Baseball seeks new face of game
MIAMI — In time, the gathering of young talent at this 88th All-Star Game might be remembered as one of the finest in baseball history.
Monday at Marlins Park, a cross-section of excellence convened under one roof: Established aces Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw and Chris Sale, seasoned but still young stars like Bryce Harper, Mookie Betts, Corey Seager and Giancarlo Stanton, and the newest, biggest talent on the scene: Towering Yankee slugger
Aaron Judge.
There’s almost certainly a Hall of Famer or three in the bunch. Another certainty: No one in this group will enjoy a level of widespread recognition as the generation that preceded them.
In recent years, baseball bid farewell to Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Mariano Rivera and others who could carry a segment of “Saturday Night Live” as easily as they could a late-inning pressure situation.
In their place is a group arguably more talented and dynamic on the field.
Yet this generation must vie for fame, endorsements and glory amid a cluttered landscape. Mixed martial arts, esports, social media, fidget spinners – none existed as Generation Jeter came of age.
So as baseball searches for an elusive and nebulous face to present the marketing world, its greatest stars acknowledged Monday that it might never happen.
“So, who’s the most comparable to Derek Jeter and his resume?” mused Kershaw, a threetime Cy Young Award winner who nonetheless did not crack the sevenfigure mark in 2016 endorsements, according to Forbes. “It’s pretty much impossible to do, right?
“It takes a big combination of things to find that guy.”
Indeed, talent market, on-field success, looks and appeal might never coalesce for a ballplayer like it did for Jeter. Yet even in current conditions, the market penetration of baseball’s greatest players seems out of proportion to its on-field talents.
According to the most recent survey conducted this spring by Q Scores Company, which measures the appeal and recognition of celebrities, Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant ranked highest among major leaguers – 33rd overall, with a 48% recognition factor among sports fans ages 13 to 64.
Kershaw ranked
167th. Harper? Just 253rd among 547 athletes.
In fairness, retired athletes enjoy the greatest recognition and in fact comprise the entire top 10, with Cal Ripken tied for second place. But the gap between LeBron James – in 14th place and at 87% recognition the No. 1 face among the USA’s big four team sports – and baseball’s brightest is vast.
One note: That survey did not poll fans on Judge.
He will be included on the next survey, according to Q Scores executive vice president Henry Schafer.
The earn-it mentality of big leaguers goes on pause to a degree as they realize that what’s good for Judge is certainly good for them, too.
The face of baseball? Right now, says Tampa Bay Rays ace Chris Archer, it’s Judge.
“First of all, he plays in New York. Second, he’s a presence,” says Archer. “He’s doing it on the biggest possible stage. He’s a good person, you can tell.
“He has a lot more to accomplish, but he may be the next coming of Derek Jeter.”