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Main article: List of baseball nicknames
See also: History of baseball team nicknames

Arizona Diamondbacks

  • The D-backs - Short version of "Diamondbacks".
  • The Backs - Short version of above.
  • The Snakes - Reference to diamondback rattlesnakes.
  • The Rattlesnakes - Long version of above.

Atlanta Braves

  • The Bravos - Variation of "Braves".
  • America's Team [1]
  • The Barves - Another variation of "Braves".
  • Braves Country - Avid followers found primarily throughout the Southeast.
  • The Cowards - opposite of Braves; used derisively
  • The Peach Clobbers - Nickname of the hard-hitting 2013 Atlanta Braves team.[2]

Baltimore Orioles

  • The O's - Short version of "Orioles". Fans usually loudly shout the "Oh" at the beginning of the seventh line of the National Anthem in unison.
  • The Birds - Reference to orioles, which are birds.
  • The Orange Birds - Reference to male orioles, which are orange birds.
  • The Oreos - Homophone of "Orioles", used particularly among older fans.

Boston Red Sox

  • The BoSox[3] - Combination of "Boston" and "Sox". Coined by media to distinguish from the Chicago White Sox, or "ChiSox".
  • The Sox - Short version of "Red Sox".
  • The Sawx - In imitation of the Boston accent.
  • The Crimson Hose - A variation of "Red Sox".
  • The Olde Towne Team [4]
  • The Carmines - A type of red pigment, the nickname is used often by former Red Sox player and current White Sox broadcaster Ken Harrelson.
  • Red Sox Nation - Avid followers.
  • The Nation - Short version of "Red Sox Nation".
  • The Cardiac Kids - 1967 team nickname.[5]

Chicago Cubs

  • The Cubbies[6] - Familiar version of "Cubs".
  • The Bears - A reference to cubs, which are bears.
  • The Baby Bears - Referring to the meaning of cubs.
  • The Little Bears - Referring to the meaning of cubs.
  • The Blue Bears - Referring to the color of bear in its team logo.
  • The Loveable Losers[7] - Reference to team's ability to maintain a loyal fan base despite decades of failure to win the pennant.
  • The Northsiders[8] - To differentiate from the South Side residing White Sox. (Also used: The Northside Nine)
  • The Flubs - Referring to the Cubs team when playing bad.
  • The Boys of Zimmer - Refers to the NL East division-winning 1989 team managed by Don Zimmer.
  • The Big Blue Train - Nickname given by Dan Plesac of MLB Tonight in 2016.
  • The Fubs - Portmanteau of "fuck" and "Cubs" used by detractors.

Chicago White Sox

  • The Sox - Short version of "White Sox".
  • The ChiSox[9] - Combination of "Chicago" and "Sox". Coined by media to distinguish from the Boston Red Sox, or "BoSox".
  • The Southsiders - To differentiate from the North Side residing Cubs.
  • The Pale Hose[10] - Variation of "White Sox".
  • The Black and White - Reference to the team's colors.
  • The Hitless Wonders - Refers to the 1906 team that won the AL pennant and World Series despite a .230 team batting average.
  • The Black Sox[11] - Reference to the infamous 1919 team, which fixed the World Series and is popularly known as the "Black Sox".
  • The Go-Go Sox - Refers to the 1959 AL championship team.
  • The South Side Hitmen - Refers to the high-slugging 1977 team.

Cincinnati Reds

  • The Big Red Machine[12] - Reference to the 1970s teams that won six divisional titles, four pennants and two World Series titles.
  • The Redlegs[13] - Temporary team name to differentiate from Communists during the Red Scare, who were also referred to as "Reds".
  • The Nasty Boys - Refers to the bullpen team of Rob Dibble, Norm Charlton, and Randy Myers who led the 1990 Reds to a World Series sweep.

Cleveland Indians

  • The Tribe - Tribes are social structures among American Indians.
  • Chief Wahoo's Tribe[14] - Reference to the team's logo, an Indian called "Chief Wahoo".
  • The Wahoos[15] - Same as above.
  • The Fighting Braves of the Cuyahoga and The Sons of Geronimo- Nicknames made famous by fictitious announcer Harry Doyle (Bob Uecker) in the 1989 film Major League.

Colorado Rockies

  • The Rocks - Short version of "Rockies".
  • The Rox - Homophone of "Rocks". Imitation of the names of the Red Sox and White Sox.
  • The Blake Street Bombers - Reference to the street Coors Field is on.
  • The Blake Street Bullies - Same as above.
  • Todd and the Toddlers - Reference to when Todd Helton was a veteran player surrounded by a team full of rookies and young players after the team management decided to focus their efforts on getting new players by bringing them up through their own farm system.

Detroit Tigers

  • The Cats - Reference to tiger being in the cat family.
  • The Motor City Kitties - Reference to Detroit, the "Motor City", and tigers, which are felines.
  • The Tabbies - Playful feline variation.
  • The Tiggs - Short version of "Tigers".
  • The Bengals - Reference to Bengal Tigers, a species of tiger.
  • The/Los Tigres - Playful Spanish variation, often used with English definite article "The" instead of the Spanish "Los".
  • The Bless You Boys - Reference to the World Series championship team of 1984 and teams from surrounding years.

Houston Astros

  • The 'Stros - Short version of "Astros".
  • Crush City - Reference to the 2015 team that led the league in home runs.
  • The Stars - Reference to the team logo.
  • The Astronauts - Practically long version of "Astros". To honor astronauts that occasionally come to the ballpark.
  • The Spacemen - Synonym of above.
  • The Lastros[16] - Used by detractors.
  • The AAAstros - Same as above.
  • The Disastros - Same as above.
  • The Astronomicals - From Cincinnai Reds' radio broadcaster Marty Brennaman

Kansas City Royals

  • The Boys in Blue - Reference to one of the team's colors. Not commonly used, except in marketing.
  • The Comeback Kids - Reference to the young Royals team winning eight postseason games via comeback en route to their 2015 World Series title.
  • The Crowns - Reference to the crown in the team logo, and at the top of the large video board at Kauffman Stadium.
  • The Cowboys - Reference to their origin of the Royals' name.
  • The Monarchs - Reference to the former Negro League team in Kansas City. Also a related term for royal.
  • The 'Yals - Abbreviation of Royals, used particularly among younger fans.
  • The Bandwagon Blues - Due to a large portion of their fan base being bandwagon fans.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

  • The Halos - Reference to the halo of an angel (the halo is featured on the large "A" outside the stadium and was once a prominent part of the team logo).
  • The Wings - Reference to the wings of an angel.
  • The The Angels Angels of Anaheim- Spanish "Los Angeles" translated to English
  • The Seraphs - A type of angel.
  • Los Angelinos - Name in Spanish. Reference to the large Hispanic population of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Dodgers

  • The Blue Crew - Reference to one of the team's colors.
  • Bleeding Dodger Blue - Avid fans.
  • Dem Bums - From the Brooklyn years. Reference from the team's problems during the era getting a world championship.
  • The Boys of Summer[17] - From the Brooklyn years - Reference to baseball being the only major team sport played during the summer. As with "Dem Bums", usage of this nickname for the Dodgers has faded with time; "Boys of Summer" is now often used to refer to baseball players in general.
  • Los Doyers - Name in Spanish. Reference to the large Hispanic population of Los Angeles.
  • The Azul
  • The Lords of Flatbush - A nickname of the Dodgers when they were in Brooklyn.
  • The Trolley Dodgers - A nickname of the Dodgers when they were in Brooklyn. This was the name of the team before it was shortened to "Dodgers" in the 1930s.
  • The Evil Empire of the West - Used by detractors. A reference to the Yankees and the Dodgers ballooning team salary of 2013.

Miami Marlins

  • The Fish[18] - Reference to marlins, which are fish.
  • The Fightin' Fish - Long version of above.
  • The Miracle Marlins - In reference to winning two World Series titles in two playoff appearances despite they never win a division title.
  • The Fins - Reference to the fins of a marlin. Also a nickname of the NFL's Miami Dolphins, who had shared a facility with the Marlins.

Milwaukee Brewers

  • The True Blue Brew Crew - A name consisting of a short version of "Brewers" and words that rhyme with it.
  • The Brew Crew[19] - Short version of above.
  • The Crew - Short version of above.
  • The Beermakers[20] - Play on official name.
  • The Brew-Hahs - An ESPN invention (as in "brouhaha").
  • Harvey's Wallbangers - Refers to the AL pennant-winning 1982 team managed by Harvey Kuenn.
  • The Home of a Prince - Refers to when Prince Fielder played first base for the Brewers.
  • The/Los Cerveceros - Spanish translation of Brewers, used on uniforms for annual Cerveceros Day hispanic heritage game.

Minnesota Twins

New York Mets

  • The Metropolitans – Reference to the 19th-century New York baseball club (New York Metropolitans) and the source of the "Mets" name. Noted New York radio personality Steve Somers of WFAN commonly refers to the present-day Mets as the "Metropolitans."[21]
  • The Metsies – Affectionate term used by fans and Mets Broadcasters alike.[22]
  • The Amazin' Mets – A reference to the Mets 1969 championship season, first coined by Casey Stengel.[23][24]
  • The Amazin's – Short version of the above; most commonly used.[23]
  • The Miracle Mets – From 1969, the year when the Mets went from losing club to world champions.[23]
  • The Mets Machine – A reference to the 1969 Mets.[23]
  • The Loveable Losers – From the 1960s. Reference to the team's mediocrity in its early years.[23]
  • The Magical Mystery Mets – A reference to the 1969 Mets.[23]
  • The Bad Guys – A reference to the 1986 Mets, who were known for their high level of performance, hard-living lifestyles, and conflicts with each other and other teams on and off the field. Jeff Pearlman wrote a book about this team titled The Bad Guys Won.[23]
  • The Kings of Queens – Reference to the team's home, the New York City borough of Queens.[23]
  • The Methodical Mets – Coined by baseball writer Tracy Ringolsby of the 1986 Mets.[23]
  • The Locomotives - A reference to the 1986 Mets.[23]
  • The Dominating Mets – A reference to the 1986 Mets.[23]
  • Fall-Short Mets – A reference to the 1989 Mets, who led in the season standings all summer slumped during the final two weeks of the season allowing the Chicago Cubs to pass them in the standings.[23]
  • Los Mets – Reference to the large number of Hispanic players compiled by Omar Minaya during his tenure as general manager.[23]
  • My Entire Team Sucks – Derisive acronym.[23]
  • Most Exciting Team in Sports – Acronym used by fans to derail the derisive acronym above.
  • The Other New York Team – The other being the more tenured New York Yankees.[23]
  • Pondscum – Used by detractors, mainly by Cardinals fans in 1987.[23][25]
  • The Mutts – Used by fans as an endearment
  • The Mess – Used by detractors.[23]

New York Yankees

  • The Yanks - Short version of "Yankees".
  • The Pinstripes - Reference to the team's pinstriped uniforms.
  • The Bronx Bombers - Reference to the team's home, the New York City borough of the Bronx, along with their propensity for hitting "bombs" (home runs).
  • The Bombers - Short version of above.
  • The Baby Bombers - Reference to the young team in 2016 after years of aging roster.
  • The New Yorkers - Reference to New York City, and the publication The New Yorker.
  • The Damn Yankees - Reference to the play and movie of the same name. Used by detractors around Major League Baseball for winning too many championships.
  • Murderers' Row - Reference to the championship Yankee teams of the late 1920s, and the first six hitters in the 1927 lineup in particular.
  • The Selfish Team - Reference to winning too many World Series titles, robbing other teams' chances of winning.
  • The Champmaniacs - Reference to the team winning so many championships.
  • The Stankees - Used by detractors.
  • The Evil Empire - Used by detractors. Reference to the famous indictment of communism by Ronald Reagan. Coined as a term for the Yankees by Red Sox executive Larry Lucchino after the Yankees got rights to deal with José Contreras. The term has been embraced by many Yankees fans.[26]
  • The Bronx Zoo - Used by detractors. Reference to the team and the Bronx's turbulent times in the late 1970s, and also the name of a book written by former Yankees pitcher Sparky Lyle about the team's 1978 season. Still used sometimes to describe the organization and stadium. The term has been embraced by many Yankees fans.

Oakland Athletics

  • The A's[9] - Short version of "Athletics". Emphasized by Charles O. Finley during his ownership of the team during the 1960s and 1970s. Perhaps the most commonly used nickname on this list.
  • The Green and Gold - Reference to the current team's colors.
  • The Swingin' A's - Refers to the early 1970s championship teams.
  • The White Elephants - Reference to their mascot, which is itself a defiant reference to a comment made by Hall of Fame manager John McGraw, calling the team a "white elephant".
  • The Elephants - Short version of above.
  • The Oakland Triple-A's (AAAs) - In reference to Triple-A Minor League Baseball, used by some to highlight their lack of competitive skill or poor play during rough years.
  • The Pathetics - Same as above.

Philadelphia Phillies

  • The Phils - Short version of "Phillies".
  • The Fightin' Phils - Reference to their hard-nosed style of play. (Some Phillies fans will add "Ph" instead of an "F" for most anything associated with the Phillies, such as "The Phightin' Phils").
  • The Phightin's - Short version of above.
  • The Phiwwies - In imitation of the Philadelphia accent.
  • The Foitin' Phiws - Another version of above.
  • Phillie Phanatics - Avid followers.
  • The Quaker City Team
  • The Whiz Kids - Name for the 1950 NL Championship team. Reference to their youth.
  • The Wheeze Kids - Name for the 1983 NL Championship team. Reference to their lack of youth.
  • The Broad Street Bellies - Reference to the 1993 NL Championship team for their lack of physical fitness, and the nickname of the NHL's nearby Philadelphia Flyers, the "Broad Street Bullies".
  • Macho Row - Reference to 1993 NL Championship team.
  • The Cardiac Kids - A 1950s nickname.
  • The Pillies - Reference to an amphetamine scandal in the early 1980s.
  • The Sillies - Used by detractors, especially when team is underperforming.
  • The Frillies - Used by detractors.

Pittsburgh Pirates

  • The Bucs - Shortened from buccaneers.
  • The Bucks - Alternate shortened spelling; often used in newspaper media.
  • The Buccos - Most frequently used nickname, also shortened from "buccaneers."
  • The Buccaneers - Long version of shortened versions above; a synonym for "pirates."
  • The Black and Gold - Reference to the team's colors.
  • The Family - Name adopted during the 1979 World Series Championship season. Derived from the Sister Sledge song "We Are Family", which had become the team's theme song.
  • The Succos - Reference to years of misery from 1993 through 2012.
  • The Fuccos - Used by detractors.

St. Louis Cardinals

  • The Cards - Short version of "Cardinals".
  • The Redbirds - Reference to the cardinal, which is a red bird.
  • The Birds - Reference to the cardinal, which is a bird.
  • The Birds on the Bat - Reference to the longtime logo on the front of the uniform jersey.
  • The Dirty Birds - Derisive term used mostly by Met fans in the '80s.
  • The Gashouse Gang - Name for the 1934 World Championship team. Reference to their shabby appearance and rough tactics.
  • The Runnin' Redbirds - Name for the 1980s Cardinals. Reference to their speed and small-ball tactics.
  • El Birdos - Nickname given to the 1967 World Series Champion Cardinals team by Orlando Cepeda. Reference to the small Hispanic population of St. Louis, as 'El' would suggest singularity in Spanish and 'Birdos' would mean "Birds."
  • The Rally Birds - Reference to the Cardinals being the top underdog team in 2011 after they're down 10½ games in NL Wild Card standings on August 25 and came back and won the Wild Card and their 11th World Series title via couple of late rallies in WS Game 6.
  • The Rally Cards - Same as above.
  • The Card Birds
  • The Birdinals - Portmanteau of "bird" and "cardinal".

San Diego Padres

  • The Pads - Short version of "Padres". Pronounced "Pods", and also spelled that way.
  • The Friars - Reference to "padre" meaning father in Spanish, as in a priest.
  • The Swinging Friars - Variation of the above, and also a reference to the "Friar Swinging a baseball bat" logo used on and off by the team.
  • Friar Faithful - Spin on Friar and the 1998 Padres' "Keep the Faith" campaign to drum up local support for the National League pennant-winning team.
  • The Pesky Padres - Nickname given in San Francisco Giants official program for their game in San Francisco on July 7, 2011. Refers to the Padres' recent success against the Giants despite generally finishing behind them in the NL West standings, especially their 12-6 record against San Francisco in 2010; the Giants were forced to win a regular-season tie-breaking game to enter the playoffs where they would eventually win the World Series.
  • The Say May Kids - Nickname given by ex-Padre announcer Matt Vasgersian, in reference to consecutive successful May runs.
  • The Chaplains - Nickname during the Pacific Coast League days throughout the World War II and the Korean War era.

San Francisco Giants

  • The Gints (rhymes with "pints", not "mints") - Short version of "Giants".
  • The Jints - Alternative version of above.
  • The G-Men - Reference to nickname for a government agent. Also used for the American football team with whom the baseball club used to share a name and a home stadium, the New York Giants.
  • Los Gigantes - Spanish for Giants. Used on the team's uniform on Cinco de Mayo of 2007.
  • The Gyros
  • The Orange and Black - Reference to the team's colors.
  • The Orange Nation - Same as above.
  • The Orange Giants - Same as two lines above.
  • The Boys from the Bay - Same reason as below.
  • The Bay Bombers - Geographic nickname, alluding to San Francisco, which is situated by the SF Bay.
  • The Bays - Short version of above.
  • The Bulldozers - In reference to winning all six elimination games on the way to their 2012 World Series Champions, especially in the NLDS when they lost first two games at home and won all three elimination games in Cincinnati and then came back after being down 3-1 in the NLCS against the Cardinals.
  • The Dozers - Short version of above.

Seattle Mariners

  • The M's - Reference to the first letter in "Mariners".
  • The Mares - Short version of "Mariners". From the root Latin word "mare" from which "mariner" originated from.
  • The Compass - Reference to the logo.
  • The Mariner's Compass - Long version of above.
  • The Travelers - Reference to the team's frequent long travels, often logging their longest total distance travelled during the season.

Tampa Bay Rays

  • The Rays - A popular shortened version of the original "Devil Rays" nickname which became the current nickname (that now suggests "rays" of Florida sunshine as well as the fish).
  • The D-Rays - A shortened version of the team's original nickname, the "Devil Rays". Some media outlets have stated that they will continue to use the now obsolete moniker.[27]
  • The Manta Rays - Referencing to their Devil Rays' logo.
  • The Mantas - Short version of above.
  • The Eagle Rays - Referencing that manta rays and devil rays are eagle rays.
  • The Devil Dogs - Fan-friendly nickname.[28]

Texas Rangers

  • The Power Rangers - Reference to their slugging years from late 1990's to early 2010's.
  • The Lone Stars - Reference to Texas's nickname, the "Lone Star State". This team nickname has been rarely used in recent years.
  • The Rags - Used by detractors.

Toronto Blue Jays

  • The Jays - Short version of "Blue Jays".
  • The Blue Birds - Another name due to their mascot being a Blue Jay.
  • The Birds - Reference to jays, which are birds.
  • The Blue Hyays - The popular Spanish pronunciation of the Blue Jays.
  • The Blow Jays - Used when they are playing terribly.
  • The BJ's - Shorter version of "Blue Jays"

Washington Nationals

  • The Nats[29] - Short version of "Nationals".
  • The Nasty Nats - Refers to the team playing terribly for few years after moving to Washington in 2005.
  • The Natsies - Affectionate derivative of Nats.
  • Walk-Off City - Refers to the 2014 win streak where many of the games came via walk-offs.
  • The Natinals - Derisive. Came about due to an unfortunate uniform misspelling.[30]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Wulf, Steve (1982-08-09), America's Team II, Sports Illustrated
  2. ^ Moreau, Elizabeth (2013-04-10), Tweet, Fox Sports
  3. ^ "Jays shut out BoSox". Archived from the original on March 15, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-13. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Bye-bye Bambino". CBC News. 2004-10-07. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
  5. ^ http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/playoffs04/impossible_dream/ Hanafin, Teresa M., 1967: a Look Back at the Impossible Dream
  6. ^ "And it's root, root, root for the Cubbies". 2004-07-28. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
  7. ^ "Chicago Cubs Can Make Wrigley Friendly Again: Scott Soshnick". Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  8. ^ "Boys of Summer spring forward". Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  9. ^ a b "A's Fall To ChiSox On Saturday". Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  10. ^ "Tuesday Afternoon Fights". Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  11. ^ "The Black Sox Trial: An Account". Retrieved 2007-03-14.
  12. ^ "30 Years Ago: The Big Red Machine Steamrolls the Opposition". National Baseball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2007-02-06. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
  13. ^ Fried, Richard M., Nightmare in Red: The McCarthy Era in Perspective, Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-504361-8
  14. ^ "As Chief Illiniwek goes, what of Wahoo?". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 2007-02-13.
  15. ^ "History of the Wahoo Club". Retrieved 2007-03-14.
  16. ^ "100 Years of Qualitude". Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  17. ^ Kahn, Roger The Boys of Summer, Harper Perennial Modern Classics, ISBN 0-06-095634-8
  18. ^ "Wood trying to make it with Fish". Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  19. ^ "New era dawning for Brew Crew?". Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  20. ^ "Five Questions: Milwaukee Brewers". Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  21. ^ McGrath, Charles, ed. (29 November 2012). "Twenty-Five Years of Schmoozing". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  22. ^ Golenbock, Peter, ed. (2002). "Amazin': The Miraculous History of New York's Most Beloved Baseball Team". p. 108. ISBN 0312309929. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Worth, Richard, ed. (2013). "Baseball Team Names: A Worldwide Dictionary, 1869-2011". pp. 201–208, 361, 368. ISBN 9780786468447. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  24. ^ Blum, Ronald, ed. (22 October 2015). "Mets' return to World Series evokes legends of star-studded teams from the past". Washington Post. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  25. ^ Farrell, Nora (June 1, 2012). "Cardinals and Mets have long and colorful rivalry". KSDK. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
  26. ^ [1]
  27. ^ "For Better or Worse, the New Uniforms are Now Official". Archived from the original on November 11, 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-19. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ "Andy Sonnanstine Has Big Advantage In Fight For Final Two Spots Of Rotation". Archived from the original on February 26, 2008. Retrieved 2007-02-19. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ Solomon, George (2007-02-11), Nats Have Tough Crowd to Please, The Washington Post
  30. ^ http://www.uni-watch.com/2009/04/18/natinal-joke/

Unless other sourcing is indicated, all nicknames for individual baseball players cited in this article have been verified by inclusion in one of the following authoritative sources:

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