NEW YORK -- When the Mets don their newly designed jerseys for the upcoming inaugural Players Weekend, the only difference won't simply be new colors.
Each player was given the opportunity to select a nickname for the weekend, which will appear on the back of their jerseys where the last name would typically appear. Furthermore, players had the option of honoring individuals or groups that have been instrumental in their development as baseball players with a tribute patch.
Not all Mets players, like Dominic Smith or Kevin McGowan, for example, will sport nicknames or have tribute patches because they weren't sure they'd be with the Major League club this weekend. Other players have nicknames, but they opted to not include a tribute patch.
• Mets' Players Weekend gear available at MLBShop.com
Here's a breakdown of the Mets' nicknames and an explanation of some of their tribute patches:
Michael Conforto: "Scooter"
When Conforto reached the Majors, his teammates couldn't figure out what his nickname should be. The discussion shifted to what they deemed bad nicknames, and "Scooter" came up. It's stuck with Conforto since.
Tribute patch: "My family" -- Conforto says his family's sacrifices kept him involved in baseball growing up, helping him on his way to becoming the All-Star he is today.
Robert Gsellman: "G-Man"
Assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler (aka "Six" this weekend) calls Gsellman that consistently, but it's something that began in the Minors. Sometimes, his teammates mix it up by calling him "G-Baby."
Brandon Nimmo: "Nimms"
Due to copyright laws, Nimmo could not secure what he preferred to put on his jersey: "You Found Nimmo," like his Twitter handle, after the popular Pixar movie "Finding Nemo." "Nimms" works just fine, though, he said, since a lot of guys in the clubhouse actually call him that.
Tribute patch: "MOM & DAD" -- Nimmo's parents are still huge supporters of Nimmo pursuing his professional baseball dream.
Tommy Milone: Milone
Since he recently came off a rehab assignment, Milone didn't have a chance to choose his nickname, but he would have gone with "Tomaso," his given name.
Yoenis Cespedes: "La Potencia"
This nickname followed Cespedes from Cuba, when the announcer for his Cuban professional league team dubbed the slugger with the moniker, meaning "The Power."
Tribute patch: "A Toda Mi Family"  -- This translates to Cespedes thanking all of his family in both Spanish and English.
Jerry Blevins: "Gordo"
Blevins said that "Gordo" is Cespedes' endearing nickname for him, and it apparently means what you call a large human being, although the direct translation to Spanish is "fat," which Blevins most certainly is not.
Tribute patch: "Big Bro: Rob Ellis" -- Blevins is shouting out his brother, who is four years older. Baseball helped strengthen the bond between the two of them.
Wilmer Flores: "Catire"
"Catire" is Venezuelan slang for a light, blonde-haired child, which is how Flores looked when he was younger.
Travis d'Arnaud: "Lil' D"
d'Arnaud literally has a "little D" in his last name, so this one is somewhat self-explanatory. It's been his nickname since he came to the Mets' organization.
Tribute patch: "Lakewood Village" -- d'Arnaud wanted to honor his local Little League in California, where he first fell in love with the game.
Paul Sewald: "Paulie"
"I've never had a nickname," said Sewald, who ultimately just went with a nickname some of his fellow relievers call him from time to time.
Tribute patch: "My family" -- Sewald wanted to pay tribute to "the most important people that have gotten me here."
Erik Goeddel: "Goopy"
"Goopy" is an evolved version of "Goody," Goeddel said, adding he's not sure how the new nickname started. "Guys just started saying it."
Tribute patch: "Mom and Dad" -- Giving his parents a shoutout made the most sense for the reliever.
Josh Smoker: "Brown Bear"
The nickname is simply something that stuck, claims Smoker, in Triple-A Las Vegas last year.
Tribute patch: "My Family" -- Smoker said he thought this was a great opportunity to thank his family for their support.
Chasen Bradford: "Black Bear"
Staying with the bear theme, Bradford also picked up the nickname in Vegas last year. Both Bradford and Smoker are bearded men, making their comparison to bears conducive.
Amed Rosario: "El Niño"
Rosario didn't have a nickname when he first came up to the big leagues, so Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen gave him one. It translates to "young boy" in Spanish, which makes sense because he's the youngest Met.
Chris Flexen: "Big Baby"
Bullpen catcher Dave Racaniello started calling him "Big Baby" in Spring Training because, well, Flexen is big and baby faced.
McGowan
McGowan was recently called up from the Minors, so he will not be partaking in the festivities, but said he'd probably use "Goon," which is a high school nickname. He'll also put "My Family" on his honorary patch.
Smith
Much like McGowan, Smith hadn't heard much about the Players Weekend options on his new jersey. He couldn't think of a nickname he'd use for the weekend.
Gavin Cecchini: "Cheech"
This nickname, a play on his last name, won over other considerations like "G" or "Vino."
Tribute patch: "AAA" -- Cecchini said that in addition to wearing this on the patch, he'd also like to honor his parents, who "made me the player that I am today."
Kevin Plawecki: "Plaw"
This is another self-explanatory one -- a shortening of his last name to the first syllable.
Juan Lagares: "Angelo"
This is the nickname bestowed to him by his hometown of Costanza, Dominican Republic, and he wanted to give them a shoutout by using "Angelo."
Rafael Montero: "Fugarra"
Montero will sport a nickname that was given to him by his friends from the Dominican Republic.
Hansel Robles: "El Peñaco"
This is another example of a Mets player using a nickname for his native country. For Robles, it means "the rock."
Jacob deGrom: "Jake"
deGrom wasn't too aware of the Players Weekend jersey initiatives, and says that Jake was given to him for the weekend.
AJ Ramos: "Junior"
Alejandro is actually Ramos' first name, the same as his father. AJ comes from "Alejandro Junior."
Asdrubal Cabrera: "Chiquitín"
Cabrera said this is a nickname from his native Venezuela for a little boy, which he decided to wear this weekend.
Tribute patch: "All My Family" -- While all of his family is clearly being represented on the patch, he especially wanted to honor his parents.
Matt Reynolds: "Rey Rey"
Reynolds said the people to consistently use the nickname was at the University of Arkansas, where he played his college ball.
Tribute patch: "My Parents" -- Originally from Oklahoma, Reynolds' parents Gary and Joyce saw him play while the Mets were on the road in St. Louis and Arlington this year.
Terry Collins: "TC"
Another self-explanatory one here, the Mets' manager opted to take the nickname some of his players affectionately use to refer to him.
Tribute Patch: "Dad" -- Collins' father, Loren "Bud" Collins, passed away before the 2015 season.
Jeurys Familia: "La Fama"
The nickname, a variation of his last name, literally translates to "the fame," but Familia says it's just a name that followed him from the Dominican Republic to Flushing.
Seth Lugo: "Quarterrican"
This nickname makes sense once you are aware Lugo is one-quarter Puerto Rican. He pitched for Team Puerto Rico during the World Baseball Classic earlier this year.
Tribute patch: "Mom & Dad" -- Like plenty of his other Mets teammates, Lugo wanted to use this weekend as a chance to thank his parents.
Jose Reyes: "La Melaza"
Reyes has used this as his Twitter handle for a long time now. The literal translation to Spanish means "molasses," but the nickname was given to Reyes by a childhood friend, basically meaning "sweetness."
Tribute patch: "Mi Familia" -- Like so many of his teammates, Reyes is thankful for the contributions his family has made during his career.