Welcome to year four of the list.
This year I expanded the focus to include how far players social-media reach is. Players that have a big presence on Instagram and/or blog (and, as you’ll see, “vlog”) played a part in the decision process. This is still about the Twitter game. But the more players connect, the bigger their following and impact. And the deeper their connection to their followers, which is what I pay the most attention to (humor is a close second).
Honorable Mentions are expanded and players that don’t tweet often, but bring it when they do, are given a nod. Don’t think of HM’s as less valuable players (wink); they’re all guys whose content I read constantly throughout the year and deserved inclusion. Sometimes their inclusion could be one or two tweets that made me laugh or was just something readers really responded to.
The difficult part was excluding players from the ‘Twenty’ that are still with a professional team or were as early as Spring Training, but weren’t on any roster this season (they were included on HM’s); also difficult was dropping players down that, as entertaining or interesting as they are, aren’t sharing a lot very often. The point of this list is to give a bigger spotlight to minor leaguers that engage and entertain and do that pretty regularly. With Twitter they’re building their own following long before they reach the big leagues.
These are the champs.
1. Cody Decker @Decker6 – He continues his reign at #1 for the second year, doing all the things that endear him to fans and followers. Yet again, he took on a critic questioning his talent, though this time instead of a journalist, it was a Padres fan. He didn’t back down, despite the possibility of rattling a Padres faithful. His daily jokes are as smart as they are creative. “ ‘For every action there is an unequal and opposite overreaction.’ Newtons Third Law of Ex Girlfriends.” Earlier this season he anchored the sports desk for KTSM in El Paso, Texas. In full three piece suit and wearing one of his signature bowties (find it on YouTube). He's also made popular videos that you can find on YouTube. It's hard to believe he's not on Instagram, because we can only imagine how fun he'd make that. Regardless, he's hard to beat if you want to be entertained, and none was able to dethrone him… (Padres)
2. Wes Wilson @wtwilson5- …But this guy came close. He’s one of the most fun, interesting minor league players on Twitter. He’s freely talked politics with candor and level-headedness. And he’s embraced a multi-media way of expression, reaching beyond Twitter to create his own vlog, which is a regular feature for the Tampa Yankees (#WesCam). ‘Wes’s Womb’ (yep) is a mixture of interviews with teammates, highlights of minor league baseball life, and his own unique humor. The task of choosing which tweets to highlight was tough. Here’s a few from his Starbucks trips: “I gotta be lookin’ a fool bumpin’ Iggy Azalea, but I’m gettin’ my bump on my second coffee.” “I think this dude just walked in with a desktop computer.” “This woman just ordered something with 11 words.” By the way, his bio even says he'll one day be a presidential candidate, though it's unclear if he's serious. Tweet him about that. Odds are, he'll have a great answer. (Yankees)
3. Michael Schlact @Michael_Schlact - There's no one like Michael. He's used the Twitter platform to share spiritual inspiration & personal beliefs. When he went on a mission, he took to Twitter and Instagram to record the experience. He’s used the Twitter machine to produce an image, that’s no image at all, but a guy connecting to fans in a heartfelt, positive way. He’s consistently expressed his dedication to baseball, even when he wasn’t sure where his career was going. A recent tweet showed just about everything you need to know: 'How can Jillian [wife] and I pray for you today?' (Wichita Wingnuts)
4. Maxx Tissenbaum @8_Maxx – Brand new to this list, he skipped the lower levels and jumped into the top five. His blog ‘Red, White, and the 3-0 Green Light’ is the main reason for his push toward the top. The thorough, entertaining, creative effort impresses more with every entry. He’s also made Instagram a part of his connection with fans, something minor leaguers have gotten into even more since last year’s list. He tweeted about his need to write, saying, “Gotta get some coffee so I’m awake enough to write on the bus.” Spoken like a true baseball writer. (Although we’re usually looking for help at about quarter to 11 on the PM side). (Rays)
5 Jeremy Barfield @BarfieldRage – A repeat top five player he’s been a huge Twitter presence for a long time, and let's mention this stat: 40+K followers. He’s built a huge following by being consistently active, and interactive, on Twitter. His casual down to earth tone makes him super likeable. I liked this feminist (look that word up) take on pageants: ‘’Guys who tweet live pageants deserve girls that live tweet ‘The Bachelor.’” He might’ve meant something different than both things tend to insult intelligent minds, but it’s a great example of his sharp-minded wit. And you gotta love this battle cry: Good luck to all the young pups with the draft but if you think you’re gonna come take my job, you got another thing coming meat!’ (Athletics)
6.Justin Toole @Tooleyj24 - When Toole published his book '9 in 9' in 2013, he utilized Twitter to promote the project, reaching many fans and media outlets. That kind of connection is what social media is so good for, especially for guys in the minors. He built a buzz pre-release, tracked reader reviews with retweets, and used giveaways to attract more readers. One of the most impressive ways a minor leaguer's ever connected on Twitter. (Indians)
7. Marcus Stroman @MStrooo7 - A Twitter devotee, he's always sharing some part of his life and career. Whether it's congratulating a teammate, his soon-to-be-wed sister, or tweeting out life wisdom ("Know yourself. Know your worth."), he's consistently connecting. (Blue Jays)
8. Justin Jackson @JaxChillinONE - One of the best things about Jackson is the way he reaches out to followers. He's always starting conversation and loves the interaction, be it asking readers to tweet their thoughts on XBox One or favorite music, he wants to engage. Loved that he paid tribute to Maya Angelou upon her passing. He also shows constant appreciation for the game he plays for a living: "One of those mornings I've been reflecting about how blessed I am to play this game", he tweeted from his Instagram, another one of his social media favorites. (Blue Jays)
9. Jiwan James @Jiwan23 - He's a daily guy. He's got a lot of interests and freely expresses himself in the warm, entertaining way he always has: "Pretty girls that smoke" he tweeted with a disappointed emoticon. And who on the East coast can't relate to this? "Wait to be seated at IHOP or make the first of many trips to WaWa?" He also could've hashtagged that #MiLBLife. (Phillies)
10. Bryan Harper @BryanHarper45 – He’s a huge sports fan and tweets his enthusiasm regularly for his favorite teams. He’s also a big family guy (check his background image) and his Mother’s Day tweets were especially great. He remembered Mom of course, but his sister too. “Happy Mother’s Day to my sister! Thank you for blessing me with a nephew and now a niece!” There’s also been a lot of talk about that mustache and he has a lot of fun with that. (Nationals)
11. Ian Kendall @Ian_RK91 - Not on Twitter all the time, but you'll get your laughs when he is: "Just spent $20 on candles." "Why did they cancel 'Pimp My Ride'? I thought it was quality television." "Up and at em...meaning laying in bed for another hour." And there was something kind of cool about this thought: "I don't want to grow up but I've grown." (Rays)
12. Corey Black @CblackCHC - The funnest part of Black's Twitter feed is the micro-tweets about any random thing. He's also as honest as he wants to be: "That's exactly why I don't tweet cause y'all have no lives." ; "I still don't get why I'm a "reliever". Hahaha I get it I'm short. Jeez one inch would go a long way for me." (Cubs)
13. Ryan Verdugo @teachmetodugi11 - Verdugo shared his feelings about his recent trade to the Red Sox by thanking Royals fans he'd played for, and with trademark humor. He posted a photo of himself still in a Royals uniform with the caption "Awkward." This observation was interesting“I don’t know what has more blowouts right now the MLB or the boardwalk of Jersey." (over/under?) His best tweet might've been about World Cup soccer. He tweeted a photo from the greatest movie of all time, 'Superbad', with one of the movie's most memorable quotes "Calm down Greg. It's soccer." (Red Sox)
14. Taijuan Walker @tai_walker - If Walker didn't have the tweet of the year, than he came close: "I was sweating so much meeting @alfonso_ribeiro today." But seriously (that actually was serious), his positive, fun flow is always present on Twitter. Those 19+K folowers aren't too shabby, either. (Mariners)
15. Lance Durham @LanceBullDurham -...Durham might've had the best Instagram photo of any minor leaguer this year, which he proudly tweeted. He and his girlfriend announced via IG that she was pregnant by staging a photo of the couple sitting at a table, with a jar of Prego spaghetti sauce in front of them, and mocked terror on their faces. Since then, he's tweeted excitedly about pending fatherhood. An aweseome example of allowing fans to make a personal connection through social media. (Tigers)
16. Anthony Giansanti @GianSanity - He paid awesome tributer to retiring Yankee captain Derek Jeter: "As a passionate ball player since I could walk, moments like that will forever make my eyes water. Thank you Captain, you're a hero #RE2PECT", "If you're a baseball fan you appreciate what Derek Jeter has done and how he's done it. #UltimatePro". When he made an incredible outfield catch, he asked followers to retweet the clip so ESPN would notice. They should've. He went face first into the wall and tweeted humorously about the wicked wound he got from the nail he hit. (Cubs)
17. Ian Kadish @TheBearJew_36 - A super friendly, fun guy, he shares a lot about his family and baseball life with good-natured candor. "Sleeping on a yoga mat tonight...on the floor of a bus... #Allpartofit #IndyBallLife". When he was traded to the Indiana NAME, he tweeted the adventure of driving on the Fouth of July to play for them. "Welp guys I'm on the road again...traded this time to Gary, Indiana! Home of Michael Jackson!" That upbeat tone is a marked characterstic and shows up often on his Twitter. (Gary Southshore RailCats)
18. Kevin Vance @SorryBoutIt10 – There's a lot of "Crushing", feeling "Emotions" and getting "Fired Up" tweets, and he's all about high energy and self-expression. Impossible not to like him. In case you haven't head how he feels about a minor league staple: "Taco Bell is better than Chipotle." Chipotle is his Lex Luthor. (White Sox)
19. Trevor May @TrevMay54 - Recent road trip tweets with his girlfriend were fun to read (though if you go to her timeline @kateishere is even funnier to read) Then there's one of the tweets that make May an interesting guy to follow: "Self-analysis is the key to self-awareness." #Existentialism (Twins)
20. Jeremy Dowdy @Dowdy413 - Made it to the twenty by keeping a consistent fun vibe going all year. "Autocorrect just corrected "bad" to "bae"... Who's been using my phone?" "It's hard to beat music from the 90's." and he rang in birthday number 25 with a 15 inning game and tweeted about the experience. (White Sox)
Here’s the players that missed making the top twenty, but couldn’t be excluded. These guys deserve your follow.
Honorable Mentions:
Courtney Hawkins @CHawkins10 (White Sox)
Beau Wright @LeftButWright35 – The toughest part of this list was not including him in the twenty. He’s not on any roster this season. But he brings it daily, throughout the day. He’s a ball of energy and fun, so follow him to see where he winds up.
Michael McCarthy @mmcarthy35 (Red Sox)
Ryan Sherriff @KingSherriff (Cardinals)
Tommy Joseph @_TommyJoseph_ (Phillies)
Craig Missigman @craigmiss54 (Mets)
Chris Rivera @ChrisRivera217 (Cardinals)
Dustin Driver @dustindriver27 (Athletics)
Ty Buttrey @TyButtrey (Red Sox)
Josh Fellhauer – ‘Fellosophies.’ Look 'em up. (Reds)
Bradley Goldberg @B_Gumbo30 (White Sox)
Jamie Callahan @JCallahan15 (Red Sox)
Derrick Chung @therealthing6 (Blue Jays)
Darryl George @DarrylRoyGeorge - He's tweeted video of his on-the-field pre-game dance-offs. #MustSee (Rays)
Donnie Hart @DonnieHart06 (Orioles)
Jacob Faria @JDFaria48 (Rays)
Conrad Gregor @conradgregor55 (Astros)
Michael Crouse @_crouse_ (Blue Jays)
Julian Ridings @JRIDINGS_4 (Rays)
Pat Light @Pat_Light (Red Sox)
Travis Shaw @travis_shaw21 (Red Sox)
Tim Giel @TimmyGiel (Yankees)
Brett Geritse (Yankees)
Ali Castillo @alicastillo19 (Yankees)
Lenny Linsky @alohalinsky (Rays)
Jordan Cote @JordanCote603
Will Anderson @Willthethrill37 (Cardinals)
Jayson Hernandez- His devotion to public service shined when he helped organize 'Grandslam For Sandy', to benefit Hurricane Sandy victims and their families. (Red Sox)
Jonathon Berti @jonny_hustle (Blue Jays)
Cody Livesay @Livec1 (Braves)
Jared Wilson @DubsDeuces (Twins)
Rookie Davis @rookdavis24 (Yankees)
David Buchanan @davidb413 (Phillies)
Chase Vallot @Chase_Vallot (Royals)
Cale Coshow @c_coshow (Yankees)
Victor Black @Vic_Black_2 - "Sunday funday...That means no run day! I look forward to you all week #neverletsmedown." (Mets)
Antonio Nuñez @nunezlife03 (Astros)
Taylor Cole @Taylor_JCole (Blue Jays)
Matt Snyder @Matt33Snyder (Yankees)
Jared Mortensen @jaredmortensen1 (Rays)
Ali Solis @aSoLis44 (Rays)
Matthew Boyd @mattboyd31 (Blue Jays)
Will Gabay @GaBaY_WG_24 (Rays)
Jack Mayfield @jackmayfield8 (Astros)
Ryan Gunther @Gunther_7 (Braves)
Jake Hager @JakeHager1 (Rays)
Ryan Dent @RDdeucess (Red Sox)
Blair Walters @bwalters34 (Braves)
Stone Speer – @StoneSpeer He’s regularly all over Twitter. And he gets wild with it. Pretty sure he tweeted thanks to every single person that wished him Happy Birthday. On MLB Draft Day he rooted for friends on the board and congratulated friends selected. He's also funny AND cocky ("Handsome and wealthy" he tweeted). (Rays)
Dash Winningham @WinninghamDash (Mets)
Brad Meyers @bradmeyers29 (Nationals)
Zac Reininger @Reininger18 (Tigers)
Chris Costantino @Chriscos21 (Braves)
Chipper Smith @Chipper_Smith3 (Marlins)
Wynston Sawyer @WynSawyer (Orioles)
Will Anderson @Willthethrill37 (Cardinals)
Taylor Guerrieri @TaylorG1201 (Rays)
Vince Belnome @VBelnome1 (Rays)
Johnny Magliozzi @Money_Mags (Mets)
jp crawford @jp_crawford (Phillies)
Brian Holmes @BHolmes130 (Astros)
Rob Whalen @RobWhalen38- "Highlight of my day? Threw a perfect game with 20Ks in #MLBTheShow14 #NoBigDeal #LoveOffDays". (Mets)
Caleb Smith @CalebASmith12 (Yankees)
Dario Pizzano @DarioPizzano25 (Mariners
Chris Kirsch @chriskirsch9 (Rays)
Jason Martin @_JM55 (Astros)
Shane Watson @Shane40Sw (Phillies)
Alec Asher @TheBigCat28 (Rangers)
Jarrett Casey @JCasey13 (White Sox)
Dayton Dawe @DaytonDawe22 (Yankees)
Guido Knudson @GKnudson15 (Tigers)
Scott DeCecco @Dececco33 - His bio says he's the backup singer for Kings of Leon. If this is true, he maybe should've been in the Twitter Twenty. (Mariners)
Justin Fitzgerald @jfitzgerald31 (Diamondbacks)
Deck McGuire @deckmcguire (Blue Jays)
Cody Buckel @Cheatcode07 (Rangers)
Tony Thomas @GoldGlover2B (Twins)
Scott Carcaise @SCarcaise (Marlins)
Taylor Motter @taylormotter7 (Rays)
Ryan Carpenter @R_Carpenter22 (Rockies)
John Mincone @JMincone (Mets) – Tweets about his love for his girlfriend & is a big Instagram guy, often posting photos of his close-knit family.
Rob Wooten @RobWooten35 (Brewers)
Reese McGuire @Reese_McGuire21 (Pirates)
Greg Nappo @Nappo41 (Marlins)
Mike Meyers @Meyers_MJ (Red Sox)
Kevin Keyes @KevinJKeyes (Nationals)
Cameron Monger @CameronMonger (Frontier Grays)
Tucker Jensen @Tucker_Jensen (Gateway Grizzlies)
Stew Brase @sbrase12 (Southern Illinois Miners)
Brandon Douglas @BrandonDouglas5 (Tigers)
Erik Turgeon @ErikTurgeon (Pirates)
K.J. Woods @KJWoods22 - "Social media can ruin your life." (Marlins)
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