This dad wrote to every MLB team asking them to win his young son's fandom

The decision to raise a child as a fan of a particular baseball team is a significant one: You're setting them on a path that they'll follow for the rest of their lives, after all. So, although Pete Van Vleet is an Astros fan, he didn't want to make his young son Jack's mind up for him. Instead, Pete came up with a better idea: He wrote a letter to all 30 MLB teams, asking them to tell Jack why he should be a fan of their franchise.

First to answer the call was the Pirates, with team president Frank Coonelly personally crafting a very persuasive letter -- complete with a Willie Stargell reference and a brief history of the very piratical origin of the "Pirates" nickname:

Recently wrote each #MLB teams asking why Jack should root for them. Must say @Pirates make a convincing argument. #pirates pic.twitter.com/14eZYVKatD — pete van vleet (@petevanvleet) April 11, 2017

Not to be outdone, the Mets soon sent Jack a package of their own. Rather than simply writing a letter, however, New York sweetened the pot with a "Little Mets Fan" bib and a few Mr. Met stickers:

A few weeks ago I wrote each #mlb team asking them why my newborn son Jack should root for them. @Mets came through. #Mets #MetsTwitter pic.twitter.com/yDXUnYUOA3 — pete van vleet (@petevanvleet) April 11, 2017

Of course, the competition wouldn't be complete without hearing from Pete's own team. Luckily, the Astros came through, sending over a signed photo of team president of business operations Reid Ryan:

A few weeks ago I wrote every @MLB team asking them why my newborn son, Jack, should pick them to be his team. @astros came through! #astros pic.twitter.com/GppBgBN2fI — pete van vleet (@petevanvleet) April 11, 2017

No word yet on which club exactly Jack chose, but we'll keep you posted.