Spring Training Powerhouse Hitter, Michael Morse, Named #1 MLB "Rising Sports Star"

Brand Affinity Technology Ranks Baseball Stars with Greatest Preseason Popularity Gains as Season Opens

News provided by

Brand Affinity Technologies

Apr 01, 2011, 08:30 ET

IRVINE, Calif., April 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Washington Nationals' left fielder Michael Morse has earned the top spot on Brand Affinity Technology's monthly list of Rising Sports Stars.  This special MLB-only edition of the list identifies baseball players with the most significant leaps in popularity during the preseason – athletes poised for greatness as the season starts.  Morse turned heads with nine home runs during spring training, making him one of the most watched players as the regular season begins.  His popularity increased a whopping 92% over the preseason, putting him at the top of the list of stars to watch in the month of April.  

This month's Rising Stars list is the youngest to date, with none of the athletes more than 25 years old.  The top three spots on the list were rounded out by up-and-coming young pitchers Brett Anderson of the Oakland Athletics and Jeremy Hellickson of the Tampa Bay Rays. The full list and additional details are available at: www.brandaffinity.net/RisingStars/april2011.

Rising Sports Stars is distributed by Brand Affinity Technologies (BAT), a company that calculates daily consumer affinity based on a proprietary combination of media exposure, performance, awards, popularity, engagement, and fan base, among other indicators, for more than 45,000 athletes and celebrities.  The list identifies sports stars with the greatest leaps in popularity, on a percentage basis.  A meteoric rise may indicate a standout on-the-field performance, off-the-field achievement, or emergence from utility player to celebrity.  

April Rising MLB Stars

(Details at: www.brandaffinity.net/RisingStars/april2011)

  1. Michael Morse (Washington Nationals)
  2. Brett Anderson (Oakland Athletics)
  3. Jeremy Hellickson (Tampa Bay Rays)
  4. Logan Morrison (Florida Marlins)
  5. Jordan Zimmermann (Washington Nationals)
  6. Ike Davis (New York Mets)
  7. Mike Stanton (Florida Marlins)
  8. Tommy Hanson (Atlanta Braves)
  9. Brennan Boesch (Detroit Tigers)
  10. Neftali Feliz (Texas Rangers)

Rising Sports Stars lists go live at the start of each month; subscribe to BAT's Twitter feed at @BATimpact to learn when new lists are posted.

About Brand Affinity Technologies, Inc.  (BAT)

Founded in 2007, BAT (http://brandaffinity.net) unlocks the marketing power of celebrity through research, endorsements, and interactive experiences. BAT's Endorsement Platform provides daily analysis of more than 45,000 celebrities and athletes, along with the ability to identify, license, and activate talent for cross-media advertising campaigns. BAT also leverages its research and technology engine to engage consumers directly through Fantapper (www.fantapper.com), which brings interactive apps to celebrity content across the web. Connect with BAT on Twitter:@BATimpact and Facebook: www.facebook.com/BrandAffinityTech.

SOURCE Brand Affinity Technologies

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