Seattle Mariners nicknames 16-20
- “Spike” (SP Mike Leake)—According to this piece at MLB.com, Mike Leake has allowed his team’s traveling secretary to pick his nickname for both Players Weekends. Last year, when he was with the Reds, it was “Sparky.” This year, “Spike.” That’s not bad, but the one and only true Spike in Mariner’s history is Spike Owen, the scrappy shortstop with the team from 1983 to 1986. It may surprise readers to know that Spike Owen’s real first name is Spike. It’s not a nickname. Four other MLB players have gone by Spike, but only Spike Dee Owen was truly named Spike. The others were imposter Spikes, like Mike Leake this weekend.
- “Black Bear” (RP Chasen Bradford)—This is an apt nickname for the six-foot-one, 229-pound pitcher with the bushy black beard. Actually, “Black Beard” would probably be even better and all it would take is another “d.”
- “The Horse” (RP Alex Colome)—This is an interesting one. Colome says this nickname is a reference to being the horse of the bullpen. Last year, Craig Calcaterra pointed out that Colome was suspended for taking Boldenone in 2014. Boldenone was developed as a horse steroid, so for Colome to use that as his nickname during Players Weekend was a bold choice, Cotton.
In 2014 Alex Colome was suspended for taking Boldenone, developed as a horse steroid. Here is his Players Weekend jersey. Bold choice. pic.twitter.com/qgkXdnt3VL
— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) August 9, 2017
- “Arenoso” (RP Juan Nicasio)—The word “arenoso” means sandy, as in sandy soil or sandy mountains. It’s also Nicasio’s hometown near San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic.
- “Bubba” (1B Ryon Healy)—Healy was born in California, so his nickname is not a Southern thing like Forrest Gump’s buddy Bubba in the movie “Forrest Gump.” That Bubba was from Bayou La Batre, Alabama. Healy says his name (presumably spelled the more common way, with an “a” instead of an “o”) was very popular when he was a kid, so his dad called him “Bubba.”