MLB teams unveiled Wednesday some of the jerseys that will be worn on “Players Weekend” Aug. 25-27 and the nicknames we’ll see on the backs of them.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen a sports league do this. The NBA has dipped their toes into these waters in recent years—seeing Ray Allen in his J. Shuttlesworth jersey was pretty great—and a special shout-out to the defunct XFL, the OGs of nicknames on jerseys.
Now it’s MLB’s turn and this initiative has baseball fans buzzing.
With that in mind here are some of the best nickname choices that stood out to us.
Overall, the nicknames were hit and miss but Kyle Seager’s was universally acclaimed. The Seattle Mariners third baseman’s nickname will be “Corey’s Brother” referring to his younger sibling on the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Oakland Athletics catcher Josh Phegley is representing all those who ended up being the “player to be named later” in a trade.
Phegley’s teammates Andrew Triggs gets points for “Triggonometry” as does Philadelphia Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp who went with “Knapp Time,” New York Yankees veteran Todd Frazier aka “Toddfather,” and Melky “Melkman” Cabrera of the Kansas City Royals.
Texas Rangers starting pitcher A.J. Griffin paid homage to the lush salad he keeps under his hat with his “Sweet Lettuce” nickname.
Look at those lovely locks on A.J. Griffin. (Tony Gutierrez/AP)
When you’re name is Welington, you make your nickname “Beef.” It’s just the right thing to do. That’s the route Baltimore Orioles catcher Welington Castillo took. Gordon Ramsey would approve.
The two Aarons on the Bronx Bombers weren’t messing around. Aaron Judge’s jersey will read “All Rise” which was a popular choice.
Any fans of the sketch comedy show Key & Peele instantly became a fan of Aaron Hicks with his “A-A Ron” moniker. It’s an excellent reference to a classic skit about a substitute teacher.
If Hicks strikes out or makes an error while wearing this jersey there will be fans in the stands yelling “you done messed up, A-A Ron!” This is a certainty. Aaron Altherr of the Phillies also went with “A-A-Ron” only he added an extra dash.
Although there are some solid nicknames on the Yankees, not everyone likes seeing them. This will be the first time the Yankees will have player names on the backs of their uniforms and it has many traditionalists reeling.
There’s a nice story behind Joey Votto’s “Tokki 2” nickname. Cincinnati Reds beat reporter Mark Sheldon with the details…
Let’s just ignore that Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes has a typo in his “Barnicles” nickname and focus on the fact he went to his fans to help make a decision. That’s pretty cool of him. Barnes rarely pitches more than one inning at a time so he spends most games latched onto a bullpen chair, sort of like a barnacle, so it fits.
Other quality nicknames include: Blue Jays stars Jose Bautista as “Joey Bats” and “Bringer of Rain” Josh Donaldson. Brewers’ Zach Davies aka “Bat Boy.” Andrew Miller with “Miller Time” and Carl Edwards Jr. with “Carl’s Jr.” are looking to score endorsement deals. Chase Utley is a “Silver Fox” and New York Mets ace Noah Syndergaard laid down the hammer and went with “Thor.”
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