Major League Baseball partnered with Snapchat on Friday to present the first ever MLB Snapchat Day. The inaugural event came on the heels of MLB and Snapchat agreeing to a multiyear agreement.
The league granted permission for players to take their phones onto the field for warmups and into the dugout during all Spring Training games, providing exceptional access for fans.
In addition, MLB also created and distributed a SnapBat selfie stick to help capture the behind-the-scenes moments.
While all 30 teams and several players were involved, the Los Angeles Dodgers and super utility man Kiké Hernandez were the pinnacle of the day’s festivities.
At the urging of fans, Hernandez, ever-popular on Instagram and Twitter, created a Snapchat account early Friday morning.
Hernandez then spent the time leading up to the Dodgers’ game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim providing fans with a look inside the clubhouse and using the face swap feature on multiple teammates:
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has stressed an importance of improving the relationship with the younger generation and growing the overall popularity of the sport.
Up to this point, the majority of the league’s work has focused on the field, with pitch clocks and timers between innings being utilized in effort to trim down the length of games.
As Snapchat continues to grow in popularity, it’s expected to be promoted and utilized by MLB for Opening Day coverage, the All-Star Game, postseason and various games and events.
While Hernandez may have stolen the show, Adrian Gonzalez also created a profile on the mobile app and along with his utility-man teammate, provided commentary and highlights during Friday’s game at Camelback Ranch:
