As Major League Baseball prepares for the first pitch of the new season March 31, two New York Yankees— Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera—are ranked as the two most marketable players in baseball, according to Nielsen and E-Poll's N-Score ranking. The N-Score measures name and image awareness, appeal and personality attributes such as sincerity, approachability, experience and influence, both at the national and local levels. The Top 10 Most Marketable Players in Baseball ranks the endorsement potential of MLB's current players, with Texas Ranger Josh Hamilton, Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria and Yankee Alex Rodriquez also making the list. Minnesota's Joe Mauer, 8th on the list nationally, hit it out of the park as the top-scoring local favorite.

With advertisers spending more than a billion dollars on endorsements each year, a player’s ability to deliver in an ad can be almost as important as his skill at delivering on the field.

“Derek Jeter is on a tremendous run, with each new endorsement raising his profile with consumers. With a score more than three times his nearest competitor, it’s no wonder he’s been the face for Nike, Gatorade, Fleet Bank, Ford, VISA and more,” said Stephen Master, VP, Nielsen Sports. “While many of the players may not have national visibility, locally their brands resonate at a very strong level, with some having local N-Scores almost 10 times that of their national one.”

In the N-Score’s Top 10 Most Marketable Players in Baseball ranking, the Yankees actually snatched three of the top ten spots nationally, with Alex Rodriguez ranking ninth. In fact, the Yankees had as many representatives on the list as the entire National League.

For all of baseball, including current and former players, commentators and owners, a few all-time greats lead the pack. Yogi Berra holds the top spot, with an N-Score of 257, followed by Willie Mays (236) and Cal Ripken, Jr. (228). One noteworthy surprise? Joe Torre beat out his former players—Jeter and Rodriguez—with a score of 207, making him baseball’s fourth most marketable personality.

Methodology

Using the combined research expertise of Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research, N-Score is an in-depth look at a sports figure's overall endorsement potential, factoring in the attributes and demographic measures that align brands with endorsers. N-Score Local provides this information for athletes within their team’s local market as well as nationwide. Players are defined as Hall of Fame (receiving an N-Score of 200+), Superstar (100 to 199), MVP (50 to 99), All Star (30 to 49) and Starter (less than 30).