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Dick Pole

Richard Henry Pole (born October 13, 1950) is a former professional baseball player and a former pitching coach. A right-handed pitcher, Pole was 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) tall and weighed 210 pounds (95 kg) during his playing career.

Johnny Dickshot

John Oscar Dickshot, commonly known as "Ugly" Johnny Dickshot (born John Oscar Dicksus, January 24, 1910 – November 4, 1997) was a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1936 to 1938, the New York Giants in 1939, and the Chicago White Sox from 1944 to 1945. He won the nickname "Ugly" because of his self-proclaimed status as the "ugliest man in baseball". Born and raised in Waukegan, Illinois, Dickshot began his professional career in the early 1930s playing for the Milwaukee Brewers, which was then a minor league team. He entered the majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1935. In a time before baseball salaries took off, Dickshot worked at a North Chicago steel mill in the off-season.
He moved to the Hollywood Stars in the Pacific Coast League in 1941. In 1943, he hit .352 for the Stars and had a 33-game hitting streak.
He joined the White Sox in 1944 and had his best major league season in 1945, his last year in the majors, when he had a .302 batting average (third-best in the American League) with 58 RBIs, 10 triples and 18 stolen bases in 486 at-bats.
Soon after his retirement, Dickshot opened a tavern called the Dugout in Waukegan. In his obituary, his granddaughter said he would often call his wife at home from the bar demanding that she look in his encyclopedia to settle a dispute over baseball trivia. He threw out a first pitch in the new Comiskey Park in June 1994.
Johnny Dickshot died in 1997 in Waukegan. He had four daughters and one son, fourteen grandchildren (including the actor John Ducey), and four great-grandchildren.

Rusty Kuntz

Russell Jay Kuntz (; born February 4, 1955) is an American retired Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder. He played for the Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers between 1979 and 1985. He never appeared in more than 84 games in any season during his playing career. In the final game of the 1984 World Series, Kuntz hit a pop fly to the second baseman that became the deciding run batted in (RBI).
Kuntz grew up in Kansas and California, playing three sports in high school and community college. He went to the Division III World Series twice with California State University, Stanislaus before being selected by the White Sox in the 11th round of the 1977 Major League Baseball draft. 
After the 1984 season, Kuntz was unable to return to form the next year. He was demoted to the minor leagues early in the 1985 season and was out of professional baseball as a player shortly thereafter.
Since his playing career ended, Kuntz has worked with several MLB organizations, including the Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners, Florida Marlins, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates. He has worked as an assistant to the general manager, minor league coach, roving instructor and major league base coach. From 2012 to 2017, he served as the first base coach for the Kansas City Royals, and has received substantial praise for his contributions to the team's success during that period.  "Rusty Kuntz", Royals manager Ned Yost has said, "is the best first base coach in baseball."

Cannonball Titcomb

Ledell Titcomb (August 21, 1866 – June 8, 1950)—often erroneously referred to as "Cannonball" or "Cannon Ball" Titcomb—was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for several teams in the National League and American Association. Born in West Baldwin, Maine, he pitched a total of five seasons, finishing with a 30–29 record and a 3.47 earned run average. Titcomb pitched a no-hitter on September 15, 1890, against the Syracuse Stars, a 7-0 victory. Also, in two games at third base, he fielded all five of his chances cleanly, while putting up a respectable 2.50 range factor. Titcomb died at the age of 83 in Kingston, New Hampshire, and was interred at Greenwood Cemetery in Kingston.

Jack Glasscock

John Wesley "Jack" Glasscock (July 22, 1857 – February 24, 1947) was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for several teams from 1879 to 1895 and was the top player at his position in the 1880s during the sport's bare-handed era. He led the National League in fielding percentage seven times and in assists six times, with both marks remaining league records until Ozzie Smith surpassed them in the 1980s; he also led the NL in double plays four times and in putouts twice. He won the 1890 batting title with a .336 average for the New York Giants and led the league in hits twice; in his final season he became the sixth major league player to make 2,000 hits. He was the first player to appear in over 600 games as a shortstop, and ended his career with major league records for games (1,628), putouts (2,821), assists (5,630), total chances (9,283), double plays (620) and fielding percentage (.910) at the position. When he retired he ranked fifth in major league history in games (1,736) and at bats (7,030), seventh in total bases (2,630) and eighth in doubles (313).

Pussy Tebeau

Charles Alston "Pussy" Tebeau (February 22, 1870 – March 25, 1950) was a right fielder in Major League Baseball who played briefly for the Cleveland Spiders during the 1895 season. Tebeau batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Some report that he is the younger brother of George and Patsy Tebeau who also played in the major leagues, but that is unlikely. George and Patsy grew up in St. Louis while Charles was born and raised in Massachusetts.
Tebeau's major league career only lasted two games in July 1895 because he had already signed with the Portland club in the New England League but failed to report. The Cleveland Spiders picked up and used Tebeau without knowledge of this. Portland's manager Frank Leonard saw his name in the newspaper (referred to as C.A. Tebeau) with Cleveland and filed a complaint. Before signing with Portland, Tebeau played for Lowell in the New England Association.
In a two-game career, Tebeau was a .500 hitter (3-for-6) with three runs, one RBI, and one stolen base without home runs.
Tebeau died in Pittsfield, Massachusetts at the age of 80.

Buttercup Dickerson

Lewis Pessano Dickerson (October 11, 1858 – July 23, 1920) was a 19th-century Major League Baseball outfielder. Born in Tyaskin, Maryland, he played a total of seven seasons in the majors, splitting time between eight teams in three different leagues. He is credited by the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame as the first Italian-American to play in the majors, but conversations with family members have called into question whether the family has any Italian ancestry.

Bud Weiser

Harry Budson "Bud" Weiser (January 8, 1891 – July 31, 1961) was a professional baseball outfielder. He played two seasons in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies. Weiser was 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighed 165 pounds.

Granny Hamner

Granville Wilbur Hamner (April 26, 1927 – September 12, 1993) was an American shortstop and second baseman in Major League Baseball. Hamner was one of the key players on the "Whiz Kids", the 1950 National League champion Philadelphia Phillies. He was born in Richmond, Virginia and graduated from Benedictine High School. 
Hamner (whose brother Garvin was also an infielder in the majors) spent ​15 1⁄2 years with the Phillies, coming to the club as a 17-year-old during World War II and becoming one of the team leaders of the 1950 champions at the age of 23. A right-handed hitting shortstop with power, Hamner compiled more than 80 runs batted in four times. In the 1950 World Series, a four-game New York Yankees sweep dominated by Yankee pitchers, Hamner batted .429 (6 for 14) with three extra-base hits. In March 1952, Hamner was named captain of the Phillies by manager Eddie Sawyer.An All-Star three years in a row, Hamner was the National League's starting shortstop in the 1952 All-Star Game, played on his home field, Shibe Park, in Philadelphia. The game was called off after five innings due to rain.
On May 16, 1959, Hamner was traded to Cleveland, but he batted only .164 for the remainder of the campaign. He then became a manager in the minor league system of the Kansas City Athletics, reappearing briefly with the A's as a pitcher during the 1962 season (he had dabbled on the mound for the 1956-57 Phillies). But the change did not prolong Hamner's playing career. He briefly managed in the Phils' farm system in the 1970s and 1980s.
In 17 major league seasons, Hamner compiled a .262 batting average with 104 home runs. He was winless with two losses with an earned run average of 5.40 in seven games and ​13 1⁄3 innings as a pitcher.
In 1981, Hamner was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
He died of a heart attack at age 66 in Philadelphia.

Lil Stoner

Ulysses Simpson Grant "Lil" Stoner (February 28, 1899 – June 26, 1966) born in Bowie, Texas, was a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers (1922 and 1924–1929), Pittsburgh Pirates (1930) and Philadelphia Phillies (1931).He was an avid grower of irises and was an accredited Judge of the American Iris Society.He died in Enid, Oklahoma at the age of 67.

Razor Shines

Anthony Razor Shines (born July 18, 1956) is a retired baseball player who played first base for the Montreal Expos for four seasons, from 1983–1985 and 1987. He also served as a base coach for the New York Mets from 2009 to 2010.

Chicken Hawks

Nelson Louis "Chicken" Hawks (February 3, 1896 – May 26, 1973) was a professional baseball player whose career spanned 14 seasons, two of which were spent with the Major League Baseball (MLB) New York Yankees (1921) and Philadelphia Phillies (1925). Hawks played as an outfielder for the Phillies and a first baseman for the Yankees. Over his career, Hawks compiled a career batting average of .316 with 68 runs scored, 124 hits, 17 doubles, eight triples, seven home runs, and 60 runs batted in over 146 games played. He played the majority of his career (12 seasons) in minor league baseball. He made his major-league debut at the age of 25 and was officially listed as standing 5 feet 11 inches (180 cm) and weighing 167 pounds (76 kg).

Peek-A-Boo Veach

William Walter "Peek-A-Boo" Veach (June 15, 1862 – November 12, 1937) was an American Major League Baseball player born in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Veach began his career with the ill-fated Union Association in 1884 when he joined the Kansas City Cowboys as a pitcher/outfielder.  As a pitcher he started and completed all 12 games in which he pitched, resulting in a 3 win and 9 loss record.  Three years later he pitched just one game for the 1887 Louisville Colonels, a complete game loss.  This would be the last game he would pitch in the majors until he returned three years later in 1890, this time as a first baseman, splitting time with the Cleveland Spiders and the Pittsburgh Alleghenys.  As a batter, he had career total that included a .215 batting average and three home runs.
Veach acquired his nickname when playing for Kansas City in 1884.  It was during this season that his manager Ted Sullivan had set up timing plays to pick runners off first base through the use of signals that Veach would have to wait and look for.  Players had caught on to this trick and began calling him Peek-A-Boo because he would be looking around for signals.  He was a veteran of the Spanish–American War, so near the end of his life he was admitted into the United States Hospital in Indianapolis.  It was here that he died at the age of 75, and is interred at Floral Park Cemetery.

Dizzy Trout

Paul Howard "Dizzy" Trout (June 29, 1915 – February 28, 1972) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles between 1939 and 1957. Trout batted and threw right-handed
Trout was born in Sandcut, Indiana. He first played professionally in 1935 with the Terre Haute Tots in the Three-I League before signing with the Tigers in 1939.

Dick Hunt

Richard M. "Dick" Hunt (1847 – November 20, 1895) was an American professional baseball player in the late 1860s to early 1870s who played mainly right field for the 1872 Brooklyn Eckfords of the National Association.  In 11 career games played, he scored 10 runs, and collected 15 hits in 46 at bats for a .326 batting average.  Hunt died in New York City on November 20, 1895, and is interred at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

Kaiser Wilhelm

Irvin Key "Kaiser" Wilhelm (January 26, 1874 – May 22, 1936) was a pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball. Between 1903 and 1914, he moved between the major and minor leagues several times. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Beaneaters, Brooklyn Superbas and Baltimore Terrapins. After 1914, Wilhelm spent time as a player, manager and scout for the minor leagues. In 1921, he became the manager for the Philadelphia Phillies and pitched in four games for the team.
Wilhelm held the minor league baseball pitching record for consecutive scoreless innings for 97 years, but he was not recognized as the record holder by baseball officials until 2004. Baseball officials declared Wilhelm the record holder a few days before Brad Thompson was thought to have broken the record. Two days after Wilhelm's streak was thought to have been broken, The New York Times reported that a historian found three scoreless innings that were previously left off of Wilhelm's streak, indicating that his record had not actually been broken. Wilhelm is still the current record holder.

Pretzel Pezzullo

John "Pretzel" Pezzullo, also known as Pretzels Pezullo, was a professional baseball player whose career spanned eight seasons, two of which were spent with the Major League Baseball Philadelphia Phillies. Pezzullo, a pitcher, compiled an earned run average of 6.36, allowing 61 earned runs off of 116 hits, five home runs, and 51 walks while recording 24 strikeouts over 86.1 innings pitched. Pezzullo also played in six seasons of minor league baseball. He made his MLB debut at the age of 24 after spending a season in the minor leagues for the New York Giants organization. Pezzullo earned the nicknamed "Pretzel" after his unusual pitching style. After retiring from baseball, Pezzullo moved to Dallas, Texas, where he died of cancer on May 16, 1990.

Boof Bonser

Boof Bonser (born John Paul Bonser on October 14, 1981) is a former professional American baseball pitcher.

Dick Cox

Elmer Joseph Cox (September 30, 1897 in Pasadena, California – June 1, 1966 in Morro Bay, California) was a professional baseball player who played outfield for the Brooklyn Robins in 1925 & 1926.  
He had a steady bat over his two seasons in the big leagues, batting .314 in 832 at bats, including eight homeruns.  Cox spent most of his time in right field defensively. 
Prior to his playing days, Cox served in World War I.
He managed in the Arizona–Texas League in 1931 and 1932.

Stubby Clapp

Richard Keith "Stubby" Clapp (born February 24, 1973) is a First Base Coach for the St.Louis Cardinals  and is also a former Triple A manager and former professional baseball player.  He played for 11 years, most notably within the St. Louis Cardinals organization, including a brief stint in Major League Baseball with the Cardinals. In his native Canada, he is best remembered for his performance at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, where he hit a bases-loaded single in the 11th inning to beat a more experienced U.S. team and put Canada in the semifinals. Canada eventually won bronze medal.

Blue Moon Odom

Johnny Lee "Blue Moon" Odom (born May 29, 1945) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1964 to 1976 for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago White Sox. Odom won three consecutive World Series championships with the Athletics in 1972, 1973 and 1974.

Mysterious Walker

Frederick Mitchell Walker (March 21, 1884 – February 1, 1958), nicknamed "Mysterious", was an American athlete and coach. He was a three-sport athlete for the University of Chicago from 1904 to 1906 and played Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Brooklyn Superbas, Pittsburgh Rebels and Brooklyn Tip-Tops.
He earned the nickname "Mysterious" after pitching under a pseudonym for the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League in 1910. He also served as a college basketball, baseball and football coach at numerous colleges and universities, including Utah State University, University of Mississippi, Oregon State University, Carnegie Tech, Washington & Jefferson College, Williams College, Dartmouth College, Michigan State University, DePauw University, Loyola University New Orleans, University of Texas, and Wheaton College.

Sugar Cain

Merritt Patrick "Sugar" Cain (April 5, 1907 – April 3, 1975) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the Philadelphia Athletics, St. Louis Browns, and Chicago White Sox between 1932 and 1938. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

Wonderful Terrific Monds

Catfish Hunter

James Augustus Hunter (April 8, 1946 – September 9, 1999), nicknamed "Catfish", was a professional baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB). From 1965 to 1979, he was a pitcher for the Kansas City Athletics, Oakland Athletics, and New York Yankees. Hunter was the first pitcher since 1915 to win 200 career games by the age of 31. He is often referred to as baseball's first big-money free agent. He was a member of five World Series championship teams.
Hunter retired in 1979 after developing persistent arm problems. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, in his early 50s. He died of the disease about a year after his diagnosis. Hunter has been the subject of numerous popular culture references, including the Bob Dylan song "Catfish".

List of The Best Baseball Names of All Time, ranked by the combined opinions of 2373 people as of January 2022. Add your votes to this ultimate ranking.