MLB Stars’ Pokémon Picks Reveal Surprising Knowledge Gaps in Franchise’s 30th Anniversary Poll

Poké Balls and baseballs may look similar, but when it comes to Pokémon, Major League Baseball (MLB) stars seem to have missed the memo.

As part of the Pokémon franchise’s 30th anniversary celebrations, MLB polled its top players to find out who their favorite Pokémon is. The results, however, left many fans underwhelmed.

While it’s understandable that players focused on perfecting their hitting and fielding skills rather than mastering pocket monsters, the lack of Pokémon knowledge among these athletes was still surprising. Most of the players, who are in their 20s, gravitated toward the most iconic and basic Pokémon, such as Pikachu.

It’s hard to fault the players for not being completely versed in Pokémon if they’ve been busy building their hitting and fielding skills, but still, way too many of these guys said Pikachu.

Here’s the full list of top Pokémon picks from MLB stars:

• Charizard
  • Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels)
  • Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers)
• Blastoise
  • Pete Alonso (Baltimore Orioles)
• Bulbasaur
  • Ben Rice (New York Yankees)
• Mewtwo
  • Masyn Winn (St. Louis Cardinals)
• Snorlax
  • Hunter Brown (Houston Astros)
• Zapdos
  • Jake Burger (Texas Rangers)
• Dialga
  • Jordan Walker (St. Louis Cardinals)
• Dragonite
  • Jacob Wilson (Oakland Athletics)
• Torchic and Blaziken
  • Steven Kwan (Cleveland Guardians)
• Pikachu
  • Michael Harris II (Atlanta Braves)
  • Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers)
  • Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres)
  • Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays)
  • Chase DeLauter (Cleveland Guardians)
  • Oneil Cruz (Pittsburgh Pirates)
  • Julio Rodriguez (Seattle Mariners)
  • Geraldo Perdomo (Arizona Diamondbacks)
  • Byron Buxton (Minnesota Twins)

Most players stuck to the original 151 Pokémon, which, while classic, suggests a lack of deeper engagement with the franchise. The lone standout was Colton Cowser of the Orioles, who is actively collecting cards and is just four away from completing the Mega Evolution set.

For the rest of the league, it might be time to brush up on Pokémon knowledge—especially as many of these players now have young kids of their own who are likely more familiar with the franchise.

The Pokémon account on Twitter responded with a playful jab: “Agree to disagree, Pokémon account.”