sports

The 30 Best Baseball Nicknames Ever

(Photo by George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images)

Published Jun 1, 2023

So you're wondering what some of the best baseball nicknames of all-time are? There are quite a few good ones out there, but I think 30 rank above the rest! Before we get in to it, let's talk about the sport itself.

Baseball is one of the most important parts of the history in American popular culture. Coined 'America's Pastime', it has been played since the late 1830's. The game has seen some massive overhauls and significant changes to rules, equipments, and overall skill over time.

The pinnacle of professional baseball is Major League Baseball. The league has been up and running since 1901 and has produced some of the most iconic athletes known to man. Because of the decades of incredible players who came along, the laundry list of nicknames for these players outranks any sports. From the 1900's to the 2020's, here are my 30 best baseball nicknames.

1. The Great Bambino

Real Name: George Herman Ruth Jr.
Years Active: 1914- 1935
Teams Played For: Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Boston Braves

George Herman Ruth Jr., better known as Babe Ruth, has a multitude of exceptional nicknames. His 'Babe' nickname stuck so much that it's what everyone remembers him as today.

2. Mr. October

Real Name: Reggie Jackson
Years Active: 1967- 1987
Teams Played For: Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, California Angels

When you did the things Reggie Jackson did during the playoffs, the only thing they can call you is Mr. October.

3. Mr. Cub

Real Name: Ernie Banks
Years Active: 1953- 1971
Teams Played For: Chicago Cubs

Playing 18 seasons and being the all-time leader in games for the Cubs, it makes sense why Ernie Banks dons the nickname 'Mr. Cub'.

4. Yogi Berra

Real Name: Lawrence Berra
Years Active: 1946- 1963
Teams Played For: New York Yankees

Yogi Berra was such an exceptional player and had such a good nickname that many people don't know that his real name is Lawrence.

5. Crime Dog

Real Name: Fred McGriff
Years Active: 1986- 2004
Teams Played For: Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers

Fred McGriff's nickname comes from a word play on McGruff the Crime Dog, which was popularized by Chris Berman.

6. Shoeless Joe Jackson

Real Name: Joe Jackson
Years Active: 1908- 1920
Teams Played For: Cleveland Naps, Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox

Shoeless Joe Jackson earned his nickname when the blisters from his cleats hurt him so badly that he decided to just play the game shoe-less.

7. The Flying Dutchman

Real Name: Honus Wagner
Years Active: 1897- 1917
Teams Played For: Pittsburgh Pirates

Hailing from Germany and having supernatural speed, the Flying Dutchman was the perfect nickname for Honus Wagner.

8. The Wizard of Oz

Real Name: Ozzie Smith
Years Active: 1978- 1996
Teams Played For: San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals

Ozzie Smith dominated the 80's MLB and is without a doubt one of its most memorable stars. He was truly a wizard on the field.

9. The Mad Hungarian

Real Name: Al Hrabosky
Years Active: 1970-1982
Teams Played For: St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Kansas CIty Royals

From fighting opposing players to having the strangest pre-pitch routine in baseball, there are few characters like Al Hrabosky.

10. Spaceman

Real Name: Bill Lee
Years Active: 1969- 1982
Teams Played For: Boston Red Sox, Montreal Expos

Bill Lee was an exceptional player but a little bit of an odd-ball, leading reporters to nickname him the Spaceman.

11. Catfish

Real Name: James Hunter
Years Active: 1965- 1979
Teams Played For: Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees

James Hunter earned the nickname 'Catfish' after playing over ten years in the MLB for the Athletics and Yankees.

12. The Say-Hey Kid

Real Name: Willie Mays
Years Active: 1951- 1973
Teams Played For: San Francisco Giants, New York Mets

There are few MLB players as iconic and important to its history as the late great Willie Mays.

13. Fat Elvis

Real Name: Lance Berkman
Years Active: 1999- 2013
Teams Played For: Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees

Known for his chunkier look and slick hairstyle resembling Elvis Presley, Lance Berkman was known as Fat Elvis.

14. Junior

Real Name: Ken Griffey Jr.
Years Active: 1989- 2010
Teams Played For: Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox

Son and former teammate to hall of famer Ken Griffey, fans called him Junior for short.

15. Rollie

Real Name: Roland Fingers
Years Active: 1968- 1985
Teams Played For: Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers

One of the best pitchers to ever take the mound, Roland Fingers earned the nickname Rollie during his 15+ year career. He's also known for having the single greatest mustache ever. There's no debate on that topic.

16. The Georgia Peach

Real Name: Ty Cobb
Years Active: 1905- 1928
Teams Played For: Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Athletics

Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Ty Cobb is one of the most recognizable names in all of baseballs annals.

17. The Hebrew Hammer

Real Name: Ryan Braun
Years Active: 2007- 2020
Teams Played For: Milwaukee Brewers

Hailing form jewish descent and being one of the best sluggers of his time, the Hebrew Hammer was the perfect fit for Brewers legend Ryan Braun.

18. The Splendid Splinter

Real Name: Ted Williams
Years Active: 1939- 1960
Teams Played For: Boston Red Sox

One of the most famous Red Sox and baseball players in general, the game of baseball wouldn't be what it is today without Ted Williams.

19. Doc

Real Name: Dwight Gooden
Years Active: 1984- 2000
Teams Played For: New York Mets, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Houston Astros

Doc Gooden was a master of his era and helped a number of franchises achieve regular and postseason success throughout the 80's and 90's.

20. Big Train

Real Name: Walter Johnson
Years Active: 1907- 1927
Teams Played For: Washington Senators

Standing at 6'1" and 200 pounds, it looked like a big train was on the mound when Walter Johnson was pitching.

21. Oil Can

Real Name: Dennis Boyd
Years Active: 1982- 1991
Teams Played For: Boston Red Sox, Montreal Expos, Texas Rangers

In his hometown of Meridan, Mississippi, sipping on a cold one is called drinking oil, hence why Dennis Boyd was given the nickname Oil Can.

22. Mr. Tiger

Real Name: Al Kaline
Years Active: 1953- 1974
Teams Played For: Detroit Tigers

Al Kaline played 21 seasons in the MLB and every single one of them was for the Detroit Tigers. He even went on to become the teams color commentator.

23. The Tabasco Kid

Real Name: Norman Elberfeld
Years Active: 1898- 1914
Teams Played For: New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, Brooklyn Robins, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies

Having a fierce and fiery temper on the field, fans were quick to nickname Norman Elberfeld 'The Tabasco Kid'.

24. The Yankee Clipper

Real Name: Joe DiMaggio
Years Active: 1936- 1951
Teams Played For: New York Yankees

There may be no greater or more iconic player to ever put on the Yankees pinstripes than the great Joe DiMaggio.

25. The Greek God of Walks

Real Name: Kevin Youkilis
Years Active: 2004- 2013
Teams Played For: Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees

Kevin Youkilis was one of the most patient hitters to step in the batters box and was regularly rewarded with free bases, earning him the title of 'The Greek God of Walks'.

26. Shotime

Real Name: Shoehi Ohtani
Years Active: 2018- Present
Teams Played For: Los Angeles Angels

The greatest anomaly to step foot on a baseball field since Babe Ruth, it's 'Shotime' everytime Shoehi Ohtani steps on the field.

27. Kung Fu Panda

Real Name: Pablo Sandoval
Years Active: 2008- 2021
Teams Played For: San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves

A true kung fu master on third base, Pablo Sandoval was a gem of a player throughout the 2010's.

28. Iron Horse

Real Name: Lou Gehrig
Years Active: 1923- 1939
Teams Played For: New York Yankees

Lou Gehrig played an incredible 2,161 games straight for the New York Yankees before having to step away from the game due to illness.

29. El Guapo

Real Name: Rich Garces
Years Active: 1990- 2002
Teams Played For: Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, Florida Marlins

Hailing from Venezuela, there were few relief pitchers in the the 90's as electric as Rich Garces.

30. Vlad the Impaler

Real Name: Vladimir Guerrero
Years Active: 1996- 2011
Teams Played For: Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles

Father of current MLB all-star Vladimir Guerrero Jr., every time senior stepped up to the plate a home run was impending.

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