(Original Caption) 3/22/1989-Plant City, FL-Cincinnati Reds’ manager Pete Rose reacts to a reporters question 3/22 in the dugout prior to their contest against the Cards. Rose is under scrutiny by the baseball commissioners office for gambling.
Here are 35 of the greatest all-time MLB nicknames. Do you agree? Disagree? Did we miss any good ones? Leave your comments and let us know.
35. Sal Maglie
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“The Barber”
34. Harold Reese
(Original Caption) Pee Wee Reese of the Brooklyn Dodgers is shown here in this close-up.
“Pee Wee”
33. Don Mattingly
New York Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly watches the flight of the baseball as he stands at home plate during a 1986 game.
“Donnie Baseball”
32. Jim Hunter
Unknown date and unknown location; USA, FILE PHOTO; Oakland Athletics pitcher Catfish Hunter in action on the mound. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Network.
“Catfish”
31. Mark Fidrych
Mark Fidrych answers the cheering crowd of 47,853 at Tiger Stadium on Monday, June 28, 1976 as he came back onto the field after the 5-1 win over the Yankees to acknowledge their chants of “We Want The Bird.”
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“The Bird”
30. Ken Griffey, Jr.
SEATTLE – SEPTEMBER 20: Ken Griffey Jr #24 of the Seattle Mariners makes a hit during the game against the New York Yankees on September 20, 2009 at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
“Junior”
29. Al Hrabosky
Unknown date and unknown location; USA, FILE PHOTO; Atlanta Braves pitcher Al Hrabosky in action on the mound. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Network.
“The Mad Hungarian”
28. Bill Lee
Bill “Spaceman” Lee stretches on the mound before throwing the ceremonial first pitch at a Worcester Red Sox game at Polar Park Thursday.
“Spaceman”
27. Stan Musial
(Original Caption) 8/12/1956-Chicago, IL- Stan Musial, of the Cardinals, slaps out his 1,071st extra base-hit to tie a National League Record held by Mel Ott, former Giants great. Musial’s blow, a double, came in the 6th inning of the first game against the Chicago Cubs. The pitcher at the time was Bob Rush. The Cubs won, 6-2.
“Stan the Man”
26. Ted Williams
circa 1955: Boston Red Sox player Ted Williams (1918 – 2002) in a gray uniform, holding a baseball bat in a baseball stadium. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
“The Splendid Splinter”
25. Ron Cey
PHILADELPHIA, PA – CIRCA 1980: Third Baseman Ron Cey #10 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in action against the Philadelphia Phillies during an Major League Baseball game circa 1980 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Cey played for the Dodgers from 1971-82. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
“The Penguin”
24. Leroy Paige
Jun 21, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; A detail view of a statue of Satchel Paige on display during a presentation at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
“Satchel”
23. Mariano Rivera
ATLANTA, GA – OCTOBER 1996: Mariano Rivera #42 of the New York Yankees pitching to the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the 1996 World Series on October 22, 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images)
“Sandman”
22. Randy Johnson
DETROIT – 1992: Randy Johnson of the Seattle Mariners pitches during an MLB game against the Detroit Tigers at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan during the 1992 season. (Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
“The Big Unit”
21. Phil Rizzuto
Portrait of Phil Rizzuto (1917 – 2007), Shortstop for the New York Yankees before the Major League Baseball American League game against the Washington Senators on 11th September 1949 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, New York, United States. (Photo by Curt Gunther/Keystone View Company/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
“Scooter”
20. Fred McGriff
ATLANTA, GA – CIRCA 1994: Fred McGriff #29 of the Atlanta Braves bats against the Montreal Expos during an Major League Baseball game circa 1994 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. McGriff played for the Braves from 1993-97. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
“Crime Dog”
19. Frank Thomas
Frank Thomas #35, Designated Hitter for the Chicago White Sox eyes the ball as he swings his bat during the Major League Baseball American League East game against the New York Yankees on 26 July 1998 at Yankee Stadium, New York, New York, United States. The Yankees won the game 6 – 3. (Photo by David Seelig/Getty Images)
“The Big Hurt”
18. Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle #7 of the New York Yankees poses for a portrait during batting practice prior to an MLB game against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, August 24, 1958. (Photo by TPLP/Getty Images)
“The Mick”
17. Dennis Boyd
Mar 29, 2007; Stafford Springs, CT, USA; Baseball great Ken Griffey Sr. (center) and Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd (L) listen to Pete Rose (R) speak Thursday evening at the Stafford Motor Speedway during the annual Stafford Little League fund raiser dinner. Hundreds of people, young and old, came out to see their Baseball hero’s which also included Bill Lee and George Foster. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
“Oil Can”
16. Ernie Banks
(Original Caption) Mesa, Arizona: Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs during spring training.
“Mr. Cub”
15. Lawrence Berra
March 5, 2000; Tampa, FL, USA; Yankees great Yogi Berra, a guest instructor, is photographed at the batting cage of a workout in Tampa. Mandatory Credit: Peter Monsees/The Record via USA TODAY NETWORK
“Yogi”
14. Hank Aaron
(Original Caption) Hank Aaron is shown in this close up. He is shown as an Atlanta Braves outfielder during Spring Training.
“Hammerin Hank”
13. Ivan Rodriguez
1998, Arlington, TX, USA; FILE PHOTO; Texas Rangers catcher Ivan Rodriguez at Rangers Stadium during the 1996 season. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
“Pudge”
12. Pablo Sandoval
Mar 18, 2025; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco Giants Pablo Sandoval gets ready for a game against the San Diego Padres at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
“Kung Fu Panda”
11. Noah Syndergaard
May 1, 2018; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard (34) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
“Thor”
10. Roger Clemens
BOSTON, MA – CIRCA 1988: Roger Clemens #21 of the Boston Red Sox poses for this portrait prior to the start of a Major League Baseball game circa 1988 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. Clemens played for the Red Sox from 1884-96. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
“Rocket”
9. Lou Gehrig
1925: Lou Gehrig, first basemen for the New York Yankees, hitting the ball during warm p before a game, circa 1925. (Photo by The Stanley Weston Archive/Getty Images)
“The Iron Horse”
8. Ozzie Smith
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 10 : St. Louis Cardinals Ozzie Smith gets the jump on Dodgers Pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, then slides safely into 2nd base during playoff series of the Los Angeles Dodgers against St. Louis Cardinals at Dodgers Stadium, October 10 1985 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images)
“Wizard”
7. Willie Mays
(Original Caption) Willie Mays, Giants’ centerfielder and rookie of the year in the National League at Giants’ spring training, Phoenix, Arizona. Willis is waiting for his draft call.
“Say Hey Kid”
6. Reggie Jackson
The New York Yankees’ Reggie Jackson batting during a game against the Texas Rangers, New York, May 25th 1977. (Photo by UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
Oct 8, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Former Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove throws out the first pitch before the start of game two of the Wild Card series for the 2022 MLB Playoffs against the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
“Human Rain Delay”
3. James Bell
“Cool Papa”
2. Pete Rose
(Original Caption) 7/30/72-Cincinnati, Ohio- Pete Rose of the Reds dives into home plate past the glove of Giants’ catcher Dave Rader, July 30th, in first game of double-header. Rose flew home from third on a single by Bobby Telas as Giants’ left-fielder Ken Henderson threw wide to the plate without a relay. Reds took both ends of the double-header, 4-0, and 6-1.
“Charlie Hustle”
1. George Herman Ruth
American baseball player George Herman Ruth (1895 – 1948) known as ‘Babe’ Ruth. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)
