Fans can now vote for the best nickname in Minor League Baseball, as announced on May 21. The Nickname Knockout contest features a bracket of 32 players, each with a unique moniker and backstory. Voting is open until Friday, May 29 at noon Eastern Time.
The competition allows fans to participate in five rounds of head-to-head matchups, with each round contributing points to the players’ overall scores. Points double in value with each subsequent round, and the player accumulating the most points across all brackets will be declared the winner.
According to Ben Weinrib, Minor League Baseball is known for its quirks and joy, which extends beyond games and teams to include players themselves. “Across 120 full-season teams and more than 6,000 players, there are countless characters with incredible nicknames to match,” Weinrib said. Some of these athletes may become Major League stars while others remain local favorites.
Each nominated nickname has a distinct origin story that fans can explore by clicking on “Nickname Backstory” next to the player’s image on the voting site. This feature includes videos where players discuss how their nicknames came about along with additional background information.
Among this year’s nominees are “El Espectáculo” (Ernesto Martinez Jr., Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders), “The Jaguar” (Kevin Alcántara), “Sasquatch” (Boston Bateman), “Big Papa” (Ruben Ibarra), and many others representing teams across all levels of Minor League Baseball.
The event highlights one of baseball’s most endearing traditions: colorful nicknames that reflect both personality and community spirit within America’s pastime.
