Picture this: it’s about one in the morning. You’re on Baseball Reference, like you’re known to be, and you think to yourself, “wait where did Jordan Hicks end last season?” You search up his name and are taken to his page, and you find he finished the year with Boston. But maybe you noticed the nickname section under his bio: “Type 1.” Does anyone call him that? Well, I looked into those questions for Jordan Hicks, and some of the other weirder nicknames on Baseball Reference. Here’s what I found….
Jordan “Type 1” Hicks
Jordan Hicks was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 17. He even sat out the shortened 2020 season because of the health risks the pandemic posed. Hicks has been an advocate for young people with diabetes playing baseball and has often referred to himself as the “Diabetic Phenom.” In an article from 2021, Zachary Silver shared an encounter between Hicks and eight year old Jaxon, where Hicks referred to him as a “fellow type 1er.” With all that being said, I can’t recall ever hearing Hicks be referred to as “Type 1.”
Willy “The Kid” Adames
Uh, no. Willy Adames is not “The Kid.” Baseball Reference may say Willy Adames is “The Kid,” but we all know that that’s Ken Griffey Jr. Adames got the nickname from a radio broadcaster in the Tigers Organization (Adames was playing in Class-A Ball at the time), because he was the youngest on the team. Adames even wore it during the 2019 Players Weekend. It technically fits, but everyone knows who the real “kid” is.
Kyle “Hulk” Schwarber
Big man hitting big home runs. It’s easy to see how Kyle Schwarber would’ve become “Hulk.” With that being said, I can’t recall ever hearing him referred to as “Hulk.” It’s on his Baseball Reference page, but the only other reference to the nickname was in a 2015 article from Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times. The article had a long list of possible nicknames for the then-new Cubs outfielder for fans to get to know, one of which was Hulk.
Julio “Acuna” Rodriguez
If you’re aware of Julio Rodriguez, you’re surely aware of “J-Rod” or “JULIOOOO”, but according to Baseball Reference, he is also nicknamed “Acuna.” What? From the digging I’ve done, there is no connection other than the fact that he has a somewhat similar playstyle to Ronald Acuña Jr. And the answer to the question ‘does anyone call him that’ is a resounding no.
Garrett “The Pig” Crochet
Believe it or not, this is a compliment. Former Red Sox player, and current color commentator Lou Merloni gave him the nickname because Garrett Crochet is a filthy pitcher. If you watch him pitch, you’d agree. Crochet approved of the nickname, and the Red Sox broadcast team has been referring to him as “The Pig” since he joined the team. One of the few weird nicknames that has a fun explanation, and gets used.
Mike “The Millville Meteor” Trout
It’s hard to believe that the biggest face in the game doesn’t really have a nickname. Baseball Reference at least gives Shohei Ohtani “Shotime” and Aaron Judge “The Judge,” but the only thing Mike Trout gets is “The Millville Meteor.” The nickname is a reference to Trout’s high school, Millville Senior High School, as well as an obvious homage to Mickey Mantle’s nickname, “The Commerce Comet.” This one makes sense, but I’ve never heard anyone call him this, and I’m quite thankful for this. We got to get something better for Mike Trout than “The Millville Meteor.”
Nick “Big Amish” Kurtz
Nick Kurtz got his nickname for a simple, yet wonderful reason. Kurtz is from Lancaster, Pa., well known for having a large Amish population. Tack on the ‘big’ due to the fact that he’s a power-hitting first baseman. This one’s another one that is pretty well known; not only will you hear the A’s broadcast use it, some national media outlets will refer to him as “Big Amish” as well.
Cal “Big Dumper” Raleigh.
Look it up.
Those are my highlights. It was super interesting to explore Baseball Reference’s nicknames database, and see all the cool/weird nicknames attributed to these players. If you’d like to see it for yourself, you can find it here.
Photo credited to Wikimedia Commons.
