By: Danny Shay

QUEENS, NY — On August 25th of last year, soon to be 7th grade student Eddie Kraus got to live out a dream. He was selected as SNY’s “Kidcaster” of 2022 and got to call an inning of New York Mets baseball alongside Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling.

Eddie is from North Bellmore, Long Island, and has been a Mets fan his entire life. When he heard about the “Kidcaster” contest, he knew he needed to submit his tape right away. Alongside all the other participants, he submitted his call of Pete Alonso’s walk-off home run in a May 19 win over the Cardinals, and then waited. In early August, he heard back that he was afinalist. A few days later, after a phone interview with an SNY producer, he found out he had won the contest.

And to make this moment even better, he was on a plan en route to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida when he got the news. “I was freaking out on the plane,” Kraus said.

Kraus had been preparing for the moment for years. He started interviewing his family at age 3, then started a YouTube channel a few years later, posting videos about the Mets and Islanders. This summer, he attended a sports broadcasting camp at Hofstra University. For years, he’s been
watching Mets games on mute and commentating over them.

His time to shine came during a Mets’ 3-1 win over the Rockies. When Kraus entered the SNY booth to call the bottom of the second inning, wearing the orange and blue tie he’d chosen, he took his seat between Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez.

“It was crazy, because you watch these guys almost every night,” Kraus said. “You see them on TV, you hear them commentating, and it’s unbelievable because you turn to your right, there’s Keith Hernandez. There’s Gary Cohen. There’s Ron Darling. Sorry Ronny, I kicked you out of your chair.”

After Eddie absolutely crushed it, Twitter went bonkers, singing Kraus’ praises. “Kid absolutely killed it,” former Mets’ starter Taijuan Walker tweeted after the game. “I usually never pay attention to stuff like this during Mets games, but this kid was outstanding. He definitely kept me interested” says Mets fan Sean Demarco.

Back on Long Island, his stint in the booth turned Kraus into an overnight celebrity. He’s being recognized in the street, and his Twitter following has swelled from around 200 to now almost 5,000.

Eddie Kraus is a name to pay attention to in the sports media industry. He is a natural at what he does and don’t forget, he’s only 12. If you wanna check Eddie out and see all he’s up to, follow him on twitter @ eddiekraus_ .