Raúl Ibañez to replace Curt Schilling on ESPN's Baseball Tonight

A week after ESPN fired Curt Schilling they've already named his replacement. Former outfielder, and 19-year MLB veteran, Raúl Ibañez will join the network as an analyst on "Baseball Tonight."

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According to ESPN's release, Ibañez will also appear on select broadcasts, and occasionally join other programs on the network, such as "Sportscenter."

Ibañez is set to make his television debut for the network Wednesday, April 27 during ESPN's "Wednesday Night Baseball" broadcast between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees.

Ibañez retired from the game following the 2014 season, and joined the Los Angeles Dodgers as a special assistant to GM Andrew Friedman in February. Ibañez will continue in that role despite his new ESPN position, according to Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times, so it will be interesting to see whether that impacts how he's used by the network. Asking Ibañez to work a Dodgers broadcast, or having him seriously analyze the club, might be out of the question considering his current ties to the organization.

Ibañez on-field qualifications for the job are clear. He posted a strong .272/.335/.465 slash line over his career, hitting 305 career home runs. He did all that despite not becoming a full-time player until he was 30 years old. Toward the end of his career, Ibañez hung around as the motivating, veteran type. During that period, he was lauded for his leadership and personality.

Once his playing career ended, many expected Ibañez to eventually manage in the majors. He did interview for at least one managerial opening, and was often a name thrown out by journalists covering teams in need of a new skipper.

Ideally, those traits will make Ibañez an excellent baseball analyst. He already has some experience in that role, appearing as an analyst at Fox Sports during the 2015 season.

Ibañez path to success, and his ability to then remain in the majors for so long even after his late start, could give him a unique perspective on certain aspects of the game. He might be better equipped to explain why a young player might be struggling in his first taste of the majors, or give fans a look into the role aging veterans can play in a clubhouse. He experienced those things firsthand.

[Elsewhere: Jake Arrieta went after ESPN's Stephen A. Smith for doubting his numbers]

By all accounts, Ibañez seems like a strong hire. The people he's worked with in and outside of the game all seem to think he's a good guy and a smart baseball mind. As long as he doesn't start posting memes on Facebook, ESPN will probably agree with that assessment.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik