MLB Announces "Franchise Four" Campaign For 2015 All-Star Game
Promotion Will Allow Fans to Vote for Each Franchise, Greatest Living Players and Other Categories at MLB.com/FranchiseFour
Major League Baseball today announced the launch of the "Franchise Four" campaign, which will allow fans to vote for the most impactful players who best represent each Major League franchise and several other significant categories in the sport's history. The winners of the month-long period of fan voting on MLB.com/FranchiseFour will be announced during pregame ceremonies before Baseball's 86th All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 14th at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on FOX.
Beginning today and running through Friday, May 8th, fans can visit MLB.com/FranchiseFour to select the four most impactful players who best represent the history of each franchise out of eight choices from its lineage. An additional write-in option will be available to fans on the ballot, which also can be accessed on their mobile devices. The eight players were selected based on the recommendations of a blue-ribbon panel, in consultation with the 30 Clubs. The panel was asked to identify "the most impactful players who best represent the history of each franchise (or special category)" for the ballot.
The panelists were MLB's Official Historian John Thorn and representatives from MLB's official statistician, the Elias Sports Bureau; MLB.com; MLB Network; and the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). In addition to the 30 franchises, fans can vote for three special categories: the "Greatest Living Players"; the greatest Negro Leagues Players; and the sport's greatest Pioneers, encompassing players whose careers began more than a century ago.
MLB Chief Operating Officer Tony Petitti said: "The All-Star Game is a celebration of the National Pastime, and Cincinnati's rich baseball heritage makes it a perfect venue to highlight the great players who are synonymous with our Clubs and those who played pivotal roles in the game's history. We believe that the Franchise Four campaign will engage fans in a fun and meaningful way and will link the past and the present in the manner that Baseball does so uniquely."
The Franchise Four ballot available at MLB.com/FranchiseFour accompanies this press release and can be accessed on the second page of the attachment to this e-mail.