Milwaukee Brewers: MLB Players Weekend Nicknames Explained

Players celebrate 2018 MLB Players’ Weekend on Aug 24-26. The Milwaukee Brewers came up with some good and some boring nicknames to wear on their backs this season.

Some Milwaukee Brewers seem to put more time into this than others. Many of the Brewers just threw the “y” sound at the end of their natural names. This is not very creative or fan-friendly.

One would think that someone in the Milwaukee Brewers organization could give them help with this, but maybe some of these guys just do not want anything flashy.

Other players use nicknames that fans or teammates have given them. A few players change their names from year-to-year, while others keep the same name.

The best nicknames are fun to say, creative, and work with the player they represent. It also does not hurt if they have a story behind them.

That being said, here is a ranked list and explanation of the Milwaukee Brewers 2018 Players’ Weekend jersey nicknames from worst to first.

32. “Yeli” – Christian Yelich

“Yeli” makes me want to say “yuck.”

Christian Yelich chose to add an “I” instead of a “y” to the end of his name. Whether this was done to seem unique and cool or just because his last name actually has an “I” in it, it is a weak decision.

Usually, adding an “I” at the end of a name distinguish it from male and female. For instance, “Danny” is usually short for a man named Daniel and “Dani” is short for a woman named Danielle.

Jelly-Belly is a famous jelly bean company with a big distribution center in Wisconsin. These candies are prominently featured at the Wisconsin State Fair. Perhaps, Mr. Yeli could have rhymed his name using this Wisconsin themed treasure.

Who knows. All I know is that “Yeli” alone is lazy and boring.

31. “Stricken” – Josh Hader

“Stricken” sounds more like the name of a bad hair metal band from the Eighties.

Shouldn’t Josh Hader be the Strike-“r” not the Strick-“en”? I don’t know. Needless to say, Josh Hader’s nickname is low on the Brewers nickname list.

Last season, Hader used the nickname “Haderade.” Haderade, an obvious play on Gatorade with the whole Hader/Hater thing going on was a great nickname. Unfortunately, Hader uses it as his Twitter handle.

After the young lefty got in trouble during the All-Star break for controversial tweets, Hader either decided himself or got the intelligent advice from Brewers personnel to change his nickname this season.

However, “Stricken” sounds stupid. Apparently, it is the name of some company Hader is trying to build. I would not take issue with that so much if it was not for how stupid the name is for him as a player.

What is it supposed to mean? It does not sound very intimidating. Stricken sounds more negative for the one wearing it than the one feeling its wrath.

30. “Jordy” – Jordan Lyles

In Wisconsin, “Jordy” is still remembered and cherished as Packers WR Nelson’s name. Some random reliever from the Padres is not going to change that.

Lyles might not know any better. But, even if he is not aware of Wisconsin being more of a football state than a baseball state; and, even if he knows that “Jordy” is a nickname that has already been taken, it is still a boring, lazy nickname.

The only reason he ranks even worse than the other players who just added a “y” sound to their names is that Wisconsin already has a “Jordy.”

29. “D.J.” – Dan Jennings

The third offspring of Dan and Roseanne Conner or situational Brewers bullpen lefty?

People probably call Jennings by the name of “D.J.”, but that is not the point of MLB Players’ Weekend nicknames. The point is for the players to come up with something fun for fans.

Well, the point is probably for the MLB to make money selling unique jerseys.

But, having fun with it is a close second. Apparently, Jennings could not come up with anything fun. Too bad.

It is possible to be simple plus clever. A young girl on the brilliant but canceled TV show Dead Like Me was asked what her dog’s name, “JD,” stood for. The young girl character sarcastically replied, “Just Dog.”

That’s funny and clever.

Dan Jennings simply using the initials of his first and last name is neither.

28. “Miles” -Wade Miley

It could have been worse, he could have asked for the nickname “Wadey.” After spending his whole career with the name Miley on his back, wouldn’t it be amusing for him to put”Cyrus” on his back for MLB Players’ Weekend?

I have heard the saying “he hit it a mile,” but I have never heard of “he pitched it a mile.” This is another nickname that is boring, simple, and does not make much sense when an analysis is applied.

27 — 24. Various takes on “Y”

• “Kratzy” –Erik Kratz
• “Nicky” –Nick Franklin
• “Burnesy” –Corbin Burnes
• “Albie” –Matt Albers

23. “LoCain” -Lorenzo Cain

If he became good friends with Phillies closer Seranthony Dominguez, would that make their bro nickname “Lo-Ser” (Loser)?

Lorenzo Cain plays baseball better than almost anyone else in the world. Teammates and team personnel never have a bad word to say about him. Fans love him. Watching him on the diamond at Miller Park is worth the cost of admission.

Can’t we come up with a better nickname for 2018 Players’ Weekend? I realize “LoCain” is what people call him, but have some fun for this one weekend and do something fresh.

This is not as bad as the “Y” guys, but, geesh, it’s still boring and lazy.

22. “Ocho” – Ryan Braun

Ah, yes. The great Latino last name Braun.

I’m not sure what Braun has against the nickname “Hebrew Hammer.” That is what I’ve heard the folks around Miller Park call him. And, I don’t know why Braun goes with the Spanish version of his number.

Braun went with the same name for Players’ Weekend last season too.

21. “Texas” – Chase Anderson

This would be funny if he was from Vermont.

He’s not. He’s from Texas.

20. “Mamba” – Jonathan Schoop

Who is Kobe Bryant?

So, If I’m on Jeopardy and Alex Trebek asks, “Famous athlete with the nickname ‘Mamba.”

19. “I Believe” – Stephen Vogt

Call Oakland.

Vogt came to Milwaukee and gained immediate fan support by hitting the ball well. He has been injured and on the DL for most of the year. This nickname goes back to Vogt’s former team, the Oakland Athletics.

Brewers fans hope to get a better chance to understand and use it at some point because that will mean he is having success for their team.

18. “Junior” – Joakim Soria

If he wore glasses like Uncle Junior on The Sopranos, I would give him a ten spot boost…at least ten spots.

Calling the veteran reliever “Junior” is ironic. This is like calling a huge man “Tiny.” Pretty simple stuff here.

17. “Couns” – Zach Davies

Finally we are getting some effort. Even if “Couns” is still a “fail.”

Zach Davies looks like a twelve year-old. Last season, he went with the nickname “Bat Boy.” Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell also has a baby face.

Sometimes, Davies even gets mistaken to be Counsell. Because of that, Davies decided to put a shortened version of Counsell’s name on his back for this season’s MLB Players’ Weekend.

I’m not sure if Counsell is the right name to shorten. It looks awkward and is not fun to pronounce.

At least Davies put thought into it. Maybe he’ll think of something better for 2019.

16. “Jota Jota” – Jeremy Jeffress

Everybody calls Jeffress J.J. Unlike many of his teammates, Jeffress had some fun with this. Instead of being lazy and just going with J.J., Jeffress spelled it out and turned it Spanish.

All he’s doing is taking a few of the things I made fun of other players for doing and combined them. It isn’t much, but at least he layered it. Jeffress gets a higher mark on the 2018 Brewers Players’ Weekend nickname rankings for effort.

15. “Mr. Tee” – Eric Thames

Now that he plays for the Brewers, a “B-Team,” does that mean he’s been demoted since his days with the “A-Team”?

This nickname would have suited him better in 2017 when Thames had a long beard and mohawk.

14. “King Cobra” – Jacob Barnes

It is better than “Mamba.”

Several players will go with animal nicknames for Players’ Weekend nicknames. A guy could do worse than King Cobra.

Cobras are known for their quick strikes, which works well for a bullpen pitcher as well.

13. “Bird Dog” – Corey Knebel

Are we talking about a flying Rotweiler or an Eagle with four legs and teeth?

Either way, they create a cool image.

Knebel says he got the nickname from an old coach. This coach told the former Brewers closer that he did everything coaches asked of him with a smile on his face.

12. “T. Willy” – Taylor Williams

You got me. I just like saying “T. Willy

T. Willy is different and better than something like LoCain because…umm…

11. “Pineapple” – Manny Piña

The Pineapple is a good fruit. I cannot think of anything positive or negative to say about the fruit. Normally, a fruit does not sound like it would work as a nickname for a ballplayer.

But, seeing Piña’s name is similar to pineapple and Brewers T.V. personality Bill Schroeder uses this nickname often. it has grown on Brewers fans.

10. “The Big Sweat” – Jimmy Nelson

The MLB Hall of Fame has The Big Hurt, the Milwaukee Brewers have The Big Sweat.

Now we are getting better. Show me a kid that doesn’t want a jersey that has “The Big Sweat” sewn on the back.

9. “El Niño” – Orlando Arcia

Cooler than he thought.

Arcia came up with that whole gauntlet run that the Brewers do for home run celebrations. Arcia represents the 2018 Brewers team as a whole. The Brewers are filled with youth and have good team chemistry. They keep things light and have fun while playing.

Arcia represents and creates the youthful exuberance that could lead the team to the playoffs sooner rather than later. How cool is it that he shares a nickname with the greatest Brewers player of them all, “The Kid,” Robin Yount.

Arcia says he did not know about Yount and his nickname.

Some traditionalists might be a bit put off about seeing another Brewers player nicknamed The Kid, even if it is in Spanish for Arcia. I think it’s cool.

8. “Moose” – Mike Moustakas

Moooooooooooooooooo!

Milwaukee Brewers fans love to endearingly scream anything that sounds like a “boo” for a hometown player. They did the same thing for former first baseman Lyle Overbay just because his last name started with an “O.”

Moose works in multiple levels for Moustakas. The left-handed batting third baseman is big like a Mouse, and Moose is similar to his last name. Nice!

7. “Raptor” – Brent Suter

I know it sounds weird, but this long, lanky, lefty actually looks like a Raptor. At least, he looks like the version of a raptor Steven Spielberg put in my head.

6. “Kaciki” – Freddy Peralta

wtf? lol!