Social media sites give baseball fans the chance to get closer than ever to their favorite stars.

But that access can do damage that ripples across the Internet.

Los Angeles Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson pulled a St. Patrick's Day prank on former teammate Mike Napoli by tweeting Napoli's cell phone number to more than 117,000 followers.

Napoli wasn't laughing. He was forced to change his number after receiving countless text messages and calls.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Tommy Hunter, a former teammate of Wilson and Napoli when all three played in Texas, said the incident means he's less likely to use Twitter.

"For every positive, there could be a negative for it, too," Hunter said. "Clubhouse tweeting. Rumors getting spread, people saying bad stuff. And then it gets out in the media."

Many players are like Orioles catcher Matt Wieters. He keeps a social media presence to keep in touch with close friends and family.

"Some guys are definitely into new technology and new media outlets," Wieters said. "I like to kind of be more with sort of the family that I keep close to me. It's nice to interact with the fans, but at the same time, when I am off the field I like to have sort of my own peace and quiet."

The Tampa Bay Rays, a franchise with a manager in Joe Maddon known for his laid-back philosophy, have several players on Twitter.

Second-baseman Elliot Johnson has used the site this spring to interact with fans on a daily basis.

"There's a type of a relationship that you can create there you aren't going to get normally," Johnson said last week before the Rays game at McKechnie Field. "When there's a crowd of people like this, it's hard to single somebody out and kind of give them a little bit of individual attention. You can, but it's a lot more challenging with everybody trying to get a piece of you. On Twitter or whatever, you can single somebody out and throw their name out there and say congratulations to them for winning a competition or whatever."

A big favorite on the contest front involves tattoos. Johnson snaps photos of tattoos worn by various Tampa Bay Rays players. Fans then have to guess which player sports the tattoo.

"Somebody guessed Don Zimmer for whatever reason," said Johnson about the tattoo he posted before the Pirates game. "I love it. I just use it mainly to get a laugh. ... It's just something to do to the pass the time. You're sitting on the bus or wherever, you can do it."

Social media sites aren't just for major league players. Minor-leaguer Emeel Salem, who made the road trip to Bradenton with the Rays, also uses Twitter. He is a musician as well as a baseball player.

"That's just today's world," he said. "Having anything to do with music, being heard is as important as having good music."

Spring training is a more relaxed setting than the regular season, but players are still not allowed to tweet 30 minutes before or after a game.

The Pittsburgh Pirates feature several players who use Twitter, including star outfielder Andrew McCutchen, who has almost 29,000 followers.

"A lot of people look at us being a baseball player," he said. "They don't really know much more about us, except for what they read. So it definitely helps when you can say certain things. Random things, just letting people know what you are thinking and what you're doing. So people can see a side of you that they might not know."

Twitter is a tool for guys like McCutchen to let fans see how they react following a win or loss.

But there are negatives from a baseball player's standpoint.

The Rays recently had a meeting on how to use Twitter. The main suggestion?

Think before you send.