Major League Baseball is witnessing a surprising trend: WAGs (wives and girlfriends) of MLB players are eclipsing their partners in both social media clout and earning potential. A new report from Doc’s Sports highlights how these influential women are leveraging their platforms to outshine their baseball-star partners.
Vanessa Hudgens, actress and fiancée of Los Angeles Angels player Cole Tucker, exemplifies this trend. With over 55 million combined followers on Instagram and TikTok, Hudgens dwarfs Tucker’s modest 200,000 Instagram followers. Her social media earning potential is staggering; with $58.5K possible per post, Hudgens could match Tucker’s $720,000 annual salary in just 14 posts.
Similarly, Olivia Dunne, a celebrated gymnast, boasts 13.1 million followers across Instagram and TikTok—far surpassing her boyfriend, Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes, who has just 416,000 Instagram followers. Dunne’s immense online presence not only bolsters her personal brand but highlights the growing influence of non-baseball celebrities within MLB circles.
Model and actress Kate Upton is another standout. Married to veteran pitcher Justin Verlander, Upton maintains a robust 6.7 million Instagram followers, significantly outpacing Verlander’s 830,000. Despite Verlander’s illustrious career, Upton’s social reach reinforces her status as a lifestyle icon.
This phenomenon underscores the growing convergence of sports, influencer culture, and lifestyle branding. MLB players may dominate the field, but their partners are increasingly leading the way off it, redefining the power dynamics in relationships between athletes and influencers.
For the full report, visit Doc’s Sports.