Royals' nicknames for Players' Weekend

For the second consecutive year, Major Leaguers will put their personalities and passions on the field when Players' Weekend takes center stage during all games from Friday, Aug. 24, through Sunday, Aug. 26.
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Here are the nicknames big leaguers will wear on their backs while sporting colorful, non-traditional uniforms featuring alternate designs inspired by youth-league uniforms:

:: Players' Weekend presented by Valspar Stain ::
Jorge Bonifacio: "EL BONI"
Blaine Boyer: "BLAZER"
Drew Butera: "VITO"
Hunter Dozier: "DOZ"
Lucas Duda: "DUDE"
Danny Duffy: "CHILL SERGEANT"
Alcides Escobar: "MAGIC"
Heath Fillmyer: "FILLY"
Brian Flynn: "FLYNNY"
Jesse Hahn: "J HOOD"
Jason Hammel: "HAMMER"
Alex Gordon: "GORDO"
Rosell Herrera: "VARON"
Tim Hill: "HILL"
Jakob Junis: "JUNE BUG"
Nate Karns: "NATE DOGG"
Brad Keller: "B. K."
Ian Kennedy: "BUDDA"
Brandon Maurer: "MAURER POWER"
Kevin McCarthy: "MAC"
Whit Merrifield: "WHITLEY"
Adalberto Mondesi: "LA GUINEA"
-- "It's like a chicken. It's a small bird and it's kind of fast. People started calling me that when I was about seven or eight years old and they still call me that back home [in the Dominican Republic]."
Ryan O'Hearn: "BROHEARN"
Wily Peralta: "BIG WILY"
Salvador Perez: "EL NIÑO"
-- Former teammate Eric Hosmer gave Perez that nickname in the clubhouse when Perez made his Major League debut in Tampa in 2011. Perez said "El Nino" translates to "little boy."
"It's about someone who is always having fun and always smiling, always wanting to play," Perez said. "Everyone in baseball calls me that now. It's 'Hey, Nino!' I like it."
Brett Phillips: "MAVERICK"
-- Maverick is actually Brett's middle name. "My dad was a big fan of James Garner and the TV show "Maverick." Everyone used to call him "Maverick." Then he told my mom that when they had a boy, he wanted to name him Maverick, so they did. My dad's name is Brett James [Phillips] and my name is Brett Maverick. When I was growing up, someone in the house would yell 'Brett!' and we'd both turn around. So my mom said that we can't have two Bretts in the house, so everyone started calling me Maverick. They still do. But I don't refer to myself as Maverick."
Eric Skoglund: "SKOGS:
Burch Smith: "SMITTY"
Glenn Sparkman: "SPARKY"