Phillies’ Noah Syndergaard Trade Lights Up Twitter

Well, this is awkward.

That’s what pitcher Noah Syndergaard tweeted after his trade to the Phillies was announced last week. The tweet also included a video of him “stealing” the Philly Phanatic’s ATV before a game years ago.

The tweet has nearly 40,000 likes and counting – 10 times the engagement of the Phillies’ official announcement of the trade.

Syndergaard also updated his Twitter profile picture to a Photoshop job of him wearing a Phillies jersey, and his header photo is now a promo shot of the cast of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

That prompted It’s Always Sunny star Rob McElhenney to @ Syndergaard, welcoming him to Philadelphia, just as he did when Chase Utley came to town in ’05.

Pitching a New Audience

The guy has a history of off-the-mound antics, including dressing up as Thor and appearing as an extra in Game of Thrones. His trade tweets are right in line with that persona. Strategic or not, they have business implications for Syndergaard and for the Phillies.

In essence, Syndergaard’s tweets introduced him to a new audience. His brand was entering a new market, and his outreach made a splash.

It gave the media in Philly and beyond something to latch onto among a flurry of trade deadline coverage. It also ingratiates him with Philly sports fans – not always the most welcoming bunch.

You could argue that it’s not Syndergaard’s job description to engage with online audiences in this way – and it’s true that players taking to social media can be a liability for the teams they represent.

But if it’s Syndergaard’s job to pitch well AND drive viewership and revenue for the Phillies, he’s on track. He won his first start last Thursday.