The best and worst nicknames for 2018 MLB Players Weekend

Players Weekend is back for 2018 and that means so are the player nicknames. There are good, bad, and one that should have never been allowed to happen. You can see the full list of this year’s nicknames here, and for this post we’ll only take a look at the ones currently available on jerseys. But there a host of good and bad nicknames on that full list. You could get lost for an hour in it.

Let’s dig into the crop of released nicknames that will appear on the backs of jerseys during the weekend of Aug. 24-26 and see which ones shine and which ones should be tossed.

Rhys Hoskins (Phillies) - Big Fella

This one is great not only because Hoskins went for Big Fella but because Tommy Hunter went with “Bigger Fella” so the pairing elevates these nicknames to the next level. This is a great example of how to actually have fun when the league lets you during Players Weekend.

Joey Gallo (Rangers) - Pico De Gallo

Joey Gallo might not be having the best year offensively besides all of the home runs he’s mashing (he’s hitting .202 with a .805 OPS and 31 home runs), but his nickname is a sure winner. This is the obvious-but-fun type of picks we’re here for.

Ronald Acuña (Braves) - Sabanero Soy

It’s just nice to know that between this and Hoskins, the young players who are fun on the field are also fun people.

Shohei Ohtani (Angels) - Showtime

Should this be Shotime? Naturally. But this is the one case where I will let my personal rule of “your nickname on the field should not be your Players Weekend nickname” slide.

Multiple Red Sox players

Listen, this Red Sox team has carried over their general “we’re a bunch of bros who like to have fun and get weird sometimes” mood from last year. I personally love this. So it’s only right that they carry over that mood into Players Weekend.

Mitch Moreland - 2-Bags

I asked Mitch whether he was sick of the Two Bags nickname at this year’s All-Star Game. He said he wasn’t ... yet. Which left me a little worried that he’d balk at using it again for this year’s Players Weekend. My concern was ill-founded!

Brock Holt - Brockstar

Josh Phegley (Athletics) - PTBNL

This is the same one Phegley used last year as well, but if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

Multiple Dodgers players

Just like the Red Sox, the Dodgers are giving us exactly what we want from them. Utley and Puig chose wisely, and hilariously.

Rich Hill - D. Mountain

Just like I always say: Rich Hill, best player in baseball.

Chase Utley - Silver Fox

Yasiel Puig - Wild Horse

Joey Votto (Reds) - In Flanders Fields

Votto does what he wants when he wants, and Players Weekend is no different. He went with a World War I poem title for his nickname and I’m not about to question him. Votto forever.

The worst Players Weekend nicknames all fall under the category of “boring nickname or a nickname they already use all the time” so I’ll just list them out. Do better next year, guys.

Buster Posey (Giants) - Buster

Evan Longoria (Giants) - Longo

Yadier Molina (Cardinals) - Yadi

Dansby Swanson (Braves) - Dans

Mookie Betts (Red Sox) - Mookie

Christian Yelich (Brewers) - Yeli

Aaron Nola (Phillies) - Nols

Luis Severino (Yankees) - Sevy

Roberto Osuna (Astros) - No Panic

This is beyond the pale from MLB. Roberto Osuna, an alleged domestic abuser whose trade from Toronto to Houston has elicited more than enough criticism for MLB to be aware of the need for sensitivity here, was allowed to use “No Panic” as a nickname again after he used it last year. Combine that with the fact they’re selling women’s jerseys with that nickname on it and it’s an awful look.

Seeing as Osuna’s incident occurred months ago, he just recently finished a 75-game suspension, and MLB has the right to veto any nickname they deem inappropriate, it’s horrifying that they let this happen. Read the room!