The Name Game

[MFS62]

Billy Wagner's agent is named Bean Stringfellow. I remember when he was a minor league player. Yuniesky Betancourt and Mark Tuiasosopo could be the starting DP combo for the M's in the near future.
Of course, the Mets have Yosmerio Petit and Ambrionix Concepcion in the minors. And they once had a minor leaguer named Fabien Mang.

While we're waiting for the next exciting parody round, are there any other uncommon baseball names you remember? What do you remember about those players?

Later

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

There was a Reds minor leaguer called Motorboat Jones. I'd have promoted him on his nickname alone.

[Centerfield]

Once upon a time, KC spawned a name game that spun ridiculously out of control.

[metirish]

The St Lucie Mets have some great names...

Aristides Almenar -

Alhaji Turay plays the OF...

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I read somewhere that there was once a player named "Johnny Dickshot."

[Willets Point]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: I read somewhere that there was once a player named "Johnny Dickshot."

And his nickname was "Ugly" Dickshot.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Whitey Herzog reports of his time scouting where he'd have a prospect in hand ready to sign, and have to call up the owner (Finley, I think), rather then the GM, in order to get approval on the bonus he planned to give. The owner, wanting more Catfish Hunters, wouldn't approve the bonus until he heard the player's nickname.

I think Herzog wrote that he lost Don Sutton because Sutton didn't have a nickname.

[Willets Point]

Why didn't he just give him a nickname, just as Finley foisted "Catfish" on Jim Hunter. My in-law's live in Hunter's hometown and folks there still call him Jimmy, never Catfish.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Agreed. I thought of that while reading it.

WH: "Mr. Finley. I have a prospect here, you're going to be very excited about. He's the next Warren Spahn, I tell..."

CF: "What's the nickname?"

WH: "Well, let me just tell you what he did to Birmingham Bapt..."

CF: "Does he have a nickname?"

WH: (covering phone) "Kid what do they call you?"

DS :"Don."

WH: "Don't you have any nickmane at all?"

DS: "No, sir, I don't."

WH: "Mr. Finley, they call this here kid 'Megadeth.' You'll love him."

[Valadius]

Coco Crisp and Milton Bradley have long topped my list.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

This parody thing is infesting my head.

I'm now thinking of a Hall and Oates song called "Coco Crisp is on My List"

[seawolf17]

I always thought of baseball names as they appeared on baseball cards. Gary Gray's 1983 Topps card, for instance, or Joe DeSa's 1986 Topps card with the weird capital/lowercase thing. I always liked guys that we were able to make stupid nicknames out of, like Bryan Clutterbuck ("Clutterbutt") or Jaime Cocanower ("Cockanuka") or Tom Niedenfuer ("Niedenfu&@er"). I seem to remember a guy we called "Thunderbutt" or something like that, but I don't remember who it was (Mark Thurmond, maybe?)... ah, the good old days.