The Most Common Name in Baseball

Statistical data has found that James is the most common male name in North America while Mohammed is the most common name in the world. But have you ever wondered what the most common first name in baseball is?

I have.

For that reason, I have compiled a list of every player who has been placed on a team’s 40-man roster in 2013; 1,357 players resulted from Aaron Cook to Zack Wheeler. Here are the top 10 most popular first names in baseball in 2013.

10. Jose (19): While I expected to find this name a little higher on the list, 19 current baseball players are named Jose. Two of the more popular Joses are found on the Blue Jays, including Jose Bautista and Jose Reyes.

9. Justin (19): Turns out that a multitude of power pitchers are named Justin, including Justin Masterson and Justin Verlander. Canadian Justin Morneau also dons the name well.

8. Brandon (19): There are plenty of pitchers named Brandon, including Brandon Morrow, Brandon League and Brandon McCarthy.

7. Dave/David (20): Franchise players wear the name Dave or David well, including David Wright, David Price and David Ortiz.

6. Ryan (24): Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun and Ryan Dempster all prove just how popular the name Ryan is in baseball.

5. John/Jon/Johnathan/Jonathon (25): From John Buck to Jon Lester to Jonathan Broxton or Jonathon Niese – it doesn’t matter how you spell it – there are 25 of ‘em!

4. Josh (26): Think you can name an MLB player named Josh? You probably can as there are 26! The most popular include Josh Johnson, Josh Hamilton, Josh Beckett and Josh Willingham.

3. Chris (33): From Chris Davis’ home run power to Chris Sale and Chris Capuano’s strikeout abilities, there are 33 players named Chris on Major League rosters.

2. Mat/Matt (34): From power hitters Matt Kemp and Matt Wieters to pitchers Mat Latos, Matt Cain and Matt Harvey, there are 34 Major League players named Mat(t).

1. Michael/Mike (43): Did you guess which name is the most popular in MLB in 2013? Here’s a hint: What do Michael Morse, Michael Young, Mike Moustakas and Mike Trout all have in common? That’s right, the name Michael/Mike!

Coming soon: The most popular last names in baseball in 2013. Place your guesses below.