No sport has a richer history than that of Major League Baseball. The sports first professional team was formed in 1869 in Cincinnati as they took on the name “Cincinnati Red Stockings”. Their knickerbocker pants and bright red socks captured the interest of America, and soon the two leagues we know today would form. By 1876, the American League and National League were both functioning as separate entities. In the year 1903, the two leagues merged and Major League Baseball was born, resulting in the first World Series, where the Boston Americans (now the Red Sox) defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 5 games to 3 behind their ace Cy Young. Throughout Major League Baseballs storied history, over 15,000 different players have appeared on a roster. Some of these players, many that we know well, went by names completely different than what we would find on their birth certificate. From the all time greats to the weird and wacky, let’s take a look back and enjoy the best nicknames to ever grace the game of baseball!
15. Scooter Gennett
Scooter Gennett has been a serviceable MLB player since his debut in 2013. From 2013-2016 with the Milwaukee Brewers, he hit .280 with an average of 9 homeruns per year. Since finding his new home with the Reds this past offseason, his production has spiked dramatically. In 2017, Gennett slashed .295/.342/.531 and set new career highs in batting average, homeruns, slugging %, OPS+, and WAR. Gennett got his nickname when he was 5 years old when his mother, who was angry that he refused to use his seatbelt, took him to the police station in hopes to scare him into using one. When the officer asked him for his name, he gave the name Scooter, the name of his favorite Muppets character. He has been Scooter ever since.
14. The Only Nolan
The Only Nolan pitched in parts of five seasons across 3 different leagues. His best season came in his first year of professional baseball in 1878, where at age 20 he pitched to the tune of a 2.57 ERA over 347 innings for the Indianapolis Blues of the National League. Nolan was expelled from the team in August of the 1878 season when he told team management he was going to be attending a funeral, but instead went drinking. He returned to the league in 1881, but was blacklisted by the league in the same year for what they claimed to be “confirmed dissipation and general insubordination”. It is believed that he got his nickname simply because there were no other Nolans in the league at the time he was playing, therefore he was the only Nolan.
13. Dummy Hoy
After losing his hearing at age 3 to meningitis, Dummy Hoy went on to become the most decorated deaf player in Major League history. It is believed by some that the “safe” and “out” signals used today were established for his benefit. Hoy finished his career with a .288 batting average and 2048 hits. He also collected 1004 walks in his career, which at the time of his retirement was second most of all time. The nickname “Dummy” comes from the term “dumb” referring to someone who could not speak. Hoy was known to correct those that referred to him by his birth name William and insisted that they call him Dummy.
12. Creepy Crespi
Creepy Crespi was a second baseman who played five years in the Major Leagues from 1938-1942 all for the St. Louis Cardinals. Crespi’s career was put on hold before the 1943 season began when he was drafted to serve in the military during World War II. He broke his leg in an Army baseball game shortly after he was drafted and ended up breaking it another two times while serving, effectively ending his Major League career at 24 years old. During his playing days, Crespi was known as an exceptional defensive second baseman. 7 time all-star and 1944 MVP Marty Marion said that Crespi was the best second baseman he had ever seen. Creepy Crespi got his nickname from the way it was said he would “creep up” on baseballs when going to field them.
11. Whitey Ford
Whitey Ford is the first of five members of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame to appear on this list. Ford pitched for the New York Yankees for the entirety of his 16 year career. After finishing second for the American League Rookie of the Year in 1950, Ford missed two seasons to serve in the Army during the Korean War. Ford finished his historic career with 236 wins, the most ever by a Yankee, and a 2.75 ERA. His .690 career winning percentage is the highest in Major League history amongst pitchers with at least 300 career decisions. He won 6 World Series during his time with the Yankees, and even won World Series MVP in 1961, the same year he won his only Cy Young Award. He got his nickname for his incredibly blonde hair, which looked almost white.
10. Piano Legs Hickman
Piano Legs Hickman played 12 years in the Major Leagues during the Deadball Era of baseball. He was known as one of the premier sluggers during his playing days, finishing his career with a .295 batting average and a .440 slugging percentage. He led the league in at bats per home run in 1903, sending one out every 43.5 at bats. Had the designated hitter existed in the early 1900’s, Hickman would have almost certainly settled into that role. He made an astounding 86 errors in 120 games at third base in the 1900 season and owned a career .942 fielding percentage. Hickman also pitched 185 innings across 30 appearances throughout his career in which he threw 15 complete games on his way to a 4.28 career ERA. Hickman got his nickname because his legs were thought to be exceptionally thick for a person of his stature; he only stood 5 foot 9 inches tall but weighed 194 pounds.
9. What’s The Use Chiles
What’s The Use Chiles played for the Phillies from 1899 to 1900, his only two MLB seasons. It was a tale of two seasons for Chiles; his first season he slashed .320/.352/.462 and put up an offensive WAR of 1.9. His production dropped off dramatically in his second season, as his slash line fell all the way to .216/.256/.333, causing his offensive WAR to fall to a dismal -.2. What’s The Use Chiles may be most known for his participation in the buzzer system that was used to steal signs. He got his nickname from his habit of yelling “What’s the use?” at batters as they prepared to hit.
8. Pee Wee Reese
The second member of The Hall to make the list is Pee Wee Reese. Reese made his first National League All-Star team in 1942 and subsequently missed the following three seasons to serve in the United States Navy during World War II. When he returned for the 1946 season, he continued his dominance and rattled off another nine consecutive All-Star Game appearances. Reese’s contributions to the game of baseball go far beyond the diamond; his support of Jackie Robinson during the early years of his Major League career were paramount in garnering support for segregation in baseball. The two teammates would eventually go on to win the 1955 World Series, and their names will forever be associated with the other’s. Pee Wee got his nickname from his childhood years of being a champion marble shooter, where a small marble is called a “pee wee.” His small stature led to the nickname sticking for the entirety of his career.
7. Goose Gossage
Goose Gossage is number seven on this list, and is the third member of the Hall of Fame. Gossage was one of the most dominant pitchers that Major League Baseball has ever seen. His blistering fastball, with which he could paint the corners while consistently throwing in the 100 miles per hour range, combined with his reputation for intentionally throwing at batters, made him one of the most feared pitchers of all time. Gossage helped pioneer the closer role that we see deployed by almost all Major League teams today. The nine-time all star and 1978 World Series Champion pitched in a total of 1002 games in his career, finishing 681 of them. What differentiates Gossage from modern day closers was Gossage’s tendency to pitch multiple innings to close out games versus the standard one-inning save. Gossage recorded 53 saves of seven outs or more in his career. For perspective, Mariano Rivera only had one such save in his entire career. Gossage got his nickname in 1972 from his Chicago White Sox teammate Tom Bradley when he said Gossage looked like a goose when he leaned in to get signs from the catcher.
6. Cannonball Titcomb
Cannonball Titcomb pitched in parts of four Major League seasons for four different teams. The lefty pitched to the tune of a 3.47 ERA over 528 2/3 innings in his career. His career highlight came on September 15th, 1890, when Titcomb threw a complete game no hitter. The 1890 season would be the last Major League season for Titcomb, as he would return to the minor leagues the following year and never again make it to the Major Leagues. Cannonball got his nickname from a Philadelphia sportswriter when he wrote that Titcomb’s pitches came in from the mound “as if they were shot out of a cannon.”
5. Granny Hamner
Granny Hamner spent a total of 17 seasons in the Major Leagues, playing 15 of them in a Philadelphia Phillies uniform. Though he made his Major League Debut at age 17, he didn’t become a full time player until age 21. He was a key member of the 1950 “Whiz Kids” Philadelphia Phillies and helped them get to the World Series, going 6-14 with 3 extra-base hits in the Fall Classic. Hamner made three consecutive All-Star Games from 1952-1954, and was the starting shortstop for the National League team in 1952. Hamner’s nickname comes from shortening his first name “Granville” to Granny.
4. Peek-A-Boo Veach
Peek-A-Boo Veach played in parts of three Major League seasons in 1884, 1887, and 1890. He began his career as a pitcher for the Kansas City Cowboys of the Union Association, pitching to a 2.42 ERA across 104 innings. He then resurfaced in 1887, pitching in one game for the Louisville Colonels of the American Association, where he threw a four-run complete game. He again resurfaced in 1890, this time as a first baseman in the National League. Playing in 64 games for the Cleveland Spiders and 8 games for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, he had a .243 batting average and a .349 on base percentage and ranked in the top 3 first baseman in both defensive assists and range factor per game. He got his nickname in 1884 when his coach set up timing plays for pick offs. Veach had to look around to get the sign to deploy his pickoff move, and the opposing players promptly caught on and began calling him Peek-A-Boo.
3. Three Finger Brown
Our fourth Hall of Famer may have the most fitting name of all. Three Finger Brown was one of the premier pitchers of his era. The two time World Series champion compiled 239 wins, had a 2.06 ERA, and racked up a total of 56.4 WAR over 14 seasons. In 1906, he led the National League with an astonishing 1.04 ERA, the third lowest single season ERA of all time. Three Finger Brown got his nickname due to the condition of his right hand. in 1888, at 12 years old, he had his index finger severed and had several other fingers damaged by a machine while doing farm work. While it was healing, he fell and broke several fingers in the same hand. The doctor never correctly reset the bones, which resulted in his middle finger being seriously deformed. Brown eventually learned how to use his disfigured hand to his advantage, as he was able to generate a great deal of spin on his pitches, which gave him his legendary curveball.
2. Babe Ruth
The Sultan of Swat. The King Of Crash. The Colossus of Clout. The Great Bambino. Babe. The great Babe Ruth had many great nicknames that could have all made this list, but the greatest of them all settles in at number two. The Babe is statistically one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. His career homerun record of 714 had him firmly atop the all-time leaderboard for almost 40 years. In his MVP season of 1923, Ruth’s slash line was a mind boggling .342/.545/.764, and he also powered out 41 homeruns and scored 151 runs himself. His .690 career slugging percentage is a Major League Record, as is his 1.164 OPS and his 206 OPS+. His career WAR of 163.1 is the most of all time and looks to be untouchable. George Herman Ruth got the “Babe” nickname in 1914 from his teammates. He was taken out of an orphanage by the owner of the Baltimore Orioles, Jack Dunn, and his new teammates in the Orioles organization dubbed him “Jack’s Newest Babe.” Babe stuck, and the legend was born.
1. Mysterious Walker
The number one nickname on the list definitely lives up to his name. Mysterious Walker was a right handed pitcher that pitched for five Major League teams in five different seasons. He finished his playing career with a 4.00 ERA over 297 1/3 IP with a 7-23 record. Mysterious Walker is number one on this list not only because of his nickname, but also how he got his nickname. Walker made his Major League debut for the Cincinnati Reds on June 28th, 1910, and appeared in only one game for the club. Walker then finished the year pitching in the Pacific Coast League for the San Francisco Seals, where he posted a 2.68 ERA. When pitching for the Seals, Walker used a pseudonym, calling himself Frank Mitchell. No background information existed on a Frank Mitchell, so, understandably, mystery surrounded Walker. The name “Mysterious Mitchell” soon arose and became a part of his persona. His starts for the Seals became spectacles of their own, as everyone wanted to get a peek at this mystery man on the mound. In September of 1910, a Chicago Sports reporter was able to identify Walker based on a photograph used in the Los Angeles Times. For the remainder of his career, Frederick Mitchell Walker would be identified as Mysterious Walker.
All statistics are accurate as of October 2nd, 2017 and were provided by https://www.baseball-reference.com/
