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Seattle Mariners: ranking the Players Weekend nicknames

By BobMueller|
OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 15: Nelson Cruz #23 of the Seattle Mariners bats against the Oakland Athletics in the top of the third inning at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on August 15, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 15: Nelson Cruz #23 of the Seattle Mariners bats against the Oakland Athletics in the top of the third inning at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on August 15, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
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Seattle Mariners
OAKLAND, CA – AUGUST 14: James Paxton #65 of the Seattle Mariners pitches against the Oakland Athletics in the bottom of the first inning at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on August 14, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Seattle Mariners nicknames #1-5

  1. “King Felix (SP Felix Hernandez)—The longest-tenured Mariner is Felix Hernandez and his “King Felix” nickname is easily the most-recognized nickname of any player on the team. Felix himself does not know the origin of the nickname, but a little sleuthing revealed the source: U.S.S. Mariner, a long-running blog about the Mariners. Way back on July 17, 2003, a 17-year-old Felix Hernandez pitched for the Everett Aquasox and U.S.S. Mariner had this to say about the young pitcher:
"All hail King Felix. Hernandez worked five innings last night against Spokane, allowing just one run on two hits and striking out five. He also walked four, but it’s important to remember that he’s only 17 and facing much older competition, including some college players. I’m trying not to get too excited about him, but it’s difficult not to with the way he’s pitched so far."

And a nickname was born.

  1. “El Mambo” (SS Jean Segura)— In Segura’s native country, the Dominican Republic, “Mambo” is a variation of merengue music. He’s a big fan of the music, so he uses “El Mambo” as his nickname.

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  1. “Sugar” (RP Edwin Diaz)—Diaz got his nickname from high school teammates who thought he looked like the pitcher in the movie “Sugar,” which came out in 2008. The character in the movie was from the Dominican Republic and tries performance-enhancing drugs. Diaz is from Puerto Rico and, hopefully, will stay away from PEDs.
  1. “Boomstick” (DH Nelson Cruz)—The “Boomstick” nickname goes back to at least 2010, long before Nelson Cruz signed with the Mariners. Cruz and 2009 AL Rookie of the Year Andrew Bailey appeared in a trailer for MLB2K10. In it, Cruz calls his bat a “boomstick.” He’s had the nickname ever since.
  1. “Big Maple” (SP James Paxton)—In a different time, James Paxton would likely have been called “Paxy” or “J-Pax” because it’s easy to make a nickname by simply adding a “y” the player’s last name or going the A-Rod route. Luckily, Paxton avoided that fate. After a great stretch of starts last April, Paxton received some praise from manager Scott Servais, who said, “Pax was really outstanding and we certainly needed it. Big Maple is what he was nicknamed tonight and I kind of like that. He was awesome.”

It should be fun watching the Mariners take the field in their Players Weekend jerseys, but their fans are really hoping for a successful weekend against the Diamondbacks. The Mariners are four games back of the Oakland A’s for the second wild card spot. After three against the Diamondbacks, the Mariners go to San Diego, then Oakland. It’s their most important road trip of the season. They’ll need Boomstick, El Mambo, Sugar and the others to pick up some wins.

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