What: Mariano Rivera of Panama and Edgar Martinez of Puerto Rico are among the Latinos on the 2019 National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released this week.
Why it matters: Hall of Fame selection can boost the national and international profiles of these great stars outside of baseball, making them more attractive to business partners.
Reflecting the growth of Hispanic players on MLB (@MLB) and Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) rosters throughout the game over the past few decades, the 2019 National Baseball Hall of Fame (@baseballhall) ballot, released this week, includes numerous players born in Latin American countries, both newcomers and returners among the potential selections for Baseball Writers’ Association of America (@officialBBWAA) voting members to ponder. The election results will be announced on Jan. 22.
The top name, and most likely honoree, is Mariano Rivera (@MarianoRivera), who would be the second native of Panama elected (Rod Carew, chosen in 1991 on his first ballot attempt with 91% of the vote, was the first). Some are saying Rivera, the game’s all-time saves leader with 652, five World Series titles and a minuscule 0.70 ERA in 141 post-season innings, may be the first unanimous selection, as his off-field demeanor, charity work and universal respect among peers and fans make him one of the best candidates ever to possibly reach that threshold (Ken Griffey Jr.‘s 99.3% in 2016 and Tom Seaver‘s 98.8% in 1992 are the closest anyone has come).
As this segment of the population continues to be more impactful in the business of sports, these are the guys who can make the biggest difference.
Rivera made nearly $170 million in salary in his 19-year career, all with the Yankees (@Yankees). And while his more reserved personality may not have led to flashy spokesman opportunities, astute businesses like Bank of America (@BankofAmerica), The Hartford (@TheHartford) insurance and insole provider OrthoLite (@OrthoLite) have partnered with the all-time great, who turns 49 on November 29.
The other Latino who stands a strong chance of election is Edgar Martínez, in his 10th and final year on the BBWAA ballot. Born in New York but raised in Dorado, Puerto Rico, the 18-year member of the Seattle Mariners has steadily risen up the Hall of Fame voting, reaching 70.4% last year, a far cry from the 36.2% he received on his first ballot in 2010 and the low of 25.2% in 2014. Also known as a solid citizen and exemplary role model, the designated hitter/third baseman has been less in demand by national sponsors, something that could change with his Hall selection. Though he did do a fine job in this local Seattle hardware spot:
“The list of players who have impacted not just teams and the sport, but communities is really amazing this year,” said Ray Negron, longtime New York Yankees advisor who works with dozens of Latino athletes and celebrities. “As this segment of the population continues to be more impactful in the business of sports, these are the guys who can make the biggest difference, especially when you add on ‘Hall of Fame’ to their resume.”
The Portada Brand-Sports Summit in Los Angeles on March 15, 2019 (Hotel Loews Santa Monica) will provide a unique setting for brand marketers to learn about the opportunities sports and soccer content offers to engage consumers in the U.S. and Latin America.
Omar Vizquel of Venezuela (second year on the ballot), Sammy Sosa (seventh) and Manny Ramirez (third) of the Dominican Republic are the others born in Latin America returning to the ballot. While all considered to be long shots this time around (and with Sosa and Ramirez having the additional burden of past PED use on their respective resumes), business prospects for the three are not particularly strong.
Among the first-timers on the ballot, besides Rivera, are Freddy Garcia (Venezuela), Miguel Tejada and Placido Polanco (Dominican Republic), who all had solid careers but who will likely struggle to achieve the 5% of votes needed to remain on the ballot next year.
Several Latin Americans have earned selection in recent years, increasing their profiles. Vladimir Guerrero (2018), Ivan Rodriguez (2017) and Pedro Martínez (2015) all took their spots in Cooperstown to great acclaim. None have had landmark business partnerships though Martínez has remained highly visible in his analyst role on MLB Network, for which he has earned high marks.
Would enshrinement mean more partnership opportunities for Rivera and Edgar? Both are well-known within baseball, and Rivera’s New York connection and World Series success have given him a wider audience outside the game. But Martínez possesses a lot of the same traits, and the attention that Hall selection would afford could push brands to take a second look at this potential marketing standout.
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Cover image: credit Keith Allison
As the Latino composition of professional baseball rosters—in both the majors and minors—grows, it makes sense for leagues and teams to celebrate the diversity in their players and fan bases. And as Minor League Baseball (
As with other programs in this space, authenticity is the key: it can’t be seen as just a publicity stunt or to market additional apparel. The phrase “Copa de la Diversión” translates to “Fun Cup,” and included other facets of the fan experience, including food and music. And some teams made some internal changes to promote the program, including hiring bilingual employees in ticket sales and attracting more diverse internship applicants, 
With that success, MiLB is all-in on the initiative. “For some teams, it was looking yourself in the mirror and being like, ‘Man we don’t have enough people on our staff that looks like our community’,” said Kurt Hunzeker, Vice President of Marketing Strategy and Research at MiLB “I think that was a huge benefit.”
While the Goya (
With Chicago a new market for Twang, whose brand lines include flavored salts, sugars and seasonings with names like Twang-A-Rita, Cafe Zuca and ZAS!, and without the huge budgets of a Goya, Macias noted that the baseball and soccer crowds were the right fit to introduce the products.
The Treviño family, which shook out its first beer salts under the Twang name in 1986 in San Antonio then throughout Texas, has had success with Mexican national soccer team games as well as bar promotions during boxing events featuring Mexican and Mexican-American fighters. But Macias sees sports marketing as an important growth area as the company continues to offer its products to a wider audience.
“I am very proud of the great philanthropic efforts of our players,” said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred in a statement. “Through wide-ranging work and actions, these 30 nominees honor Roberto Clemente’s legacy of being exemplary community ambassadors. Roberto’s unwavering humanitarian spirit continues to inspire our players and fans and serves as a positive example for future generations.”
Besides helping with the drug issue, involving these trainers in an important MLB initiative will place them in position to make connections within the game that can enhance their ability to work in the Minor and eventually Major Leagues.
Last weekend the birthday of one of Puerto Rico’s most revered figures, 
The smooth conversation during the national broadcast wasn’t the first time even that day that Lindor let his personality do the talking. He 
Fans of a certain age will remember a time, more than 35 years ago, when “
That effort of course starts in South Florida, and involves rebuilding the trust with disenfranchised fans and businesses. The bad news is apathy was high the last few years. The good news is there is only one way to go; up. With that upward rise are great opportunities to create low cost, high impact partnerships and ticketing programs that will have casual fans embracing the Marlins as a lifestyle brand off the field as the transformation on the field takes shape in the coming years. It may be a bit slow and bumpy across the summer of 2018, but the long term outlook, Bowers added, can be very bright.
The influx couldn’t come at a better time for Puerto Rico, which is still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Maria in September. The series had been announced before the hurricane arrived, and was an easy sellout in the 18,000-seat stadium, which took on some damage to the dugouts, bullpens, playing field, lights and more during the storm. The two games are the first played under the new lights at Hiram Bithorn.
Opendorse analyzed historic Twitter data from the past year to find the five Latino MLB players with the most significant follower growth on the platform. By pairing success on the field with consistent, quality content, these players achieved massive growth of their social audiences and added value to their individual brands.
But big sponsorships in these countries at a global level are few and far between. The 
ARod, his business plan, and the brands he works with were center stage late Friday afternoon at the 
Another key to business success for Rodriguez? Listening. While always being known as a solid and thoughtful student of baseball during his playing days, the now retired veteran has a diverse team of business experts working with him on his myriad of businesses, many of whom are women.
Portada: The DBacks have always been front and center in terms or cultivating the Latino audience. How valuable is that market share to the team?
J.R.: “Many of our corporate partners are specifically looking to activate within the Hispanic market including Chevrolet, Pepsi, Fry’s Food Stores, MillerCoors and Anheuser Busch, to name a few. Chevrolet had a very significant presence in La Terraza, our Hispanic-themed area of the ballpark where they put up a culturally-relevant mural from a local artist and created t-shirts featuring that same graphic. Fry’s Food Stores has been the presenting sponsor of D-backs Fiestas, our pregame street festivals celebrating the Hispanic culture. Pepsi has been the presenting sponsor of our Hispanic Heritage Day promotional giveaways the last couple of years, which have included Los D-backs soccer jerseys and a Sugar Skull Bobblehead. AB is our partner on Hispanic Heritage Day which includes several key elements but notably, they honor a member of the Hispanic community each year. And MillerCoors does a great job in general and will be announcing some additional activation for 2018 soon that we think has a great chance to resonate marketwide.”
P: On the player side, the DBacks have taken great strides in developing their base in the Dominican Republic. How has the Academy worked out not just from a baseball standpoint but from an educational standpoint as well?
J.R.: “We will have an announcement as it gets closer to the season about La Terraza, which has become a great area in the ballpark for families and fans. We are also very excited that we will be able to expand our focus in Social Media in 2018, as we’ve tried hard to grow our accounts and engagement over the last few years and will now have an employee focused on that area. I believe we are still the only team in baseball with a monthly Spanish-language magazine in baseball, which started two seasons ago, and it continues to grow each year in terms of content depth and the breadth of advertisers.”
The AHRC New York City Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that supports programs enabling children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to lead richer, more productive lives, including programs of AHRC New York City.