These Are My Favorite MLB Jersey Nicknames

Barry PetcheskyBarry Petchesky|published: Thu 10th August, 09:05 2017
MLBMLB

August 25-27 will officially be known as “Players Weekend” in MLB, but let’s be real—no one will ever think of it as anything besides Nickname Weekend.

Players were allowed to choose the names that will appear on the back of their uniforms that weekend, and let us give credit where credit is due: This is a really cool thing. It’s fun, it’s informal, it allows players’ personalities to shine—it is, in short, so un-MLBlike. I can’t wait until Daddy gets ejected for bumping an ump, and Free Love throws a no-hitter and his jersey is sent to Cooperstown.

All the nicknames haven’t yet been collected in one place, though SI.com has a good gateway to each team’s. But I’ve seen enough to have opinion. Here are a handful of my favorite, and below that, my least favorite nicknames, in no particular order.

The best ones

Francisco LindorFrancisco Lindor
Devon TravisDevon Travis
Jarrod Dyson (Rhymes with “kumbaya”)Jarrod Dyson (Rhymes with “kumbaya”)
Gary SanchezGary Sanchez
Kyle Seager (This is adorable. But it’s also kind of sad that Corey is just going with  [object Object] ?)Kyle Seager (This is adorable. But it’s also kind of sad that Corey is just going with [object Object] ?)
David Freese (He has a friend with a dog named Dave, so when they’re hanging out, he’s Davehuman. “It’s funny to, like, five people,” Freese  [object Object] .)David Freese (He has a friend with a dog named Dave, so when they’re hanging out, he’s Davehuman. “It’s funny to, like, five people,” Freese [object Object] .)
Brad HandBrad Hand
Jay BruceJay Bruce
Shin-Soo Choo (Joey Votto is “Tokki 2,” and the story behind it is  [object Object] .)Shin-Soo Choo (Joey Votto is “Tokki 2,” and the story behind it is [object Object] .)
Jose Quintana (It’s a little tough to see with the font, but that’s “Q,” the second-coolest letter.)Jose Quintana (It’s a little tough to see with the font, but that’s “Q,” the second-coolest letter.)
Xavier Cedeno (The coolest letter)Xavier Cedeno (The coolest letter)
Didi Gregorius (The Dutch-born Gregorius was actually knighted, receiving the Order of Orange-Nassau along with his teammates for winning the 2011 Baseball World Cup.)Didi Gregorius (The Dutch-born Gregorius was actually knighted, receiving the Order of Orange-Nassau along with his teammates for winning the 2011 Baseball World Cup.)
Jose Abreu (He was born in the Mal Tiempo neighborhood of Cruces, Cuba, and it means “Bad Weather.”)Jose Abreu (He was born in the Mal Tiempo neighborhood of Cruces, Cuba, and it means “Bad Weather.”)
Mike NapoliMike Napoli
Sean Doolittle (That first letter is a D; he’s not a ghost.)Sean Doolittle (That first letter is a D; he’s not a ghost.)
Aaron Altherr (A  [object Object]  reference.)Aaron Altherr (A [object Object] reference.)
Roberto OsunaRoberto Osuna
Max Scherzer (who has  [object Object] )Max Scherzer (who has [object Object] )
Adrian GonzalezAdrian Gonzalez
Carlos Torres (“The Butcher”)Carlos Torres (“The Butcher”)
Patrick KivlehanPatrick Kivlehan
AJ Griffin (Yep,  [object Object]  checks out.AJ Griffin (Yep, [object Object] checks out.
Andre EthierAndre Ethier

Gregory InfanteGregory Infante
Hyun-Soo Kim (It’s his name)Hyun-Soo Kim (It’s his name)
Bruce MaxwellBruce Maxwell
Logan Forsythe (This is  [object Object]  for his old teammate.)Logan Forsythe (This is [object Object] for his old teammate.)
Ty Kelly (Of interest to journalists)Ty Kelly (Of interest to journalists)
Carl Edwards Jr.Carl Edwards Jr.
Luis TorrensLuis Torrens
Wellington CastilloWellington Castillo
Ross StriplingRoss Stripling
Nick VIncentNick VIncent
Josh Phegley (He has not actually ever been a Player to Be Named Later, but there’s still plenty of time.)Josh Phegley (He has not actually ever been a Player to Be Named Later, but there’s still plenty of time.)
Josh HaderJosh Hader
Matt DuffyMatt Duffy
Michael BlazekMichael Blazek
Bronson ArroyoBronson Arroyo

The bad ones

Jedd Gyorko (Let this one be a stand-in for the many, many players who just used their last names. SO BORING.)Jedd Gyorko (Let this one be a stand-in for the many, many players who just used their last names. SO BORING.)
Blake Wood (First names aren’t much better.)Blake Wood (First names aren’t much better.)
Carlos Correa (It sounds like “diarrhea.”)Carlos Correa (It sounds like “diarrhea.”)
Randall DelgadoRandall Delgado
Phil HughesPhil Hughes
Craig KimbrelCraig Kimbrel
Doug Fister (What is going on in Boston?)Doug Fister (What is going on in Boston?)
Ian Happ (C’mon, this is a hockey-level lack of creativity.)Ian Happ (C’mon, this is a hockey-level lack of creativity.)
Travis d’Arnaud (He’s proud of his lil D)Travis d’Arnaud (He’s proud of his lil D)
Will HarrisWill Harris
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