Minnesota Twins players will be participating in players weekend this weekend. Why did they choose their nicknames and patches on their jerseys?
The Minnesota Twins have one of the most youthful dugouts in the game, and with that youthful exuberance, this weekend’s players weekend activities seem like something right in line with the team.
Fans have been wondering the background behind some of the nicknames and patches for the uniforms this weekend, and MLB.com writer Rhett Bollinger released an extensive list of all of them. Here are a few of the highlights:
Nicknames
While a few players, like Joe Mauer and Taylor Rogers, simply stayed with their last name on the back of their jerseys, most of the Twins players chose to use a nickname on the back of their jersey, one of the features of the weekend.
A few of the better ones:
Jose Berrios, “Orlandito”: Berrios’ middle name is Orlando, but in his native Puerto Rico, everyone knows him as “little Orlando”, or Orlandito.
Bartolo Colon, “Morales”: This is the one that actually upset some fans. Colon has arguably the best, and most well-known, nickname in baseball, “Big Sexy”. However, the jersey name is a tribute to his late mother, Adriana Morales.
Tyler Duffey, “The Doof”: This nickname for Tyler is so prominent that he even uses it in his Twitter handle.
Dillon Gee, “G money”: A play on his last name, Dillon’s nickname is perhaps obvious, but fun nonetheless.
Jorge Polanco, “Chulo”: A nickname that Polanco has had since he was a baby, loosely translated, it means “pretty boy”.
Miguel Sano, “Boqueton”: Roughly translated, the nickname means “Big Mouth”, a joking reference to Sano’s exuberant spirit on the field and in the clubhouse.
Ervin Santana, “Magic”: This is possibly the best nickname story in baseball. Big Erv’s real first name is Johan, but by the time he was making his way to the majors, there was already another famous Johan Santana in baseball, so he changed it. He harkened back to a childhood nickname he had due to the way he played basketball among his group of friends, earning the nickname “Magic”, after Earvin Johnson, so he changed his name to Ervin Santana.
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Patches
Each jersey this weekend will have a patch on the sleeve featuring a child evolving into a big league ballplayer. There’s a space underneath that design, in which players are allowed to add in someone who was influential to their career.
Here are some of the better ones:
Byron Buxton, “Brixton”: Brixton is the name of Byron’s son, born in 2013. He credits his son with changing his life, and Brixton is often seen in the team’s clubhouse.
Brian Dozier, “Fulton, MS”: Unable to identify just one family member, coach, or person who impacted his life the most, Dozier chose to honor his entire home town in Mississippi.
Miguel Sano, “Angelica & Melania”: Melania is a tribute to his mother, but Angelica is the tribute to Sano’s daughter, lost a week after she was born in November of 2014 due to a heart defect.
Next: A big day in Twins history
This weekend is a lot of fun to see players have a chance to express themselves in dress and in tribute. Check out the games wherever you can catch video as the Twins play this weekend in Toronto!