Fan Cave has its starting nine for 2013

The Opening Day lineup is set for the MLB Fan Cave, Snapback Hats Cheap and you might want to get to know the nine newest occupants now because they will be prominent figures around Major League Baseball from now through the World Series.

Daniel Farris (Angels), Marcus Hall (White Sox), Alex Justice (Indians), Nick Mendillo (Red Sox), Travis Miller (Mets), Mina Park (Rangers), Aaron Roberts (Dodgers), April Whitzman (Blue Jays) and Ben Wietmarschen (Reds) were chosen from a long offseason search and will relocate starting Opening Day to the redesigned Fan Cave, which returns for a third year at Fourth Street and Broadway in Greenwich Village.

The Dwellers range in age from 21-28, six men and three women, and appropriately enough they represent three fans per region in this year of balanced baseball, where there are now 15 teams in both leagues for the first time thanks to Houston's move from the National League Central to the American League West. The Cave Dwellers' Chicago White Sox Snapback Hats goal will be to watch all 2,430 regular-season games plus All-Star Week and the postseason, with the cast again gradually reduced until one champion is crowned on the last day of the World Series.

If this is anything like last year, the Dwellers will be front and center throughout the season, from All-Star Week special treatment (their own section at the events) to hosting top concert acts to postseason travel. They'll be housed in Manhattan, with a stipend for living expenses, and it's just a question of who will succeed 2012 champion Ashley Chavez -- the Giants fan who is now employed in the multimedia department at MLB Advanced Media's Chelsea headquarters.

"The MLB Fan Cave has far exceeded our goals and expectations these past two years, and once again our fans have raised the bar and brought a new level of creativity and passion to their efforts to be a part of it," said MLB executive vice president of business Tim Brosnan. "Choosing these nine fans out of the finalists we had in Arizona last month was our toughest challenge yet, but we've arrived at a great group of fans that are truly representative of our fan base. Fans will enjoy interacting with them on social media and following their adventures in the Fan Cave all season long."

The Fan Cave is part of a massive overall presence by Major League Baseball throughout social media. On Facebook, there are a combined 35,704,079 likes on the MLB and club accounts, with 4,488,976 alone on MLB. On Twitter, there are a combined 8,776,395 followers of the @MLB and official club accounts, Tennessee Titans Snapback Hats    and 2,756,601 for @MLB alone. On Instagram, there are a combined 985,148 followers on the @MLBOfficial and club pages, with 155,760 on MLB alone. The Fan Cave's Facebook page and its @MLBFanCave pages on Twitter and Instagram have more than 1.2 million combined followers.