Logan Morrison noted while addressing the fact he's been selected to be an Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote candidate that he's not a politician and that he's simply a ballplayer trying to win games.
In other words, he didn't plan to go out and campaign for himself between now and 4 p.m. ET Thursday to be a member of this year's MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, even though his numbers suggest he should be. That means that the Rays, and their fans, must rally to try and get Morrison elected.
For starters, the Rays are teaming up with the Marlins, the team Morrison debuted with in 2010, to promote voting for Morrison and Marlins first baseman Justin Bour, who is among the National League Final Vote candidates.
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The Rays' social media efforts began with organic posts focused on Morrison. The alliance with the Marlins was announced Monday afternoon. They will be using both hashtags: #GoLoMo and #VoteBour.
Fans can show their support for Morrison and Bour by tweeting those hashtags from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, with any tweet that includes those hashtags counting toward the player's vote total.
The Rays' social media team is also planning to run two to three daily contests promoting the vote, giving away items from autographed baseballs to a meet and greet with Morrison. They plan to utilize all social platforms.
Also included in the plans is a banner plane that will fly over local beaches saying: "Vote Rays Logan Morrison to the All-Star Game! MLB.com."
The Rays and FOX will utilize some of their outdoor billboards to promote "Vote LoMo," and the Rays will be at a Fourth of July event in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday and plan on handing out flyers.
Fans can cast ballots for the 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote on MLB.com, Club sites and their mobile devices until 4 p.m. ET on Thursday. The winners, as chosen exclusively by online fan voting totals, will then be announced during "MLB Tonight" live on MLB Network and MLB.com at 6 p.m. Extensive coverage throughout the Final Vote will be provided by MLB Network and MLB.com, including interviews with the candidates, frequent updates, heat maps indicating where votes are being cast for each candidate, news on player and club campaigns, and a running countdown clock leading up to the announcement.
Now in its 16th season, with more than 680 million votes cast, the Final Vote again will include social votes on the last day of balloting, as Twitter support for the 10 candidates over the final six hours of balloting will count toward their vote totals. From 10 a.m.-4 p.m. ET on Thursday, any tweet that includes a designated player hashtag will be tabulated as part of the official vote total used to determine the winners.
On Tuesday, July 11, at 7:30 p.m. ET, tune in to the 2017 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard live on FOX, and during the game visit MLB.com to submit your choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet via the 2017 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote. The 88th All-Star Game, in Miami, will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB.com, MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.