Forgotten Baseball Nicknames, Explained

From 'Pig Fetus' to 'Ten Fingers,' get the full scoop on ten lost ballplayers.

Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash

Baseball has spawned some great nicknames over the decades: The Sultan of Swat. The Splendid Splinter. Joltin' Joe. All legendary. But few people realize that many of MLB’s most obscure mediocrities had nicknames just as colorful as those.

With Spring Training about to begin, here’s a look at some forgotten baseball players, and how they got their nicknames.

P: Melvin “Pig Fetus” Urtz
(Tigers, 1964-65; Cubs, 1966; Red Sox, 1967; Mets, 1968)
The affable 6"8' lefty was so named because he was an offseason biology teacher, which led him to pull some highly creative pranks around the clubhouse.

C: Erasmus “Two-Face” Yewbark
(Spiders, 1897)
Yewbark was a former sideshow freak who shared part of his face with a twin that died in utero. Also, he was a duplicitous hypocrite.

1B: Stan “Country” Sawmill
(Braves, 1979; Rangers, 1980)
Though he was born in rural West Virginia, Stan actually got his nickname from the time he got drunk at Disneyland and made a pass at one of the animatronic banjo players in the Country Bear Jamboree.

2B: Theodosius “Ol' 285” Luggins
(Padres, 1975; White Sox, 1976)
Luggins claimed that he was the 285th Lutheran player in MLB history, a number that he insisted had Biblical significance (though he was kind of hazy on which verses).

3B: Steven “Steve” Zloodings
(Yankees, 1974-75; Angels, 1976-77; Pirates, 1978; Mariners, 1979-80)
This not-very-versatile infielder was nicknamed “Steve,” since that's the shortened form of his given name, Steven.

SS: Joaquin “Big Z” del Tapioca
(Devil Rays, 2005; Dodgers, 2006; Brewers, 2008-09)
Joaquin's teammates called this speedy, light-hitting shortstop Big Z when they learned about his membership in a South American fertility cult that worships a toucan-headed demon named Zabooti.

LF: Thorbert “moose183” Cludd
(Marlins, 2011; Rockies, 2012-13)
Cludd’s ex-wife nicknamed him after the computer password he used to use, and, as far as we know, still does.

CF: Karl “Lindy” Lindsford
(Pirates, 1936; Tigers, 1937-38)
Lindsford identified as a woman, and preferred to be called “Melinda.” His teammates, remarkably enlightened for that era, not only accepted his lifestyle but affectionately called him Lindy for short.

RF: Sid “Ten Fingers” Gutenhausen
(Phillies, 1957-58; White Sox, 1960)
Sid's teammates considered him the most boring player they'd ever been around, and couldn't even find a mild eccentricity to rib him about. They did, however, notice that he had the requisite number of fingers on each hand, so that explains that.

DH: Musoko “Ika” Kanashii
(Orioles 1998, A's 1998-99, Orioles 2000, Indians 2001-02, Orioles yet again 2003)
Ika, which translates to “squid,” was a nickname that carried over from Kanashii’s days with the Nippon Ham Fighters of the Japanese League. During Musoko’s rookie season, his father was killed by a giant squid, an act for which he still vows revenge.

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