“Poverty Franchise”: Rockies Response to Fan Demanding Cash for Rookie’s First Home Run Ball Splits Fan Base

What happens when a fan moment meets front office reality? It puts the team in a weird spot, something the Rockies faced on Sunday against the Nationals. While the tradition of fans catching and keeping home run balls in Major League Baseball is deeply rooted in the sport’s culture, it exists in a unique balance between fan celebration and player legacy. For a rookie, his first home run is always a milestone moment. This milestone is something to keep the ball as a keepsake because it’s part of their personal history.

Be that as it may, what if the fans are not willing to return the ball, even if it has some milestones attached to it? In most cases, fans get to keep the ball as a souvenir, especially if it’s from a regular home run, not a milestone moment. On Sunday, the Rockies’ 2021 draft pick, Braxton Fulford, a rookie catcher, hit the first home run of his MLB career. A fan who caught the ball reportedly asked for $1,000 in exchange for giving it back!

The teams usually negotiate modest trades for the souvenir ball: a signed bat, a photo with the player, tickets, etc. But a cool $1000? It might not be a good precedent to set. As expected, the Rockies declined the money but made a deal in exchange for a signed bat by Fulford. Guess what, the issue hasn’t finished there, with fans accusing the Rockies of being a “Poverty franchise“!

“The dude who caught this ball (Fulford’s first career HR) asked for $1,000 in exchange for the ball and the Rockies declined… Gotta be one of the more “poverty franchise” things I’ve ever heard,” MLB content creator Tru shared over his X handle.

Did the Rockies make a mess out of it? Well, the fans’ reactions are a mixed bag, with the majority of them crediting the club for not setting a bad example. For someone like Fulford — a 2021 draft pick still fighting to stay on a big-league roster — this could’ve been a huge personal moment. The fact that money got in the way probably feels like a letdown.

Cheers and jeers: Rockies’ response stirs debate

It is not the first time that a team has made a deal with the fan for the souvenir ball. Yet, a fan asking for money on the field is something new to experience in MLB.

Let’s understand the economy behind the Rockies’ decline to pay the fan. Remember Spencer Strider’s record-breaking 16 SOs in a game in 2022? It was the most by a Braves pitcher since 1893. Now, that record-setting ball, signed by Strider himself, is available for $750! So, is it a good deal to put $1000 on the career first home run of a rookie? Absolutely no! You might still bet $1000 on Derek Jeter’s 3000th hit ball, but for a rookie, it’s a wrong move.

“None of these teams pay in cash, they want to give signed merch.” A good take by one fan about the unwritten rule in MLB. Take any example like the fan who got Jeter’s 3000th hit exchanged for season tickets, autographed bats, balls, and jerseys from the Yankees. Paying cash for a home run ball will encourage a wrong trend of trading on the field. Souvenirs should not be used for trading. Again, this fan also thinks the Rockies have done a good job here.

Well, not everyone is on the same page with the Rockies. One user lamented the club for being a “loser“. Maybe it was expected that the team would be loyal to their players and would give the money to let Fulford keep his souvenir. However, Fulford reportedly got his first home run ball back with the concerned fan agreeing to a signed bat! Moreover, a team with a $124 million payroll in 2025 would not find it difficult to pay $1000, but at what cost? The joy of getting a home run ball as a souvenir will fade away as money gets involved.

“Nah, that’s a poverty fan.” One enthusiast replying to the thread quipped that the fan who asked for $1000 is poor here and not the team. Yes, because this is the first such example of a fan openly asking for a trading price on-field. There were examples of fans auctioning the balls later, but asking money from the club itself? Ahh, that’s something unique. Remember Barry Bonds’ 756th home run ball in 2007? The fan who caught it sold the ball for $752,467 via auction.

There are 30 MLB teams, each with a 26-man active roster during most of the season. Each team might debut 7–10 rookies in a given year. So, you can imagine how many rookies are hitting their debut home runs each year. Here, this fan shared the same concern that if the Rockies are paying $1000 for a career-first home run, the trend would continue. So, there will be a huge amount of money involved in trading the career-first home run balls for money. Hence, the Rockies, rather than being a poverty franchise, have made a notion clear: no money should be involved in trading a souvenir!

While fans technically own the ball once it lands in the stands, asking for money, especially for sentimental or early-career homers, can rub people the wrong way. However, this event with the Rockies proved that for historic moments, the ball becomes a valuable commodity, and a few fans aren’t afraid to treat it that way. What is your view on this?