Top 10 Baseball Nicknames
They Include Charlie Hustle, Shoeless Joe, and the Sultan of Swat.
Almost everybody who plays in the MLB gets a nickname at some point. Here are ten of the best baseball nicknames along with the origin and meaning behind each one.
Great Baseball Nicknames have been around since the game was baseball was invented by Alexander Cartwright. Here are the Top 10 Baseball Nicknames of all time.
1. Jimmy Wynn - The Toy Cannon
Jimmy Wynn heads the list of the 10 best baseball nicknames. Wynn was just five feet-seven inches tall and weighed in at 165 pounds. But he had great power. Although he played most of his career in the spacious grounds of the Houston Astrodome, Wynn hit 291 home runs, and had three seasons of more than 30 dingers. A little guy who could hit big homers? He could only be called the Toy Cannon.
2. Fred McGriff - The Crime Dog
When McGriff came into the MLB, there was a popular series of animated commercials promoting local crime watch programs that starred a cartoon “Crime Dog” named McGruff. Chris Berman, the ESPN anchorman famous for giving humorous nicknames, soon re-assigned the moniker from the cartoon canine to the slugging first baseman. Few baseball fans recall the dog, but they all remember Fred McGriff.
3. James Galvin - The Little Steam Engine
The five-foot seven-inch pitcher won 364 games over his 15 year career. He really was the Little Engine That Could. One of the truly great baseball nicknames.
4. Babe Ruth - The Sultan of Swat
One could argue that “The Babe” is George Herman Ruth’s most famous nickname. That is probably correct. But his coolest nickname was the Sultan of Swat. Given the fact that he hit over 700 home runs and drove in more than 2,200 runs, it is also the most appropriate.
5. Ted Williams - The Splendid Splinter
Williams is another player who had many nicknames, including the Kid, Teddy Ballgame, and the Thumper. But his most famous, and most alliterative nickname, was the Splendid Splinter.
6. Ron Guidry - Louisiana Lightning
In 1978, Ron Guidry had one of the best pitching seasons in MLB history. He was 25-3 with a 1.78 ERA and 248 strikeouts. He won the Cy Young Award unanimously, and finished in second place to Jim Rice for the MVP. During a game in which he struck out 18 California Angels, New York Yankees announcer Phil Rizzuto began calling Guidry “Louisiana Lightning.” The name, which incorporated Guidry’s home state and his 96 MPH fastball, has stuck with Guidry to this day.
7 & 8. Paul Waner and Lloyd Waner - Big Poison and Little Poison
These brothers played together on the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1927 through 1940. Their famous nicknames allegedly came from a Dodger fan who referred to the brothers as “Big Person” and “Little Person,” but with his thick Brooklyn accent, the word sounded more like “Poison.”
9. Pete Rose - Charlie Hustle
His nickname was created by Mickey Mantle. During spring training of 1963, the New York Yankees were playing the Cincinnati Reds. Pete Rose, a rookie at the time, was taking batting practice with Mantle looking on. After his final practice swing drove a ball into center field, Rose took off down the first base line as if the game had already started. Mantle, for his wisecracking attitude, yelled over to Rose very loudly, “Boy, you’re a real Charlie Hustle, ain’t ya?”
10. Shoeless Joe Jackson
Jackson is best known for his involvement in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal and for his famous nickname. The name came about when Shoeless Joe was playing a doubleheader in the minor leagues. He wore a new pair of cleats during the first game that were too tight and gave him blisters. Joe took the cleats off and played the nightcap in just his socks. When he tripled in the seventh inning and slid hard into third base, a fan yelled out: “Can’t we stop this shoeless son-of-a-bitch?”
The name stuck. Forever. Just like all great baseball nicknames.
