Take full advantage of it.”
(Visit John’s website).