This weekend is the third annual Players’ Weekend around Major League Baseball. Each team has a new uniform design – for 2019 everyone is either in all black or all white – and players get to choose the name on the back of their jersey. While is seems like sacrilege for some teams (mostly the Yankees) the names on the uniforms are a fun chance for the players to show some personality, and not to mention, sell a bunch of new apparel.
Looking at all the names we could see this weekend, here are the best of the best Players’ Weekend nicknames (Note: anyone on the IL or recently designated for assignment aren’t eligible):
Ty Buttrey:
For those uninitiated, the cute, innocent emojis on your phone can have... we’ll say a “different” meaning to a younger demographic. And the peach emoji looks like a rotund derriere. So Angels’ pitcher Ty Buttrey is going all-in, opting out of a name and going with a peach and a tree emoji. His teammate Dillon Peters also deserves a shout out for his nickname: DillyPicklez.
Other players using emojis include Justin Upton (an up emoji), Nick Martini (a martini, obviously), Jeremy Jeffress (bread and butter emojis), Austin Hedges (a tree and hog emojis, for some reason), like half of the Indians’ roster, and Joc Pederson (a crown), among a few others.
Liam Hendriks:
The Australian leaned into his accent by going with “Slydah”. In his first All-Star season for Oakland, the emergence of that slider has helped him become one of the A’s go-to bullpen arms as they fight for a postseason bid.
Aaron Altherr:
If you’re a Key and Peele fan, you know why “A-a-ron” is funny. If not, go to YouTube. Kudos to the Mets’ bench player. He might be hitting .138 this year, but his sense of humor is 1.000. An honorable mention is Jeff McNeil as the Flying Squirrel.
Max Scherzer:
Baseball wants you to think this weekend is about connecting with the fans. Hey they have nicknames! They’re regular guys, too! Though that isn’t the reality, at least it’s nice to see the best pitcher in the game isn’t afraid to be self-deprecating. If you recall a few months back Scherzer fouled a ball off his face in batting practice. Leaning into the pitch (pun intended) he’s going with “Brown Eye” on his uniform.
Joey Votto:
The future Hall of Famer is bringing the timeless bit to a big league ballfield by going with “Who”. In other words: Who is on first this Friday for the Reds. If you need anymore explanation, I’m not sure what to tell you.
Scott Barlow:
His nickname is Scoots McGoots. You would think that means he’s a fast runner who steals bases or robs folks in the outfield. In reality he’s a reliever in Kansas City. I guess that means he could still in fact be fast, but we won’t be seeing that on display this weekend. Still, it’s really fun to say.
Jedd Gyorko:
While George Costanza is known for his prowess as the assistant to the traveling secretary of the Yankees (he gave hitting tips to Jeter, helped Steinbrenner recruit in Cuba and, of course, suggested the players wear cotton), the Dodgers’ infielder is going with another classic. “Jerk-Store” will be on Gyorko’s uniform this weekend, and hopefully it becomes their all-time best seller.
Hunter Pence:
It’s not quite an emoji, but it might top the list. Pence, who’s having a career resurgence with the Rangers this year, is going with the shrug emoticon that’s in all text characters. I bit of research came up empty as to why he chose such a nickname. The likely answer: why not? **shrug**
