MLB data says new All-Star voting format had fans more engaged than ever

Major League Baseball's new All-Star voting format was an undeniable hit when it came to creating buzz among fans.

According to MLB data, the new format significantly increased engagement with fans on the league social media platforms, and especially so on Twitter. The league also cited increased social media participation and creativity from all 30 teams as they campaigned for their finalists during the 28-hour final election process.

During that process, we saw music videos released, a large wave of non-baseball celebrities participating, and we even saw fellow finalists campaigning for each other.

In past years, the campaigning was typically reserved for the Final Vote, which is when fans select “the final” All-Star for each league. Honestly, that always feels anticlimactic given that most of those candidates end up being selected as replacements anyway.

This year, the campaigning served to make the process feel meaningful.

Increased buzz

According to an MLB press release, mentions of All-Star Game and ASG were way up on Twitter compared to the voting period last season.

All-Star Game were +10%, while mentions of ASG were +46%. That indicates fans were engaged and interested.

The new voting process saw each position narrowed down to a select group of finalists — nine in the outfield, three at every other non-pitching position — as determined by the primary voting round. That part alone produced some buzzworthy moments. The most notable being Bryce Harper's failure to make the top nine in the NL outfield.

For a 28-hour period that began Wednesday and ended Thursday afternoon, fans voted on a starter from the group of finalists. It seems that by trimming the candidates early, fans were genuinely curious to see how the races would play out.

The league also says #MLBVote was a national trending topic on Twitter during the Starters Election voting period.

More engaging and creative

The final election inspired some very creativity, entertaining and interesting campaign pitches.

Here are some examples.

The Braves pulled in some big names to help promote their candidates. Jason Aldean, Zac Brown Band and Big Boi took to Twitter.

Speaking of music, AL starting first baseman Carlos Santana of the Cleveland Indians channeled his inner Carlos Santana (the musician) by playing a few instruments.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts didn’t get the nod from fans, but it was cool to see him break out the guitar as well.

The Diamondbacks went all out to support Ketel Marte. The breakout hitter was elected to his first All-Star Game as the NL's starting second baseman.

“Saved by the Bell” references for Josh Bell? We’re here for it.

Before Nolan Arenado was voted as the NL starting third baseman, he did some campaigning for the Kansas City Royals’ Hunter Dozier.

And perhaps our favorite: Shohei Ohtani hypes Los Angeles Angels teammate and All-Star hopeful Tommy LaStella.

Good stuff, everyone.

And these are just a few of the highlights.

Will the fans stay engaged?

To put it simply, MLB's All-Star voting had a renewed energy this year that drew fans in. The numbers certainly back that up. The question in future years will be whether it was mere curiosity, or if fans were truly digging it.

Based on the added buzz, stronger engagement and more fair and balanced results, we’re cautiously optimistic that MLB has found a winning formula.

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