So, just who is Eric Sogard?
Unless you live in a baseball proof bubble, then you must realize Major League Baseball is hosting the “Face of MLB” contest. The contest, which has gone on for the last month, allows fans to vote for their favorite player. There is one player represented by each team. Teams (like the Athletics and Blue Jays) had their respective players face off. The player who received the most fan votes wins and moves on to the next round.
The final match up announced yesterday featured Mets' third baseman David Wright facing off against Athletics' utility infielder Eric Sogard. Wright, a seven-time all-star and career .300 hitter, has been the leader of the Mets for years. His face, other than Derek Jeter's, is the most recognizable on the east coast. It's not surprising that he would make the finals of the “Face of MLB”contest.
However, it's extremely surprising that Eric Sogard would be right along side him. Sogard, a four-year player with the Athletics, made his Major League debut in 2010. He's played 198 career Major League games, batting .241 with six home runs. 2013 was Sogard's best season in Major League Baseball, hitting .266 and smacking 24 doubles in 130 games.
First off (and this is not meant as disrespect towards Sogard) but how is it that Sogard is the face of the Athletics? If anyone should be the face of Athletics, it should be Josh Donaldson. Donaldson, despite having only played 247 career games for the Athletics, is 10 times the player Sogard is. In 2013, Donaldson hit .301 with 24 home runs and 93 runs batted in. He finished fourth in the American League Most Valuable Player balloting.
Based on production, he deserves the be the face of the Athletics. Plus, the Athletics could've done a great social media promotion stunt. Have Donaldson go to the Bay area and rent a boat by the water. Then have Disney Land send Donald Duck to go on the boat with him and say...”Donaldson Duck gets my vote.” That's just a thought though.
Anyway Sogard is a nice back up player, who can play multiple positions on the field. That's useful, especially for a team like the Athletics who already have great power hitters. The Athletics were third in team home runs (186) during the 2013 Major League Baseball season. He is not the face of the Athletics' franchise nor is he the face of Major League Baseball.
However Athletics fans do seem to be having fun voting for Sogard. They've dubbed him “the Nerd” because he wears glasses. The process of voting for Sogard is known by fans in the Bay Area as “Nerd Power.” It must've taken a lot of nerd power to beat Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista in the semi-finals of the contest. Bautista, a four-time all-star who led the American League in home runs during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, ran a Twitter campaign where would follow anyone who said they voted for him in the contest. As of this moment, Bautista follows 175,000 people on Twitter.
By the time this article is up, the contest between David Wright and Eric Sogard will have ended. For some reason, this contest reminds me of a bad teenage-based cartoon. Who will win, the popular jock, running New York City with a baseball bat in his hand, or will it be the Nerd out of California, who wants to find his place in the baseball world?
In the end, it doesn't matter. The real face of baseball is Derek Jeter (as far as I'm concerned). It's not David Wright or Eric Sogard. Jeter is the King of Baseball. Wright is the prince, waiting for the king's retirement.
Sogard, based on descriptions from Athletics' fans, is head of the Chess team.
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