As Miami prepares to host its first ever MLB All Star game Tuesday, some interesting trends are emerging when it comes to ticket sales for the week's festivities.
It turns out Miami digs the long ball.
Website Ticket IQ, which monitors the re-sale market, says demand Monday for home run derby tickets outpaced the demand for the All Star Game.
Ticket IQ says Giancarlo Stanton proved to be a major draw for local Marlins fans.
On the downside resale market tickets for the All Star Game could be among the cheapest in years.
Many tickets there are popping up at over $100 below face value.
Prices could be lowest they've been since the 2011 All Star Game in Phoenix.
Ticket IQ says it could be an indication that the big game may not be resonating with local fans.
That was not the case at the All-Star Fanfest at the Miami Beach Convention Center, however.
Thousands of young fans flocked to the Magic City for the fun and festivities.
It's obvious that many of them have an eye towards a future in the big leagues.
Maricarmen Andreu, like many parents, took her son to fan fest to get a piece of the action.
“This is like the Disneyworld for him, right now,” she says.
Being from South Florida, she knows what it means for him to have this opportunity.
“To be able to be so close to home, and to be able to experience all the activities they have here," she says.
Folks say it helps build the foundation for the future of baseball here in South Florida.
A lot of the fans here are too young to remember a time when pro baseball didn't exist in Miami.
The goal for their baseball loving parents is to make sure they don't forget about it.
Nelson Fernandez brought his brothers to Fanfest.
“If you start them early, it's easier for them to be interested in the game," he says. "Those are the future fans and players of the game."
