BY PATRICK “PACKY” MADER
Staff Writer
Nicknames are obtained in a variety of ways. Sometimes it is simply to distinguish a boy from his father with the same name such as “Junior” or “Chip.” Other times it is due to an observed habit or even the mispronunciation of a name (that happened in my case: Patrick became “Packy”).
Baseball is famous for the nicknames bestowed on players. Let’s examine five baseball players whose nicknames were so common they were often included on their baseball card and how they are listed in baseball reference materials. These players had their nicknames long before they got to the Major Leagues, so they were not created by the media or fans.
Most recently, there was Homer Bailey. It may seem paradoxical since Homer was a pitcher, primarily for the Cincinnati Reds from 2007-20. Born David Dewitt Bailey, the future pitcher was called “Homer” at birth as a tribute to his great-grandfather, Homer.
The nickname of Oil Can Boyd, Boston Red Sox pitcher who hurled 272 innings in 1985, harkens back to when a youthful Dennis drank lots of beer which he and friends referred to as “oil.” Friends called him a regular “oil can” and the name stuck.
Charles Andrew Peterson, an outfielder for the San Francisco Giants and Washington Senators in the 1960s got the nickname “Cap” simply due to his initials.
Then there’s Elwin Roe, a star pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the late 1940s and early 1950s including a 22-3 record in 1951. While accounts vary, Elwin evidently liked the local preacher who gave him buggy rides. When a relative asked the young Elwin what his name was, the boy replied, “Preacher.”
Rube Waddell is a Hall of Fame pitcher with a lifetime ERA of 2.16. Born George Edward Waddell in rural Pennsylvania in 1876, teammates determined he was a big lug (6 feet, 1 inch was tall for the time) and unpolished person. “Rube” was a popular term at the time for such traits, and it is how the pitcher who led the league in strikeouts six consecutive seasons became known.
Conlon Collection
Negro League Legends
Amazingly, two other Hall of Famers were named after Rube Waddell: Richard William “Rube” Marquard and Andrew Bishop “Rube” Foster because they were compared favorably to the “original Rube” … Waddell !
• • • • • •
THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN
EXCLUSIVELY FOR BaseballCardFun.com
• • •
Text Copyright © 2026 by BaseballCardFun.com / Patrick Mader
No article appearing on this website may be reproduced without written consent of the Editor/Publisher
• • •
Patrick “Packy” Mader has written several books, including two large volumes on Minnesotans who were in the Olympic Games or competed in world competitions. To view hundreds of articles on Minnesota athletes, be sure to visit Packy’s website: MNAthletes.com. (Click Link Here)
BaseballCardFun.com 