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Leagues and Governing Bodies

Aaron Judge's HR Derby Win Latest Evidence He Is Becoming Newest Face Of Baseball

Yankees RF Aaron Judge's winning performance last night at the T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Marlins Park will "live as one of the standout performances in the competition’s history," and he has now "secured his place as baseball's most popular and marketable player," according to Gabriel Baumgaertner of SI.com. Baseball pundits are "exhausted by discussion of the sport’s decline and its struggles to find a new marketable face in an era when the game is flush with spectacular young talent." Angels CF Mike Trout was supposed to be the face of the game, but his "bland demeanor and forgettable West Coast employer render his accomplishments (frustratingly) unknown to a large swath of the sports-consuming public." Nationals RF Bryce Harper was another candidate, but his "inconsistency and gruff exterior haven’t produced a marketing sensation." MLB now has Judge, a "titanic 6' 7", 282-pound behemoth whose toothy grin is as endearing as his pulverizing swing." Trout "remains the game's greatest player, but Judge is emerging as baseball's most entertaining product." MLB probably "needed a Yankee for it to have a new face, and now it has a player who isn’t a one-dimensional power hitter, but a complete and disciplined player competing for a Triple Crown in his rookie season" (SI.com, 7/11). ESPN's Karl Ravech said Dodgers P Clayton Kershaw should be the face of baseball but noted "people in the country have fallen in love with Aaron Judge." ESPN's Tim Kurkjian said, "Only in baseball can a guy who's played three months become the face of baseball, and he has been." ESPN's David Ross: "It's usually the guy on the East Coast that gets all of the attention like Judge is getting, and obviously deservedly so. But you got to have that brand, that personality. You’ve got to have some championships, some credibility, some years in the league" ("Baseball Tonight," ESPN, 7/10).

ALL RISE! In N.Y., Tyler Kepner notes Rays P Chris Archer believes Judge is now the face of baseball, saying, "First of all, he plays in New York, and second, he’s a presence. ... At this very particular moment, it’s him. I’d say, in the past, Trout, definitely. Harper, definitely. But right now? Aaron Judge" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/11). SPORTSNET.ca's Shi Davidi said of Judge, "You just think about all the possibilities. You think about the talent, the power, how engaging a personality he is. He’s really something that not only the New York Yankees can pin a lot of their future hopes on, but Major League Baseball as well as they seek to connect with a new generation of fans.” Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae said Judge is “just a part of this youth movement that’s really been sweeping across the majors" (SPORTSNET.ca, 7/10). In Boston, Nick Cafardo writes Judge is "in a league of his own right now." He is the "biggest thing, literally and figuratively, in New York" and has become MLB's "biggest star." His No. 99 jersey sells for $99 in some stores, and the "adulation he's received is beyond anything any Yankee player has received with less than a year in the league" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/11). CBS Sports Network's Adam Schein: "Judge is a star. He's taking over baseball in terms of popularity" ("Time To Schein," CBSSN, 7/10).

Betts said there are plenty of young players who could be the face of baseball
PLACE YOUR BETTS: In Boston, Michael Silverman writes MLB "could use more" of Red Sox RF Mookie Betts. He is "intently focused in the batter's box," but in between those moments, and off the field, he "makes zero effort to hide the pleasure he derives from getting to play baseball for a living." Betts is the "antithesis of the 'aw shucks,' stoic and bland baseball superstar model." He said, "Me and the young guys who are starting to become nationally known, we’re starting to show that the face of the game of baseball is 'fun.'" Betts added, "There are a bunch of guys, Mike Trout or Bryce Harper, those guys are the biggest national names for sure, young guys who enjoy playing the game. There are plenty of guys that can be the face. I think all of us enjoy playing the game and having fun, and you can see that for sure" (BOSTON HERALD, 7/11). Also in Boston, Peter Abraham notes Betts is a player "who can attract television viewers and, perhaps as importantly, young athletes to the game." Betts: "People say, ‘You can be one of the faces of baseball.’ I don’t know that I’m seeking that. I just want to be Mookie. But I understand we need to grow the game." Abraham notes evidence of how "important Betts is to baseball was all around Marlins Park" yesterday. His All-Star Game T-shirts were "on sale at every souvenir store along with other prominent players" like Harper, Trout and Kershaw. Most of the players were "only available at specific spots." When Betts spoke to reporters, a camera from MLB Network was "stationed in front of his table and his comments were broadcast on Facebook Live" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/11).

YOUTH IS BEING SERVED: In Boston, Christopher Gasper noted MLB has a "tremendous chance" to use the All-Star Game as a "marketing tool to court young fans." There is an "exciting collection of young stars" in the sport right now, and there is no reason players like Betts or Astros SS Carlos Correa "shouldn’t be a household name." The All-Star Game is the "perfect platform to introduce" Judge and Dodgers 1B/LF Cody Bellinger for "mass consumption" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/9). MLB.com's Alyson Footer noted a total of 24 All-Stars are "making their first trip to the Midsummer Classic this year, and 30 players are age 27 or younger." Additionally, 21 foreign-born players are All-Stars (MLB.com, 7/10). MLB COO Tony Petitti said, "What we’re most excited about is just the depth we have among young great players. It’s probably never been rivaled in the game. We feel really good about what we’re seeing." In Ft. Lauderdale, Craig Davis notes the "emergence of so much young talent in the majors has brought considerable turnover in recent All-Star Games." Cubs 3B Kris Bryant, the NL MVP last season at age 24, "didn’t make the team this year" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 7/11).

MLB NEEDS TO DO MORE: ESPN's Ian Fitzsimmons said MLB has "all of these young stars that need to be marketed more aggressively" by the league. Fitzsimmons: "They do a horrendous job of marketing their young stars. You have so many right now, starting with Aaron Judge. ... They need to do a better job and last night, if it wasn't a wake-up call to MLB to say, ‘We really have to push these young phenoms out there, starting with Judge,’ then nothing’s going to wake these guys up” ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 7/11). The AP's Ronald Blum noted MLB and many sponsors "are featuring players in marketing campaigns," but many players still note "athletes in other sports are seen far more often in commercials." Kershaw said, "Football is football. You can't even really compare yourself. It's just everybody loves football [in] America. That's just the way it is." Kershaw did praise MLB "for doing the best it can" (AP, 7/10).

WILL ANYONE FILL THE VOID? USA TODAY's Gabe Lacques writes the "gathering of young talent at this 88th All-Star Game might be remembered as one of the finest in baseball history," but no one in this group will "enjoy a level of widespread recognition as the generation that preceded them." These players must "vie for fame, endorsements and glory amid a cluttered landscape." As MLB "searches for an elusive and nebulous face to present the marketing world," some players acknowledge that it "might never happen." Kershaw said, "Who’s the most comparable to Derek Jeter and his resume? It’s pretty much impossible to do, right? It takes a big combination of things to find that guy." Lacques notes talent, market, on-field success, looks and appeal "might never coalesce for a ballplayer like it did for Jeter." The latest Q Scores survey that came out this spring had Bryant ranking "highest among major leaguers -- 33rd overall, with a 48% recognition factor." However, the gap between Cavaliers F LeBron James and baseball’s best players "is vast." One caveat for MLB is that the survey "did not poll fans on Judge." He will be "included on the next survey" (USA TODAY, 7/11).

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