Dodgers Players Weekend nicknames explained

PITTSBURGH -- "Redturn2," "El Titan," "Logie Bear" and the rest of the best team in the game revealed their unique personalities at Dodger Stadium Friday as Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association hold the inaugural Players Weekend.
Players are wearing colorful, non-traditional uniforms featuring alternate designs. And instead of last names on the back of their jerseys, most players have their nicknames. Players are also wearing a special sleeve patch showing the progression of a child evolving into a Major Leaguer. Under that logo, each player has the name of a person who helped advance their career.
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In addition to the nicknames and sleeve patches, players have uniquely colored and designed spikes, batting gloves, wristbands, compression sleeves and bats to use in the games. New Era has provided specially designed caps, Stance has provided socks and players will wear T-shirts during pregame workouts highlighting a charity of their choice.
Below are the nicknames the Dodgers have on the backs of their jerseys -- which will be announced on the public address system the first time through the batting order each game -- as well as the special people being paid tribute on the jersey patches:
Dave Roberts: "DOC"
"In A-ball they called me D.R., the initials, then they called me the hit doctor and shortened it to Doc," said Roberts.
Tribute patch: Dad and Butch Smith -- Roberts lost his father during Spring Training this year. Butch Smith was his high school baseball coach. "Butch Smith really mentored me and was like a second father," Roberts said. "I worked for his landscape business and he helped me understand getting a job. He's still around, and I wanted him to know what he meant to me. Outside of my family, he's the biggest Dave Roberts fan."
Luis Avilán: "AVI"
"Everybody's called me that for as long as I can remember," Avilan said.
Tribute patch: Mama y Papa -- "They've always supported for me and were at the ballpark for every game," he said.
Pedro Báez: "LA MULA"
"It's The Mule in Spanish. I got it for my work ethic," Baez said.
Tribute patch: Freddy Pimente -- "He was my first Little League coach."
Austin Barnes: "SAM"
"The guys sent me on a taco run last year, and when I got back with them, A.J. Ellis was kidding Chase Utley that he didn't know my name and Utley joked, 'Yeah, it's Sam,' and that's the story," Barnes said.
Tribute patch: Mom and Dad -- "For their total support," Barnes said.

Cody Bellinger: "CODYLOVE"
Teammates gave it to him two Spring Trainings ago in a nod to Joclove, teammate Joc Pederson's signature for a flurry of Valentine's Day social-media postings. It was Roberts who suggested that Bellinger needed a nickname to boost his social-media followers, which at the time numbered fewer than one thousand.
Tribute patch: Mom and Dad -- Father Clay, the former Yankees player, and mother Jennifer, "because they supported me through club-ball days and travel-ball days."
Tony Cingrani: "GRANI"
Tribute patch: Anthony Cingrani Jr. -- "That's in tribute to my Dad," Cingrani said.
Yu Darvish: "YU-SAN"
Adding San to the name is a more formal moniker and has been Darvish's nickname since his days playing in Japan.
Tribute patch: (Japanese symbols for his Little League team) -- "I want to pay tribute to my Little League teams," he said.
Kyle Farmer: Using last name
Josh Fields: Using last name
Tribute patch: Mom and Dad
Logan Forsythe: "LOGIE BEAR"
"In Tampa, it was a thing my wife and I had, and she kind of gave it to me when we started dating," said Forsythe. "That was our thing, and she said it to where the other guys heard it, and that was that."
Tribute patch: Mom and Dad -- "I wouldn't be here without them," Forsythe said. "I'm starting to experience that now having our first child and seeing the time and effort that goes into raising a child, the selflessness, you appreciate what they went through a little more. That's why I want to pay tribute to them."
Adrián González: "EL TITAN"
"Eduardo Ortega, the Spanish broadcaster of the Padres, gave me that name because I went to a high school called the Eastlake Titans, and after a year or two, he took out the Eastlake and just called me El Titan," Gonzalez said.
Tribute patch: Mom and Dad -- "Of course, my parents, to get to the big leagues, they did everything for me," said Gonzalez. "My parents first growing up, and once I got to the Minor Leagues, the support of them, and of course my wife."
Yasmani Grandal: "YRG Jr."
Those will be the initials of Grandal's son, whose birth is expected on Grandal's 29th birthday, Nov. 8.
Tribute patch: Mom, Dad & Grandparents -- "I grew up with my parents and my grandparents and wanted to honor all of them," he said.
Curtis Granderson: "GRANDYMAN"
"Long last name and people in baseball always shorten them," said Granderson.
Tribute patch: Lynwood & Lansing Little League -- "Those are the two Little Leagues in Illinois I played in and I sponsor them now. I would have put them on the back of my jersey if I could," he said. "I'll put the schools I played for on my cleats."
Kiké Hernández: "KIKÉ"
"It's the traditional nickname for Enrique. It's my Dad's nickname and my Grandfather's nickname," said Hernandez.
Tribute patch: Papi -- It's a tribute to Hernandez's father, a cancer survivor, who also was his youth baseball coach. "All of my baseball I get from him," said Hernandez. "My life has been nothing but baseball, and he's been right by my side. During the World Baseball Classic, he missed almost a month of work to be with me."
Rich Hill: "BRICE"
Brice is Hill's 5-year-old son.
Tribute patch: My Family -- "I just wanted to thank everybody. Picking just one relative who helped me is too difficult," Hill said.
Kenley Jansen: "KENLEYFORNIA"
A fan sent Jansen a California state flag, edited to read "Kenleyfornia," which Jansen hung above his locker, and it's become his new motto. "It got me going," he said.
Tribute patch: Mom and Dad -- "They went to all of my international tournaments to see me play, never missed a game," Jansen said.
Clayton Kershaw: "KERSH"
"Just my last name shortened," he said.
Tribute patch: Kershaw's Challenge -- "Doing the foundation, to bring more awareness. I wanted to put it on my back, but they said no," Kershaw said.
Kenta Maeda: "MAEKEN"
In Japanese, Maeken is the equivalent of the initials of his first and last name, "Like J.T. is for Justin Turner," Maeda said.
Tribute patch: Family -- "My family has made sacrifices so I can play in the Major Leagues," Maeda said. "My wife, I'm very appreciative for going through the change in environment and making sure I eat the right diet and for taking care of the household matters."
Brandon Morrow: "B MO"
"Since college that's what the other players would call me," said Morrow.
Tribute patch: Mom and Dad -- "It's obvious, going on travel trips and playing catch every day after work, coaching Little League teams. When my Dad couldn't make it because of work, my mom would go on trips with a bunch of teenage ballplayers. She got a lot of good reading time in there," Morrow said.
Edward Paredes: Using last name
Yasiel Puig: "WILD HORSE"
In 2014, broadcaster Vin Scully said "The Wild Horse is loose," when Puig was racing to a triple. Puig embraced the moniker and named his charitable foundation the Wild Horse 99 Foundation. "I like it, it's fun. And I put that with my number for the foundation to help the kids in Los Angeles and Miami and the Dominican Republic," Puig said
Tribute patch: Mom and Dad -- "I love them and everything they have done for me," Puig said.

Josh Ravin: "CUERVO"
"It means raven in Spanish," said Ravin. "Maybe it will help people understand that you pronounce it raven and not ravine."
Tribute patch: Mom and Dad -- "My dad from the get-go was always telling me how good I would be and I would tell him he didn't know what he was talking about," said Ravin. "To see it be a reality, did he really know? For many reasons, I wouldn't be here without my mom and dad."
Hyun Jin Ryu: "MONSTER"
"I had a good rookie year and the fans started calling me Monster, and they called me that ever since," said Ryu.
Tribute patch: Mom and Dad (in Korean) -- "I wanted to show respect to them for everything they've done for me, not just in baseball," he said.
Corey Seager: Using last name
Tribute patch: Mom and Dad -- "Without them, none of this would be possible," Seager said.
Ross Stripling: "CHICKEN STRIP"
"There were other Strips, but I figured they would be rejected because they weren't appropriate. I thought Chicken Strip would be funny, and I thought a lot of players would try to be funny, but it hasn't turned out that way," said Stripling.
Tribute patch: Mom and Dad -- "When I had Tommy John surgery and I decided to quit baseball, my dad said, 'Don't give up.' He and my mom have supported me in every way, including financially," Stripling said.
Chris Taylor: "CT3"
"It's my initials and the uniform number," Taylor said. "I've had other nicknames, inside jokes, but C.T. is the most common one."
Tribute patch: Mom and Dad -- "They were always there for me. They were my role models growing up and I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them," Taylor said.
Justin Turner: "REDTURN2"
"My nickname was always Red growing up. I played second base, and with the Mets I wore No. 2," Turner explained.
Tribute patch: Grandpa (Frank) Bates -- "He never missed a game. He'd take me on vacation to the lake, but he'd make me catch 50 tennis balls before we ate dinner," Turner said.
Chase Utley: "SILVER FOX"
"I asked Corey [Seager] to come up with a nickname for me. It's all Corey," Utley said.
Tribute patch: Mom and Dad -- "They always supported whatever I wanted to do, and baseball was what I wanted. They bent over backwards to make it happen," Utley said.
Tony Watson: "WATTY"
"It's the standard baseball nickname -- cut your name in half and add a Y," said Watson. "Got it my first year of pro ball. I tried for Tone Ranger, from the movie, 'The Breakup.' I thought it would be creative, but it's a trademark and got shot down."
Tribute patch: Coach Peyton -- Dave Hetker -- "Dave Hekter was my Little League coach and a high school teacher and played a big part in the player I am. And coach Byron Peyton is a (Dallas Center-Grimes) high school coach that was doing the behind-the-scenes stuff to get me in the University of Nebraska and kick-started my career," Watson said.
Alex Wood: "WOODMAN"
"Woody's always been my nickname, but they told me it's trademarked by the Toy Story movie. [Dodgers executive Lon Rosen] gave me Woodman," said Wood.
Tribute patch: Mom and Dad -- "For their undying support, for always putting me in position to succeed and creating that kind of atmosphere for me," Wood said.