Mismatched Player Names

Names are one of the unexpected difficulties in software. We think we know how names work, but in actuality, most people just know how names [in their culture] [generally] work. (Side note: Icelandic naming conventions are pretty cool. Bjork isn't going by monomyn like Madonna or Bono. It's the normal convention to refer to Icelanders simply by their first name).

With that in mind, I did a perusal through the Lahman Baseball Database's Master table to see how many player's listed first and last names don't match up with their playerID.

For the unfamiliar, playerID is normally <first 5 letters of last name><first 2 letters of first name><two digit number>. As far as I can tell, the number is ordered by debut date. For example, there have been four players named Bob Adams. Their playerIDs are adamsbo01, adamsbo02, adamsbo03, and  adamsbo04, respectively.

There are exceptions, some boring, some understandable, and at least one nefarious. Let's dig in!

Guys Born Prior to 1900

There are quite a few inconsistencies in name data prior to 1900. Harry Atkin has a playerID adkinhe01. Some rudimentary googling didn't turn up any results, so I'm guessing his name was Henry, he went by Harry and somewhere a newspaper that referenced his playing days spelled his name wrong.

On the other hand, there's  Jersey Bakley* (bakelje01). His playerID seems to reflect the fact that, as Wikipedia states (without justifying their preferred spelling), "Sometimes his last name is spelled 'Bakely' or 'Bakeley'".

* Great name, by the way.

Then there's Home Run Baker (bakerfr01), whose nickname seems to have overtaken his actual given name. So prodigious was his power output, that he finished his 13 season career with nearly triple digit home runs (good for a 135 OPS+). Accusations that he may have been a vampire have gone unanswered by the Baseball Hall of Fame.

And what more need be said about Old Hoss Radbourn (radboch01)?

Other nicknames that became their first name:

Yip Owens (owensfr01): I wonder what his throwing motion looked like?

High Pockets Kelly (kellyge01): I can't find a source that explains his nickname. He was 6'4" so it may be his height.

Jumbo Harding (hardilo02): One of a surprising nine Major League players who have gone by "Jumbo". Many of them, including George Warren "Jumbo" Latham and Jose Raphael "Jumbo" Diaz (lathaju01 and dizaju03), are so well known as Jumbo that their playerID includes that nickname.

Sy Studley (studlse01): I heartily recommend this as an alias for trying to impress women in bars.

Guys Born after 1900

Coming soon!