Gail Sideman is a publicist that specializes in generating exposure for sports and authors. She is @PUBLISIDE on Twitter and can be found on Facebook . Last month, New York Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher mobilized his 470,000-plus Twitter followers to help him earn a spot on his first ever All-Star Game roster, by sending them to VoteSwisher.com . While he ultimately fell quite a ways short of making the American League squad, he attracted the attention of thousands of voters and people who added glowing compliments to the website’s comments section. But what Swisher does to reach out to fans is something most of his Major League Baseball (MLB) colleagues are not doing. An MLB roster has 30 people on it, but only about half that number use Twitter, and the number that actually engage their fan base isn’t enough to even take the field. With the MLB season reaching its half way point this week, it’s time for players to get on the ball and start tweeting. Very Few Major League Baseball Players Tweet Because games average nearly three hours and many go well beyond, and because players travel to other ballparks for 81 games per year, I guess I expected more players to tweet in between innings, during rain delays, or while out on the road. Yet, after hours of scouting and tweeting, I found that Twitter, a growing outlet to reach friends and fans for other professional athletes, is not as popular among Major League Baseball players. Several Major League Baseball teams take advantage of the instant reach and communications capabilities of Twitter, and could well coach their players on the social media service’s value. Even of the few players that have signed up for Twitter, fewer still use it to build fan appreciation and trust, elements that could benefit them now and in their post-baseball playing days, by opening the door to non-baseball opportunities. Connecting with Fans on Twitter According to MLB.com’s Connect with the Game page, there are 18 confirmed Major Leaguers on Twitter — less than the total number of teams in the league. And even some of the verified accounts seem suspect (the MLB’s verification process appears fairly lax). Clearly, though, there are only a small number of MLB players using Twitter. 1. Jeremy Affeldt, Giants: @JeremyAffeldt 2. Coco Crisp, Royals: @coco_crisp 3. Carlos Delgado, Mets: @carlosdelgado21 4. Chad Durbin, Phillies: @chaddurbin 5. Chris Getz, White Sox: @chrisgetz 6. Curtis Granderson, Tigers: @detroit_tigers (supported by Granderson’s organization, but may not be him tweeting) 7. Jason Grilli, Rangers: @GrillCheese49 8. Matt Kemp, Dodgers: @mattkemp27 9. Doug Mientkiewicz, Dodgers: @Dougiebaseball 10. Jamie Moyer, Phillies: @moyerfoundation (actually his foundation) 11. David Ortiz, Red Sox: @davidortiz 12. CC Sabathia, Yankees: @cc_sabathia 13. Joakim Soria, Royals: @joakimsoria 14. Nick Swisher, Yankees: @nickswisher 15. Mark Teahen, Royals:

@ESPY_TEAHEN 16. Rich Thompson, Angels: @chopper63 17. Todd Wellemeyer, Cardinals: @todalion 18. C.J. Wilson, Rangers: @str8edgeracer However, just a handful of those are actually engaged with their Twitter accounts: Durbin, Grilli, Kemp, Mientkiewicz, Moyer, Swisher, Thompson, and Wilson. A few others update regularly, but only these players are involved, informative and often entertaining. They answer fellow Twitter users’ questions and post links to share with their followers. They also post comments at least once each week, if not more frequently, about their fortunes on the diamond or their lives outside of baseball. A common element among many of those who actively use Twitter is that they have other interests to share with their followers in addition to baseball. Durbin , for example, operates a business separate from his day job, and pitcher Jamie Moyer uses his Twitter page to publicize his charitable foundation that helps children who experience physical, emotional, or financial distress. Missed Opportunities Other players who have joined Twitter recently, haven’t seemed up to the task of maintaining their activity. I would have put NY Yankees’ pitcher CC Sabathia on the “doing it right” list if I considered only his Spring Training months, for example. He posted his first tweet on January 20 and was on a roll through the spring, but has not written anything since April 30, despite having 23,000 followers and a teammate (Nick Swisher), who is one of the most active pro ball players on the service. To be fair, Sabathia does appear to invite fans to stay up-to-date with his official web page , and some other players, such as David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox, use Facebook or MySpace fan pages to post up-to-date reports. Still, it’s a mystery why so many Major League Baseball players do not take advantage of the quick hit opportunity to connect with valuable fan bases via Twitter. It’s true that baseball isn’t as much of a star-driven sport as basketball or golf, but especially for teams in smaller markets, encouraging players to connect with fans on Twitter could help put people in the seats. Only when players start to follow the lead of compatriots like Nick Swisher, who inform, entertain and share, will they be able to benefit from growing fan bases simply because they take the time to interact. Next year Twitter might even help someone make the All-Star team. More sports resources from Mashable: - How the NBA is Using Social Media - 100+ Free Sports Apps for the iPhone - Pro Cycling on Twitter: 48 People Who Aren’t Lance Armstrong Image courtesy of iStockphoto , spxChrome Reviews: Facebook , MySpace , Twitter , iStockphoto Tags: Baseball , MLB , nick swisher , sports , twitter

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Twitter and Major League Baseball: A Missed Opportunity