San Diego Padres: Players’ Weekend Nicknames and Gear

Major League Baseball will celebrate Players’ Weekend August 24th-26th this season.

Major League Baseball’s Players’ Weekend is a fun touch as the calendar prepares to flip to September. Most teams, like our beloved San Diego Padres, are out of the playoff picture with not a lot to play for over the final few weeks of the season. Players’ Weekend provides players the opportunity to showcase a bit of personality out on the field, while honoring their favorite charities and recognizing all levels of baseball, from little league to the big leagues.

Baseball, and sports in general, should always be about having fun. When you have the luxury of playing a game for a living, you should be able to have a little fun with it! One of the more notable events of Players’ Weekend is the opportunity for players to choose what name or nickname appears on the back of their jersey for the weekend.

Last week, every team released their lists of names players of chosen, so Friars On Base has decided to take a look at the best and worst choices for nicknames.

There are, of course, the likes of Brett Kennedy, Wil Myers, and Trey Wingenter who decided to go with either their first or last names. Apparently, not everyone wanted to join in on the fun.

The absolute worst nicknames in baseball are those that just add a “y” to the end of their name. I really try not to be the cranky old man type but can we stop, please? (Hedgey?)

Phil Maton wins San Diego Padres Players’ Weekend Nicknames.

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Topping the list of nicknames for the San Diego Padres is Phil Maton. While A.J. Ellis and his “Dad” nickname may be the most accurate, “Spin Rate” wins the contest.

Among all Major League Baseball pitchers who have thrown at least 200 pitches, Maton’s average spin rate is 2639 RPM, the eighth highest rate in baseball behind the likes of Garrett Richards and Justin Verlander. That includes fastballs, offspeed pitches, and breaking balls.

You can view the gear that the players will be wearing here. As you can see, the Padres will honor the yellow uniforms that much of the fanbase has enjoyed and supposedly will be making a comeback in the near future. We’ll see about that.

The San Diego Padres will be in Los Angeles to take on the Dodgers during Players’ Weekend. “Clay Clay,” “Kennedy,” and “Bob” are the projected starting pitchers for that series.