The Los Angeles Dodgers have shown a willingness to spend whatever it takes to bring a World Series championship to the franchise. They have been on the cusp for a couple of years now, and they added a few pieces this offseason that they hope will make the difference in 2015.
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But was talent the only reason that some of the new players were brought on? Teams are always looking to find new ways to connect to their fans, and the Dodgers may have been influenced to add a couple of pitchers because of their social media followings.
The Dodgers added Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson to the pitching staff as free agents, and both have decent-sized followings on Twitter and are known for delighting their fans with humorous posts. According to ESPN, the two have already begun to display their wit with their new team.
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the first day at a new job is always scary but thankfully I had a shower with my co-workers to look forward to and that took the edge off
— Brandon McCarthy (@BMcCarthy32) February 21, 2015
Anderson also admits that tweets that include jabs at various celebrities could get him in trouble now that they are in L.A.
"Being in L.A., there are so many famous people who throw out first pitches and stuff, there's eventually going to be someone I've made fun of or had a sarcastic tweet about," Anderson said. "I'll be like, 'Hey, nice to meet you, but please don't look at my timeline.'"
Still, the social media platform is an excellent medium for fans to connect with players and teams, and perhaps the Dodgers are experimenting with how valuable it can be for them.
"Social media allows athletes to build their brands, tell and control their story and it gives fans a lens into an athletes' life that didn't exist before," said Josh Tucker, former social media manager for the Dodgers. "It enables an even more powerful and meaningful connection between athlete and fan."
Time will tell if the Dodgers start encouraging other players to expand their social media presence, but adding two players who are already known for it could be a nice way to test the waters.
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