Who’s Your Favorite Baseball Team?

A new poll reveals that 48 percent of New Jerseyans consider themselves baseball fans. What team do they favor the most?

According to the Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press Poll, the most popular team is the New York Yankees, followed by the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets.

"In North Jersey the Yankees are by far the favorite team. Seventy percent of North Jerseyans like the Yankees. In Central Jersey, the Yankees are still on top at 51 percent compared to 23 percent for the Mets and nine percent for the Phillies. In South Jersey, it's not a surprise that the Phillies lead the pact among baseball fans. Fifty-five percent say the Phils are their favorite team," said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

Who's the state's least favorite team?

For Mets and Phillies fans it's the Yankees. About four in 10 Mets and Phillies fans name the Yankees as their least favorite team.

It's a surprising result since the Yankees aren't in the National League East division. "The responses from Mets and Phillies fans leave me scratching my head. Sure, both National League franchises have recently lost World Series titles to the Bombers. And sure, it is a rare season that the Mets and Phillies are both playing well. But you'd think a team like the Braves would produce more contempt than the Yankees. It's just one more sign of how those blue pinstripes dominate major league baseball," said Murray.

What about for Yankees fans? Forty percent name their arch-rival the Boston Red Sox.

"The poll was conducted before the Boston Marathon bombings, and so Yankees fans may currently be a little friendlier to the Red Sox. But the Sox generate enough respect to lead me to think that the rivalry will be back to full-strength before the end of the season," said Murray.

What do New Jerseyans think about the cost of a baseball ticket?

Two-thirds of New Jersey baseball fans say the cost of a major league baseball ticket is not a good value for the money. Despite the cost, it won't stop New Jerseyans from attending a ballgame. "A majority of fans are going to go to the ballpark this year at least once," said Murray.