For the second consecutive year, MLB is allowing players to show some freedom on the field, letting them use nicknames on the backs of their jerseys instead of names.
Now, don’t get too worked up. Gone are the days of Moredcai “Three Finger” Brown and Al “The Mad Hungarian” Hrabosky. As I read a few years ago (I forgot where), today’s nicknames consist of taking the first syllable of a player’s last name and adding a ‘y’ to it (think “Vargy” for Jason Vargas. And yes, that is his chosen nickname for his uniform this weekend).
Anyway, here is a list of Mets nicknames, courtesy of MLB.