Baseball player nicknames can carry a whole career in a few words. Some came from a teammate or broadcaster. Others tell us what fans liked to watch a player do. These stories explain where familiar names came from,…
Items 46 The creator’s order
1 Babe Ruth Babe came into use when George Herman Ruth was a very young player with the minor league Baltimore Orioles. The story usually connects it to Baltimore owner Jack Dunn, who signed him. The later Sultan of Swat captured the power people saw after Ruth made home runs central to his reputation. 0 2 Willie Mays Born May 6, 1931 The Say Hey Kid was the name that followed Mays through the Giants years. The expression is associated with a young player’s quick, cheerful way of addressing people, and later became an easy way to identify him in print. The exact first use is less clear than the association. 0 3 Hank Aaron Born Feb 5, 1934 Hammerin’ Hank makes Aaron’s patient power sound like a steady job, which fits the years he spent hitting home runs at an extraordinary pace. It is one of those descriptions that survived every new milestone. Braves fans also shortened it to the Hammer. 0 4 Lou Gehrig Born Jun 19, 1903 The Iron Horse describes the strength and reliability people associated with the Yankees first baseman. The consecutive-game streak is why the name stayed in use, but the image also fits the way he played every day at an elite level. 0 5 Ozzie Smith Born Dec 26, 1954 The Wizard of Oz gives a familiar title two jobs. Oz echoes Ozzie, while wizard refers to what he could do when a ball threatened to get past him at shortstop. The nickname says more about his glove than his trademark backflip does. 0 6 Reggie Jackson Mr. October came to mean a hitter whose power was most memorable in the postseason. Game 6 of the 1977 World Series gave the name a defining image when Jackson hit three home runs, each off a different pitcher, as the Yankees won the title. 0 7 Ted Williams Born Aug 30, 1918 The Splendid Splinter paired Williams’s slender build with the kind of acclaim rarely given to a young hitter. The nickname makes more sense beside photographs of the early Williams than beside a list of his records. He was also known as Teddy Ballgame. 0 8 Brooks Robinson Born May 18, 1937 The Human Vacuum Cleaner is about Robinson’s range and hands at third base. The nickname reduces a long list of plays to one useful image: the ball hits the ground somewhere around him and soon disappears into his glove. 0 9 Mickey Mantle The Commerce Comet put Mantle’s Oklahoma hometown next to his speed. That is the part the name preserves well. Most people remember the long home runs first, but the early Mantle could also move around the bases very quickly. 0 10 Satchel Paige Born Jul 7, 1906 Satchel points back to the stories about Leroy Paige carrying bags for travelers when he was young. The specifics differ in the accounts. What stuck was a name that traveled farther than a single team ever could and set the pitcher apart wherever he played. 0 
Babe RuthBabe came into use when George Herman Ruth was a very young player with the minor league Baltimore Orioles. The story usually connects it to Baltimore owner Jack Dunn, who signed him. The later Sultan of Swat captured the power people saw after Ruth made home runs central to his reputation.0
Willie MaysBorn May 6, 1931The Say Hey Kid was the name that followed Mays through the Giants years. The expression is associated with a young player’s quick, cheerful way of addressing people, and later became an easy way to identify him in print. The exact first use is less clear than the association.0
Hank AaronBorn Feb 5, 1934Hammerin’ Hank makes Aaron’s patient power sound like a steady job, which fits the years he spent hitting home runs at an extraordinary pace. It is one of those descriptions that survived every new milestone. Braves fans also shortened it to the Hammer.0
Lou GehrigBorn Jun 19, 1903The Iron Horse describes the strength and reliability people associated with the Yankees first baseman. The consecutive-game streak is why the name stayed in use, but the image also fits the way he played every day at an elite level.0
Ozzie SmithBorn Dec 26, 1954The Wizard of Oz gives a familiar title two jobs. Oz echoes Ozzie, while wizard refers to what he could do when a ball threatened to get past him at shortstop. The nickname says more about his glove than his trademark backflip does.0
Reggie JacksonMr. October came to mean a hitter whose power was most memorable in the postseason. Game 6 of the 1977 World Series gave the name a defining image when Jackson hit three home runs, each off a different pitcher, as the Yankees won the title.0
Ted WilliamsBorn Aug 30, 1918The Splendid Splinter paired Williams’s slender build with the kind of acclaim rarely given to a young hitter. The nickname makes more sense beside photographs of the early Williams than beside a list of his records. He was also known as Teddy Ballgame.0
Brooks RobinsonBorn May 18, 1937The Human Vacuum Cleaner is about Robinson’s range and hands at third base. The nickname reduces a long list of plays to one useful image: the ball hits the ground somewhere around him and soon disappears into his glove.0
Mickey MantleThe Commerce Comet put Mantle’s Oklahoma hometown next to his speed. That is the part the name preserves well. Most people remember the long home runs first, but the early Mantle could also move around the bases very quickly.0
Satchel PaigeBorn Jul 7, 1906Satchel points back to the stories about Leroy Paige carrying bags for travelers when he was young. The specifics differ in the accounts. What stuck was a name that traveled farther than a single team ever could and set the pitcher apart wherever he played.0