Starting today, voting begins for the new Major League Baseball Fans of the Year presented by Esurance. Four Seattle Mariners fans have been nominated for the inaugural award and the winner will be decided by their fellow fans over the next week.
The nominees are:
Larry Andersen -- The Swelmet Guy -- Andersen traded his Mariners themed Darth Vader helmet to Robinson Canó at a road game in Oakland. The Mariners swept the Athletics during that series and the helmet became known as the "swelmet," and it is routinely awarded in the clubhouse to the Mariners player of the game. #MarinersFOTY1
Burke Waldron -- WWII Veteran -- This 92-year old Navy veteran from Bremerton nailed his ceremonial first pitch on Memorial Day and became a viral sensation for his energetic sprint to and from the mound. Plus, he looked sharp in his 1940s era white service uniform. #MarinersFOTY2
Amy Franz -- The Ichimeter Lady -- Amy spent many a summer night in right field at Safeco Field tallying the hits of Ichiro Suzuki on her Ichimeter. She was in Miami when Ichiro reached an MLB milestone of 3,000 hits. And she continues her support with clever signs to support current players. #MarinersFOTY3
Joyce Schott -- Longtime Mariners season ticket holder (since 1996). Most games, you can spot Joyce's distinctive head of white hair over the shoulder of left-handed batters as she occupies her seat above the Mariners dugout. When she's not at Safeco Field, she watching her Mariners on ROOT SPORTS. #MarinersFOTY4
Fans can cast their vote for the MLB Fans of the Year by visiting MLB.com/Awards. Voting is open September 13-19. Once on the website, fans will choose between the Mariners four Fan of the Year nominees. Fans can also vote on Twitter by using the nominee's hashtag. Voting percentages will be available throughout the voting period showing in real time where each nominee stands. Fans can vote as many times as they want. Winners will be based on total votes and hashtag mentions.
The MLB Fan of the Year award launches the start of the Esurance MLB Awards season. Voting on the remaining award categories begins September 19 and runs through November 11. Winners will be announced on MLB Network from 5-6 p.m. PST on November 18.
2016 Esurance MLB Awards categories:
Esurance is in its second year of a multi-year partnership with MLB as the exclusive auto insurance partner for the league and is the title sponsor of the Esurance MLB Awards and the all-digital Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot.