Phillies: Ranking “Player’s Weekend” jersey nicknames
Major League Baseball unveiled their “Player’s Weekend” jerseys where each player could pick their names on the jersey. These are the best of the Phillies.
The Phillies and every other team in Major League Baseball will wear a special jersey for “Player’s Weekend”, Aug. 25-27. In addition to the jerseys, players can wear whatever color gear they want rather than abiding by league policy. It is meant to showcase the players and their unique personalities – take a hint NFL.
The jerseys are a blend of the creme and red alternates with a Phillies-style P in the corner rather than the full name. The hats are actually nice, with a blue liberty bell on a red cap. Here are what the jerseys will look like:
Just a bunch of big kids.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 9, 2017
Introducing: Our #PlayersWeekend jerseys!https://t.co/QAPhb62rn1 pic.twitter.com/QPp2Uc66u3
There are some gems in this group and some rather bland names. Here I want to break down the best and worst of the names on the jerseys.
However, I first want to offer up an honorable mention for a former Phillie and near-legendary figure in Philadelphia:
Chase Utley is the Silver Fox pic.twitter.com/YqbPW22aPI
— Matt Breen (@matt_breen) August 9, 2017
Come on, at least try
Aaron Nola, Nick Pivetta, Daniel Nava, and Cameron Perkins all decided to go with just their last names on the jersey. They could have had some fun but instead went the basic route.
In fairness, Nola is a pretty laid-back guy who doesn’t want a lot of attention around himself. He also has been pitching like an ace, so he can do whatever he wants.
Even then, Nola could definitely get a nickname relating to the fact he was born in Louisiana. The Big Easy. the Bayou Baron, just two I’ve come up with off the top of my head.
Nava might not even be on the team by the time this weekend rolls around if he gets traded and Perkins has bounced between the minors and the majors this season.
Now, let’s look at the 19 players who did go with a nickname on their jerseys.
Well, they tried
19. Jerad Eickhoff-“Eick”
Eickhoff went clean and simple with his nickname, shortening his last name to “Eick”. It doesn’t jump off the page, but it’s probably what his teammates call him, so he went with it.
18. Clay Buchholz-“Buck”
Like Eickhoff, Buchholz just took his last name and shortened it, adding a K to the end. It’s not like we’ll ever see him wear it anyway.
17. Cameron Rupp-“Pavo”
I actually had to Google what pavo means because I had no clue. In Spanish, it means turkey or is colloquially used to mean silly. My guess is that the Latino players on the team call Rupp “Pavo” because of how he acts.
16. Vince Velasquez-“Vincente”
I thought Velasquez preferred Vince over Vincent, but this nickname makes me question it now. Regardless, it’s like the other nicknames just for the sake of having nicknames.
15. Adam Morgan-“A-Mo”
Morgan just squished his first and last names together to create this one. I doubt anyone calls him this over just Adam or Morgan as it’s not any shorter.
14. Ty Kelly-“TK”
This was a wasted opportunity to use the “Ty-Breaker” moniker and frankly I am disappointed that it wasn’t forced upon him.
A bit more creative
13. Nick Williams-“Nicky Dubs”
“Dubs” is a slang word for win nowadays, so it’s safe to say that Nick Williams helps get dubs. Alright, time to go hit myself for that one.
12. Tommy Joseph-“ToJo”
It’s short and sweet and the fans have been using it, so it’s an easy decision for Joseph here.
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11. Andres Blanco-“Whitey”
This nickname brings back memories of Richie “Whitey” Ashburn. I’m sure some older fans are going to take some offense to this, but Blanco means white in Spanish and we’ve been calling him that since he’s been here.
10. Freddy Galvis-“Toco”
Toco means “I play” or “I touch” in Spanish.
I’m sure there’s something meaningful to Galvis about it or else he wouldn’t use it, I just couldn’t say.
9. Cesar Hernandez-“Cesita”
This is definitely a play off Hernandez’s first name, and the –ita ending means “little”. So something along the lines of “Little Cesar”, so maybe he likes Little Caesar’s Pizza?
8. Ricardo Pinto-“Pinto Bean”
This one is actually pretty good. It’s a nice little pun all wrapped up in the fact that Pinto is short, making the bean play on words all the more fun.
The good ones
5-7. Hector Neris, Luis Garcia, Maikel Franco-“Las Compas”
Neris, Garcia, and Franco all themed their nicknames around being friends, or “compas.” Neris is “Compa H”, Garcia is “Compa G”, and Franco is “Compa F.” Cute.
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4. Odubel Herrera-“Torito”
This one was pretty obvious. The “Little Bull” and his horns have been an icon since he joined the team in 2015. Can’t go wrong here.
3. Casey Fien-“Fien Machine”
For a guy who pitched all of four games in a Phillies uniform, he’s got one of the better nicknames on the team. He’s on the 60-day disabled list so we won’t get to see it and I can’t imagine anyone buying a $200 Casey Fien jersey. Regardless, it’s got a nice ring to it.
2. Andrew Knapp-“Knapp Time”
While Knapp’s nickname is pretty much what we all think of whenever a Phillies game comes on, but it’s still pretty darn good.
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1. Aaron Altherr-“A-a-ron”
Well somebody is a Key and Peele fan. I’ve been calling all of my friends named Aaron this since that short came out, but it’s a great short and a great nickname.