Seattle Mariners: ranking the Players Weekend nicknames

Seattle Mariners players have some great nicknames lined up for their upcoming Players Weekend series against the Diamondbacks.

King Felix, Boomstick, and Big Maple. Sugar, El Mambo, and Z. If you’re a Seattle Mariners fan, you know the famous nicknames, but you may not know who Mito or Bubba or Tui are. You can probably guess who Papa Paz or D-Span are, but Varis may be a head-scratcher. Now that Players Weekend is upon us, you’ll find out who all these players are.

For the upcoming weekend games, most MLB players will be wearing jerseys with their nicknames on the back instead of their last names. This annual event commenced last season and is a way for players to express their personal style. Having player’s nicknames on their jerseys is a way for MLB to appeal to the hometown fans and to a younger demographic.

Along with the nicknames on their jerseys, players are free to use bright colors and interesting designs on their cleats, batting gloves, wristbands, compression sleeves, catcher’s masks and bats. For a sport that is often bogged down in its traditional ways, it’s a weekend when creativity is embraced. Many players have custom designed gear just for this weekend.

The nicknames for players on the Seattle Mariners have been released and there are some creative and not-so-creative choices. Some players will go by the nickname most commonly associated with them and others have chosen nicknames that few, if any, fans will recognize. Thankfully, only one of the 29 Mariner players whose nicknames have been revealed will be eschewing a nickname and will instead go with his actual last name.

With Players Weekend upon us, here is my personal rank of the 29 nicknames the Seattle Mariners chose for this occasion.