NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Candy Digital, a next generation digital collectibles company and the NFT collectibles partner of Major League Baseball and MLB Players, Inc., announced today the upcoming release of its 2022 MLB ICON Leadoff Series NFT digital collectibles that will bring fans even closer to their favorite players. For the first time ever, baseball fans can collect NFTs of MLB players that will have their stats updated daily throughout the season, ushering in a new era of utility for digital sports collectibles.
The Leadoff Series is one of the largest series of sports collectibles ever introduced. Each of the 720 featured players’ NFTs will have distinct versions and rarities (Core, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, and Legendary) available for fans to collect and trade. Candy Digital’s world-class digital artists and designers use officially licensed video from MLB to create unparalleled digital collectibles for fans, and each NFT features a unique multimedia showcase of MLB players and their on-field highlights. In addition to the players’ NFTs, the Leadoff Series will also introduce 8 ultra-rare Candy World Series NFTs, whose utility will be revealed at a later date.
“Candy’s 2022 MLB ICON Leadoff Series revolutionizes what sports NFTs can be. Along with stunning new digital designs, the introduction of dynamically updated player stats for each ICON NFT gives baseball fans and collectors a new way to track the performance of their favorite players and teams in near real-time,” said Candy Digital’s CEO, Scott Lawin. “We’re thrilled to demonstrate our commitment to innovation by delivering digital collectibles that deepen the connection between fans and players for the 2022 MLB season.”
“At MLB we are constantly tapping into the latest in technology to engage fans, and the 2022 MLB ICON Leadoff Series represents a leap forward in what is possible in the world of digital sports collectibles,” said Kenny Gersh, MLB Executive Vice President, Business Development. “We’re proud of the quick evolution these digital collectibles have taken in collaboration with our partners at Candy and MLB Players, Inc. Introducing dynamic stats into each NFT in this series gives fans an entirely new way to interact with our sport.”
“We’re thrilled that we were able to work with Candy Digital to offer fans the largest MLB Players NFT collection to-date,” said Evan Kaplan, Managing Director of MLB Players, Inc. “With a total of 720 Players, this is truly an incredible accomplishment, delivering on what we set out to do – connecting Players to fans in a new and modern way.”
Leadoff Series packs will be available beginning Tuesday, April 12 at 12:00pm ET at mlb.candy.com. Each pack will cost $50 and contain five NFTs. These packs will be released on the following drop dates: April 12, April 19, May 3, May 10, May 24, May 31, June 14, and June 21.
Also returning this season will be Candy Digital’s MLB Play of the Day NFTs, a unique digital collectible introduced during the 2021 MLB postseason. Every day during the 2022 MLB season, one incredible moment chosen by MLB will be immortalized as an open edition NFT available to fans for a limited time the following day.
Candy Digital’s relationship with baseball runs deep. Its inaugural digital collectible was a 1-of-1 Lou Gehrig NFT that featured excerpts of his iconic “Luckiest Man” speech and a three-dimensional bust which honored his legacy as baseball’s “Iron Horse” and raised more than $70,000 for ALS charities.
Following that success, Candy Digital introduced NFT products that celebrated 2020 World Series champions; All-Stars and top prospects as part of its 2021 MLB ICON packs; and the MLB Stadium Series, which brought each MLB team’s iconic venue to life through unique imagery created by renowned digital artist S. Preston.
Additional information and updates can be found on Candy’s official blog at https://www.candy.com/blog.
Digital assets can be downloaded HERE.
About Candy Digital
Candy Digital is a next generation technology company that designs and develops officially licensed, premium digital collectibles that connect people to their passions.
Candy Digital is Major League Baseball and the Race Team Alliance’s Official Partner for NFT Collectibles. Candy operates Major League Baseball’s official NFT ecosystem where fans and collectors are able to purchase, trade, and share officially licensed NFTs to deepen their love of the sport. The company also created Sweet Futures, the first-ever college athlete NFT collectible series that has featured some of the top football and basketball players in the country.
Candy Digital was formed by three executive partners: Michael Rubin, CEO, Fanatics; Mike Novogratz, founder and CEO, Galaxy Digital; and Gary Vaynerchuk, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor, who, together with its team of world-class digital artists, designers, and technologists are developing a broad range of digital collectibles, beginning with sports and expanding into art, entertainment, music, and more.
About MLB Players, Inc.
MLB Players, Inc. is the business arm of the Major League Baseball Players Association. The Major League Baseball Players Association (www.MLBPLAYERS.com) is the collective bargaining representative for all professional baseball players of the 30 Major League Baseball teams and serves as the exclusive group licensing agent for commercial and licensing activities involving active Major League Baseball Players. On behalf of its members, it operates the Players Choice licensing program and the Players Choice Awards, which benefit the needy through the Major League Baseball Players Trust (www.PlayersTrust.org), a charitable foundation established and run entirely by Major League Baseball Players. Follow @MLBPlayersInc on Instagram and Twitter.
About Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is the most historic professional sports league in the United States and consists of 30 member clubs in the U.S. and Canada, representing the highest level of professional baseball. Led by Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr., MLB remains committed to making an impact in the communities of the U.S., Canada and throughout the world, perpetuating the sport's larger role in society and permeating every facet of baseball's business, marketing, community relations and social responsibility endeavors. MLB currently features record levels of competitive balance, continues to expand its global reach through programming and content to fans all over the world, and registered records in games and minutes watched this season on MLB.TV. With the continued success of MLB Network and MLB digital platforms, MLB continues to find innovative ways for its fans to enjoy America's National Pastime and a truly global game. For more information on Major League Baseball, visit www.MLB.com.
