Left-hander Jesús Luzardo was acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies via trade from the Miami Marlins along with catching prospect Paul McIntosh on Dec. 22. The trade sent prospects Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd to South Beach in a surprising pre-Christmas gift for Phillies fans. The career 4.29 ERA starter is coming in, hoping to jump in and hit the ground running with a Caleb Cotham pitching staff.
Bringing in another big name always has its excitement. The tight-lipped president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski didn't show much before the Luzardo deal was officially announced. An initial glance shows the promise of 2023 for the future of his role in the rotation. Soon Phillies fans will get a good look at Luzardo in a hopefully healthy 2025.
What's in a name? Don't call Phillies' newest starter 'Lizard King'
Players can get their nicknames from passionate fans, and Luzardo is no different. Phillies fans will be looking to connect with their newest signing from the jump. Baseball Reference conveniently has player's nicknames listed on their profiles and Luzardo's "Lizard King" nickname was a standout. The weird thing is, Luzardo was unaware of the nickname, per OnPattison.com's Tim Kelly on X (formerly Twitter).
"To be honest with you, I've never actually been called that. All my friends call me Zeus. It was just easier than saying Jesús for them. But yeah, Lizard King is something new to me, I've never been called that before."
Jesús Luzardo isn't sure where 'Lizard King' came from.
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) December 30, 2024
"To be honest with you, I've never actually been called that. All my friends call me Zeus. It was just easier than saying Jesús for them. But yeah, Lizard King is something new to me, I've never been called that before." pic.twitter.com/UwOBhVzVUi
Zeus suits him well, but Lizard King is surely a play on his last name, and it's even more funny that this is the first he's heard of it in six Major League seasons. It's unclear how the site officially gets the player's nicknames, but most of them are familiar. Maybe players really do just find out their nicknames at random.
Zeus may catch on, but after hearing that he's never been called his supposed nickname Lizard King, Phillies fans may still come to Citizens Bank Park donning the nickname on posters in support of Luzardo. The thousands in attendance in South Philly will look to support their newest star in any way shape or form, but maybe it would a good idea to lay off the "Lizard King" nickname, at least for now. However, if there is anything we know about the passion of Philadelphia, nothing is a given.