1. Bris Lord – The Human Eyeball
Under normal circumstances, Bris Lord would be remembered as being traded to the Philadelphia Athletics for Shoeless Joe Jackson. However, his true legacy involves having the greatest nickname in MLB history.
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The trade worked out on the A’s side, as Lord was a part of championship teams both in 1910 and 1911. While he was a solid hitter, producing a career .256/.304/.348 batting line with 119 doubles, he was not in Jackson’s class in almost any category.
That is, unless nicknames are counted. There, Lord, who was known as The Human Eyeball, easily surpasses Shoeless Joe. Yet, the origins of this name are questionable. The book Shoeless: The Life and Times of Joe Jackson states that Lord received this nickname due to his excellent eyesight, but his 175 walks against 345 strikeouts make this seem dubious.
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Whatever the reason for the nickname, Bris Lord stands out. Given the relatively safe and unimaginative nicknames in modern baseball, Lord may not have to worry about defending his title.