Best and Worst MLB Promotions of the 2015 Season
A day at the ballpark doesn't really need a perfect sales pitch. Baseball season is the flag-bearer of springtime, and there's no better way to spend a warm summer night than sitting in the stands, watching your favorite MLB team while sipping on a cold beer.
But being an inherently good thing doesn't mean it can't be even better.
Everybody loves to get something for free, or get more of something for less money, so special promotion and giveaway events can turn an already great experience into an awesome one. Bobbleheads, games honoring those who serve, concerts and the always popular fireworks night are some of the ways MLB teams treat their fans.
However, just because a home game on the schedule is given the magical designation of "promotional" doesn't mean that what's being promoted is a good idea, much less worth the bigger crowd of promotion-crazed fans. People may love free stuff and extra perks, but everyone has walked away from a "free" giveaway (at least once in their life) wondering, "Why did I just do that?"
The 2015 MLB season is just around the corner, and with it a new slate of special promotional events and the coveted giveaways that, on a whole, are why spending a day or night at the ballpark is restitution for the winter that preceded it.
These are the best and worst MLB promotions of the 2015 season.
Best: Orioles Hoodie and Jersey
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Even though quantities are limited, the Orioles have a couple of very sweet giveaways late this season. The best has to be the hoodie on September 11, which is cooler than most of the official merch on their website.
A relatively distant second is the replica J.J. Hardy jersey on August 15, which would be far less distracting in black. Though it's not pictured here, the wristlet giveaway on May 3 is a nice treat for the ladies.
Worst: Yankees Sunscreen Day
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Obviously, sunscreen is good, and skin cancer is bad, but the Yankees "Sunscreen Day" on May 25 is definitely not going to get the kids (or the adults) excited. Hopefully the team is less mediocre this season; otherwise, that day is going to be a total wash.
Best: Brewers Mother’s Day BobbleHank
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Ever since he was found as a stray wandering near Brewers spring training in 2014, Hank the Dog has become a bona fide superstar in Milwaukee and the team’s unofficial mascot. To celebrate Mother’s Day this year, the Brewers are giving a way a BobbleHank on May 10 to all fans.
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Worst: Twins Flip-Flops
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The Twins finished the 2014 season in the basement of the AL Central, 20 games behind the first-place Tigers. Surely they’re hoping to climb out of that basement this season, but they should leave the cheap plastic flip-flops they’re giving away to the first 10,000 fans through the gate on May 7 down there to rot.
That being said, baseball fans in Minnesota can actually expect a few nice surprises in terms of giveaways this season. The flip-flops are terrible, but the Twins BBQ branding iron, hoodie, various hats and bobbleheads are all pretty solid.
Best: Pirates Bill Mazeroski Replica Statue
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Maybe it’s because of those two full decades of abject futility, but the Pirates generally have one of the most active and robust promotional schedules in MLB. This season is no different. On August 26, the Buccos will be giving away a Bill Mazeroski replica statue to the first 20,000 fans—so get there early, Burghers!
Worst: Diamondbacks Hello Kitty Bobblehead
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There is probably a reason the D-Backs and the Dodgers (and who knows how many other MLB teams) have some sort of association with Hello Kitty, but that doesn’t make it a particularly natural partnership. It just doesn’t seem like there’d be a ton of overlap in those fanbases. Either way, the first 10,000 fans into the ballpark on April 11 get a Hello Kitty bobblehead.
Best: Mariners Beard Hat Night
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Those Mariners beard hats are the sort of thing we all hate just on principle, but the kind of thing we’d all definitely be wearing if it was our team’s thing. They’ve been giving them away in Seattle for a couple of seasons now and have proven very popular with the fans. Actually, the Mariners will be giving away awesome hats all summer long, and these are just the tip of the iceberg.
Worst: Marlins Half-Priced Tuesdays
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Even though the Marlins signed Giancarlo Stanton to a record-breaking contract over the offseason, in 2013 and 2014, attendance in Miami was overall the second worst in MLB. Their entire promotional calendar is nothing but half-priced seats and all-you-can-eat food, which absolutely reeks of desperation. Seriously, that calendar is bleak.
Best: Cubs Joe Maddon Tributes
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Sorry Cubs fans, your last-place (in 2014) Cubs don’t have much to offer y’all in terms of giveaways this season. Obviously, the team is putting all their eggs in the Joe Maddon basket, though, because they have two consecutive (and early) events dedicated to their new skipper.
June 13, the first 10,000 fans to battle through the swarms of bees and seagulls get a Joe Maddon bobblehead. And on June 14, the first 5,000 kids 13 and under get a Maddon OYO Dugout Set. Those are two of just three giveaways in the entire month.
Worst: Mets Fedora and T-Shirts
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Sadly for Mets fans, they’ve got a slate of promotional events for 2015 that matches the generalized awfulness of their teams of recent years. The whole thing is buoyed by an overabundance of lame T-shirt giveaways—13 on the season!
The only good part about that mess is that every fan in attendance will get a lame T-shirt. Also, a T-shirt certainly beats the awful denim and orange fedora the first 15,000 fans inside the gates on May 16 will be cursed with.
Best: Pirates Gnomes and Bobbleheads
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As previously mentioned, giveaways at PNC Park are no joke. In addition to two standard bobbleheads (Josh Harrison on May 23 and Starling Marte on June 27), the Pirates are giving away a Pirate Parrot gnome on June 28 and a Clint Hurdle Gnome on May 7, each to the first 20,000 fans.
Worst: Marlins Lawyer Appreciation Night
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All the half-priced tickets and all-you-can-eat food the Marlins are promoting may be desperate, but at least they’re good for the fans who actually show up. Something tells me "Lawyer Appreciation Night" on April 7 isn’t going to be a fan favorite.
Best: Yankees Fathead
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Those menaces in pinstripes basically print their own money, so the Yankees have no shortage of top-notch promotional events throughout the course of the season. They also have less than top-notch events too—like "Yankees Cowboy Hat Day" on August 8. It’s the thought that counts, but the cowboy hat isn’t a big seller in New York City.
Anyway! "Yankees Fathead Day" on July 4 is a much better idea. Those things are awesome and cost more than a couple of shekels. The first 18,000 kids 14 and younger will receive one at the game against the division rival Rays.
Worst: Astros Theme Nights
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Likely to again have one of the most meager payrolls in MLB, Astros fans can expect at least another season or two at or near the bottom of the AL West as their rebuilding project trudges along. Not likely to improve morale in Houston is the plethora of terrible theme nights in store for them this season.
With a total of 15, the worst include: Game Show Theme Night (April 17), Disco Theme Night (May 1), Country Music Theme Night (June 12) and Musical Divas Through the Years Theme Night (July 31). Just to be clear, nobody is crapping on country music or musical divas; it’s just that music can be divisive. Astros fans need to stick together through this muck!
Best: Rockies Knit Cap & Mullet Hat
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Whatever is going on in Colorado these days, the Rockies are definitely doing something right—at least their promotions/marketing department is. They have a boatload of great giveaways scheduled for this season, but the knit cap on April 20 (first 5,000 fans) and the epic mullet hat on May 24th (first 10,000 fans) are among the best.
Worst: Raymond Soap Dispenser
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For whatever reason, darn near 100 percent of the Rays giveaways this season are for kids. And not just stuff kids would like—stuff only kids would like. The only possible exception has to be the (mascot) Raymond soap dispenser they’re giving away on August 9. There’s nothing kids love more in the world than washing their hands.
Best: Giants Snow Globe & Madison Bumgarner Bobblehead
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The reigning World Series champion Giants are not skimping this season on fan giveaways—they’ve got one of the busiest promotional schedules in MLB. Two of the highlights come right after Opening Day. On April 14, the first 40,000 fans inside the ballpark get a bobblehead of postseason MVP Madison Bumgarner. On April 15, it’s a “Triplets” snow globe to the first 30,000 fans. Pretty sweet swag.
Worst: Cowboy Hats
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There are so many teams giving away cowboy hats this season that it doesn’t seem right to call just one out by name. Including them on the "worst" list isn’t meant to be a nasty swipe at all cowboys hats and the people who wear them. It's an accessory that has its time and place, and most people can’t pull them off. So it’s best to just stay away from these things.
Best: Padres Gear Giveaways
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Every serious sports fan knows that team gear doesn’t come cheap. That official licensed stuff is just ridiculous, and even the knockoffs will set you back quite a few doubloons. That’s why Padres fans are seriously in luck this season; they’ve got at least three really solid giveaways over the summer.
The first is a hoodie for Armed Forced Day on May 16. You've then got the throwback replica jersey on August 8. And finally there’s a Dri-FIT t-shirt on August 22. There are a few other goodies in between for fans in San Diego to look forward to as well.
Worst: Indians Weather Education Day
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Thank heaven LeBron returned to the Cavaliers, because sports fans in Cleveland might have it harder than any other fanbase in sports. The Indians didn’t make the postseason in 2014, but they had the second-best season of all the other AL teams that didn’t make the playoffs—that’s something!
You would have no idea this was a team with promise based on their sad promotional schedule, which has six different events celebrating a pennant win from 1995. The worst of the worst, however, is most definitely "Weather Education Day" on May 27.
Best: Reds Bark in the Park
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"Bark in the Park" (or some variation of the name) is something a number of MLB teams do each season. It allows fans to bring their beloved dogs out to the ballpark to experience America’s pastime, something every creature should get to do at least once in its life.
So many teams are doing this these days, but none better than the Cincinnati Reds. They don't just have a "Bark in the Park" night—they've got four scheduled this season: April 27, May 26, August 26 and September 24.
Worst: Brewers Bud Selig Bobblehead
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Opinions on former MLB Commissioner Bud Selig run the gamut, anywhere from general indifference to strong dislike to complete hatred. You’ll note that nowhere in that gamut is anything close to generally liking the guy, let alone complete adoration.
That’s what makes the Brewers Bud Selig bobblehead day on May 31 so puzzling. Sure, the guy is from Milwaukee, but if that’s the only qualification, there are plenty of better options!
Here are some other Milwaukee natives that would have been better bobbleheads than Bud Selig: actress Heather Graham, actor Willem Dafoe, actor Gene Wilder, broadcasting legend Bob Uecker (probably the most relevant of this list) and musician Steve Miller.
*Promotions info taken from schedules available on official team websites.
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