August 25 – 27, MLB players get to let their personalities shine, sporting nicknames on their jerseys. And the Pittsburgh Pirates’ names don’t disappoint!
Players Weekend – a new initiative by the MLB and MLB Players’ Association – allows players league-wide to show their individuality in a variety of ways. From special uniforms that nod to little league attire with patches that each player can customize, relaxed rules on colors for cleats, compression sleeves and socks and a special charity t-shirt component, the weekend is a breath of fresh air for a league that penalizes players for not abiding by strict uniform standards.
Each player on the Pittsburgh Pirates 25-man roster will don the special uniforms. Some nicknames, like Cutch, JHay and El Coffee are pretty standard and expected. Then there are those that are more inventive, that are homages to idols, that are, if you’ll pardon the baseball expression, straight out of left field. Here now are the Top 5 Pittsburgh Pirates Nickname Jerseys:
#73 Felipe “NIGHTMARE” Rivero
This one is a no-brainer. Because in the 9th inning, that’s what he is to any batter he faces.
#28 John “EASY J” Jaso
Okay, I haven’t heard the official backstory on this nickname. However, given his dreads and the Rolling Stones walk-up music and all of the pot-smoking jokes people make, it would be easy to assume an inherent drug-reference. Which would be a really fun way for him to just embrace the fun everyone else has around him. However, we all know that MLB wouldn’t smile on that at all. Therefore, I’m just gonna chalk this up to his easy-going attitude.
#57 Trevor “EV” Williams
When I first saw it, I just assumed that “EV” was just the shortening of Trev, which is a shortened version of Trevor. However, according to Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the EV is actually a nod to Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. Originally, Nesbitt reported, Williams wanted to go with VED, but MLB rejected his request, so he went with Vedder’s initials instead.
#3 Sean “SERPICO” Rodriguez
Okay, so it’s not likely that this one will happen, because 1.) SeanRod was on the Braves when they selected these jersey nicknames (and they were approved through MLB) and 2.) Serpico is the name of a movie character and thus, likely to be nixed by MLB for copyright concerns, etc.
He explained to Nesbitt that while on the Braves he went with “Cheech,” which started out as Chi Chi for golfer Chi Chi Rodriguez. Cheech does pair with EASY J pretty well, though.
There are some rumors floating around on Twitter that Sean did get his named changed to Serpico, but I don’t expect to see it happen. But man, wouldn’t that be cool?
#23 David “DAVEHUMAN” Freese
For a nickname that started as a joke only five people would get, Freese told Nesbitt, his is definitely getting the most laughs. The story goes that Freese has a dog named Bob, who his friend, also named Bob, would watch when Freese went on roadtrips. So to distinguish the two, the names BobDog and BobHuman were created. THEN, BobHuman got a dog and named it, you guessed it, Dave. Thus, DaveDog and DaveHuman.
Not only are these jerseys a lot of fun, but they offer a chance to help grow the sport. Game-worn Players Weekend jerseys will be auctioned by MLB with net proceeds going to the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation. The organization helps improve the caliber, effectiveness and avalability of amateur baseball and softball programs across the US and Canada, according to MLB.
Featured image courtesy Pittsburgh Pirates and MLB
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