Thursday 10 – Facebook’s top baseball players

Has social media networking killed the old fan clubs? Remember when you could just write a letter to your favorite baseball player and include a baseball card and sometimes you would get it back and it would be autographed? Those days are gone. Now – some players refuse to sign autographs, and fan clubs have died down, except on social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. After taking a few days to search Facebook’s database, I have compiled a list of the top 10 most popular baseball players on Facebook. I think you might be a little surprised with some of the players that are or are not on this list.

10. Jason Bay, Boston Red Sox – 3,448 fans – There’s no doubt that Bay has been boosted a level on the popularity scale after being traded to the Red Sox. Bay’s Facebook page has a few images posted by fans and one video. One of Bay’s fans, Tim Peng from Boston, posted a topic on his discussion board asking others if “Bay was better than Manny.” After 24 responses, it seems the public has spoken and they have chosen Bay over Manny.

9. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins – 3,487 fans – Mauer has kind of been the face of the Twins through the past few seasons even when Johan Santana was still pitching in Minnesota and even when teammate Justin Morneau was named AL MVP. Mauer has a great image around Major League Baseball and is a real likable player. Mauer’s Facebook page doesn’t have a lot of posts, but it does have a couple of photo albums and fan pictures. There is also a link to a video clip when Mauer let a news crew inside his offseason home – “Cribs” style.

Check out the rest of the top 10 after the jump.

8. Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox – 3,571 fans – Ellsbury is a surprise to this list, but those Boston fans love their young players and Ellsbury should be around for awhile. Ellsbury’s Facebook page is rather detailed. It contains many fan photos, along with a descriptive biography and several news links. From his page, we also learned that Ellsbury’s favorite food is homemade Navajo tacos. The latest post from a fan on Ellsbury’s page was from Alia Doyle, who left this note for him, “Jacoby ur awesome and mad hot!!!!”

7. David Wright, New York Mets – 4,362 fans – Wright is the only Mets player to appear in this top 10 list. From Wright’s Facebook page, we learn that his interests are “Mets Baseball, World Series, and Triple-Crowns.” 113 fan pictures are available to view on Wright’s page, along with a few posts from fans, including one from Ryan McCarthy, who tells Wright to tell Aaron Heilman to “suck it.” I wonder if Wright passed that message on to Mr. Heilman?

6. David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox – 4,798 fans – Big Papi has been a huge favorite in Boston since his arrival. His knack for coming through in the clutch has rightfully earned him a spot on this list. Ortiz’s Facebook page is, like many I’m sure, fan created. It includes many photos from a fan that attended Spring Training and a very interesting topic for discussion. James Pecori asks others, “Is David Ortiz a Hall of Famer?” Good question, James. I suspect he’s well on his way to Cooperstown, although one fan does disagree, stating that Ortiz came on way too late in his career.

5. Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers – 4,905 fans – We start out the top five with Big Papi’s former teammate, Manny Ramirez. Since Ramirez has been shipped out to L.A., I wondered how many fans missed him in Boston? I’m sure Bay is doing a great job in left field, but should the Red Sox make the postseason, it could be a different story. Manny’s Facebook page begins with a picture of Ramirez sporting a Dodger blue hat and shades. Ramirez’s page has a good number of fan photos along with a link to his official Web site. Manny has over 500 wall posts from fans, including one from Alieh Karimi that reads, “Red or Blue, we love you!” Oh, that is so true.

4. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees – 5,176 fans – Believe it or not, A-Rod isn’t tops on this list. He isn’t even tops on his team on this list. But the highest paid player in baseball still has a strong fan base. His Facebook page has some images from fans, but not quite as many wall posts as Ramirez. Though Mohamed Mohamud wrote, “alex rodriguez is like micheal jordan but baseball.” If you need a translation, try babel fish. But I think Mohamed likes A-Rod.

3. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers – 5,425 fans – Braun has to be the surprise of the list. Maybe not the fact that he made the top 10, but the fact that he is so high in the rankings. Braun’s career has blossomed in the short time he has dawned a Brewers jersey. Braun’s Facebook page has a short bio with a couple of video clips from home runs he has hit this season. There is also a recent discussion where a fan asked if he had a girlfriend and another answered that he does. It seems there are a lot of bummed out fans after hearing that news. However, Braun is still well-liked, especially by Taylor Pohlman, who tells him, “you are dominating on my fantasy team!!!” I’m sure Braun is happy to hear he can help out your fantasy teams.

2. Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers – 10,578 fans – Our top two on today’s top 10 list are running away with the fan count. Hamilton has exploded in popularity this season after completing a comeback to professional baseball. Too bad I didn’t have the numbers from before his show at the All-Star Home Run Derby and after for the fan count on Facebook. Anyway, Hamilton’s Facebook page has some images, including one of his book, titled “Beyond Belief.” Hamilton’s page boasts almost 600 wall posts, including this one from Tyler Duplaga, who says, “hahah…he makes the rangers fun to whatch again.” I really didn’t think anyone watched the Rangers. I thought they only saw the highlights of Hamilton!

1. Derek Jeter, New York Yankees – 11,324 fans – If there is anyone in baseball that can handle having so many fans, it’s someone that is cool under pressure, like Derek Jeter. The only player to earn the nickname Mr. November, Jeter has always been a fan favorite, not to mention a ladies favorite. Jeter’s Facebook page looks more like a shrine, where it seems he has more female friends. Jeter’s wall is littered with wedding proposals and girls fighting for the top spot and claiming rights to the Yankees’ shortstop. One fan, Kristine Beck from Salt Lake City, Utah, tells Jeter “it is my goal to go to all the MLB stadiums wearing my Derek Jeter jersey.” But she doesn’t stop there. “If you ever need a date in Salt Lake PLEASE look me up…” Good to know Mr. Jeter won’t be lonely if he ever has to go play in Salt Lake City.