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Naming your new dog can be incredibly fun, and if you’re a baseball fan, giving your pet a name inspired by one of the greats can be a fantastic idea. If you are looking for ideas, keep reading for a list of several of the best baseball players whose names would work perfectly for your canine. We separated the names into various eras so you can find something that perfectly suits your pet, whether you want their moniker to be from a historical or modern player.
Dead Ball Era (1900–1920)
*played for multiple teams
1. Cy(Denton True “Cy” Young, RHP), Boston Red Sox, etc.*
After he achieved 511 career wins and several errors, including most innings pitched, games completed, and games lost, the American and National Leagues Best Pitcher Award was named after him.
2. Honus(Honus Wagner, SS), Pittsburgh Pirates
Often compared to an octopus, Honus Wagner was one of the greatest shortstops in baseball history, playing for the Pirates for most of his 21-year career. He was also the first sportsman to endorse a commercial product, The Louisville Slugger baseball bat.
3. Ty(Ty Cobb, OF), Detroit Tigers, etc.
4. Walter (Walter Johnson, RHP), Washington Senators
5. Christy(Christy Mathewson, RHP), New York Giants, etc.*
6. Nap(Nap Lajoie, 2B), Cleveland Naps (Indians), etc.
7. Tris(Tris Speaker, OF), Boston Red Sox, etc.*
8. Eddie (Eddie Collins, 2B), Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox
9. Grover (Grover Cleveland Alexander, RHP), Philadelphia Phillies, etc.*
10. Rube(Rube Waddell, LHP), Philadelphia Athletics, etc.
11. Addie(Addie Joss, RHP), Cleveland Naps
12. Mordecai(Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown, RHP), Chicago Cubs, etc.*
13. Home Run(Frank “Home Run” Baker, 3B), Philadelphia Athletics, New York Yankees
14. Chief(Chief Bender, RHP), Philadelphia Athletics, etc.*
15. Nap(Nap Rucker, LHP), Brooklyn Superbas/Dodgers
16. Hans(Hans Wagner, SS), Pittsburgh Pirates
17. Frank(Frank Chance, 1B), Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees
Live Ball Era (1920-1941)
18. (George Herman “Babe” Ruth, OF/P), New York Yankees, etc.
Babe Ruth is one of the most famous baseball players of all time. He played for several teams, including the Orioles, Red Sox, Braves, and of course, the Yankees. He had 714 home runs, and his single-season 60-home-run record in 1927 stood for 34 years.
19. Lou (Lou Gehrig, 1B), New York Yankees
Lou Gehrig was nicknamed “The Iron Horse” because of his durability on the field. He was awarded the All-Star title 7 years in a row and was one of the few who competed with Babe Ruth to be the home-run king.
20. Joe(Joe DiMaggio, CF), New York Yankees
Joe DiMaggio is famous for his 56-game hitting streak. Many people also consider him one of the greatest center fielders of all time.
21. Rogers(Rogers Hornsby, 2B), St. Louis Cardinals, etc.
22. Mel(Mel Ott, OF), New York Giants
23. Lefty (Lefty Grove, LHP), Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox
24. Jimmie(Jimmie Foxx, 1B), Philadelphia Athletics, etc.*
25. Dizzy(Dizzy Dean, RHP), St. Louis Cardinals, etc.*
26. Satchel(Satchel Paige, P), Cleveland Indians, etc.*
27. Hank(Hank Greenberg, 1B/OF), Detroit Tigers
28. Earl(Earl Averill, OF), Cleveland Indians, etc.*
29. Heinie(Heinie Manush, OF), Washington Senators, etc.*
30. Dazzy(Dazzy Vance, RHP), Brooklyn Robins/Dodgers
31. Hack(Hack Wilson, OF), Chicago Cubs, etc.*
32. Kiki (Kiki Cuyler, OF), Pittsburgh Pirates, etc.*
33. Waite (Waite Hoyt, RHP), New York Yankees, etc.*
34. Goose(Goose Goslin, OF), Washington Senators, etc.*
35. Travis (Travis Jackson, SS), New York Giants
Integration Era (1942–1959)
36. Jackie(Jackie Robinson, 2B), Brooklyn Dodgers
Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play Major League Baseball. An amazing player, he achieved six consecutive All-Star titles in his 10-year career.
37. Mickey (Mickey Mantle, CF), New York Yankees
Mickey Mantle, or “The Mick,” as many people liked to call him, was an offensive giant with 536 career home runs and a batting average that often exceeded .300. He was also the only player to hit 150 home runs from each side of the plate.
38. Yogi(Yogi Berra, C), New York Yankees
Yogi Berra is a name practically synonymous with baseball. After helping the New York Yankees win 10 World Series, he moved on to coaching and managing.
39. Larry(Larry Doby, OF), Cleveland Indians, etc.*
40. Roy(Roy Campanella, C), Brooklyn Dodgers
41. Satchel(Satchel Paige, P), Cleveland Indians, etc.*
42. Stan(Stan Musial, OF/1B), St. Louis Cardinals
43, Ted(Ted Williams, OF), Boston Red Sox
44. Monte(Monte Irvin, OF), New York Giants, Chicago Cubs
45. Duke(Duke Snider, OF), Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, etc.*
46. Warren(Warren Spahn, P), Boston/Milwaukee Braves
47. Enos(Enos Slaughter, OF), St. Louis Cardinals, etc.*
48. Early(Early Wynn, RHP), Cleveland Indians, etc.*
49. Gil(Gil Hodges, 1B), Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets
50. Larry(Larry Doby, OF), Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox
51. Don(Don Newcombe, P), Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, etc.*
52. Whitey(Whitey Ford, P), New York Yankees
53. Red(Red Schoendienst, 2B), St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, Milwaukee Braves
54. Richie(Richie Ashburn, OF), Philadelphia Phillies, etc.*
Expansion Era (1960–1976)
55. Pete(Pete Rose, OF/INF), Cincinnati Reds, etc.*
Pete Rose, or Charlie Hustle, is an all-time leader in hits, games played, and at-bats, and he helped the Cincinnati Reds win the World Series three times. He was an All-Star player 17 times during his long career and played five positions, including first, second, and third base.
56. Nolan(Nolan Ryan, RHP), California Angels, etc.*
Nolan Ryan had the nickname, “The Nolan Express,” due to his amazing ability to throw pitches at more than 100 mph consistently. He has the record for the most no-hitters, with severe, and ties with Bob Feller for the most one-hitters at 12.
57. Dock(Dock Ellis, RHP), Pittsburgh Pirates, etc.*
Dock Ellis was a pitcher who once threw a no-hitter for the Pirates under the influence of LSD.
58. Hank(Hank Aaron, OF), Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers
Hank Aaron is famous as the player who broke Babe Ruth’s home-run record, finishing his career with 755 home runs. He also holds records for RBIs, extra-base hits, and total bases.
59. Roberto (Roberto Clemente, OF), Pittsburgh Pirates
60. Sandy(Sandy Koufax, LHP), Los Angeles Dodgers
61. Willie (Willie Mays, OF), San Francisco Giants, New York Mets
62. Reggie(Reggie Jackson, OF), Oakland Athletics, etc.*
63. Carl(Carl Yastrzemski, OF/1B), Boston Red Sox
64. Tom(Tom Seaver, RHP), New York Mets, etc.*
65. Johnny(Johnny Bench, C), Cincinnati Reds
66. Brooks(Brooks Robinson, 3B), Baltimore Orioles
67. Luis(Luis Aparicio, SS), Chicago White Sox, etc.*
68. Orlando(Orlando Cepeda, 1B/OF), San Francisco Giants, etc.*
Free Agency Era (1977–1993)
69. Cal(Cal Ripken Jr., SS), Baltimore Orioles
Cal Ripken Jr., or “The Iron Man,” was a third baseman and shortstop who played for the Orioles for 21 seasons and became an All-Star 19 times.
70. Ken (Ken Griffey Jr., CF), Seattle Mariners, etc.*
Ken Griffey Jr. was a popular player that many people liked to call “Junior” and “The Kid” (which would also make great baseball-inspired dog names!). Ken is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame with 630 home runs.
71. Mike (Mike Schmidt, 3B), Philadelphia Phillies
Mike Schmidt was a third baseman who played 18 seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies as a third baseman. He was a 12-time All-Star and three-time MVP due to his exceptional performance both offensively and defensively, and many people consider him the greatest third baseman of all time.
72. Rickey (Rickey Henderson, OF), Oakland Athletics, etc.*
73. Tony(Tony Gwynn, OF), San Diego Padres
74. George(George Brett, 3B), Kansas City Royals
75. Ozzie(Ozzie Smith, SS), San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals
76. Eddie(Eddie Murray, 1B/DH), Baltimore Orioles, etc.*
77. Dale(Dale Murphy, OF), Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies
78. Robin(Robin Yount, SS/OF), Milwaukee Brewers
Long Ball Era (1994–2005)
79. Barry(Barry Bonds, OF), San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates
Barry Bonds played for 22 seasons and hit a record-breaking 762 home runs. He also set a new record for most home runs in a single season with 73 in 2001.
80. Chipper(Chipper Jones, 3B), Atlanta Braves
Chipper Jones was the Braves’ first pick. He went on to be an amazing third baseman, becoming an eight-time All-Star and winning the MVP Award two years in a row.
81. Mariano(Mariano Rivera, RHP), New York Yankees
Mariano Rivera played for the New York Yankees for 19 seasons, spending most of it as a relief pitcher, earning him the nicknames “Sandman” and “Mo” (more great dog names!). He has 652 saves and won the Rolaids Relief Man Award five times.
82. Sammy (Sammy Sosa, OF), Chicago Cubs, etc.*
83. Mark(Mark McGwire, 1B), Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals
84. Pedro(Pedro Martinez, P), Boston Red Sox, etc.*
85. Roger(Roger Clemens, P), New York Yankees, etc.*
86. Derek (Derek Jeter, SS), New York Yankees
87. Randy(Randy Johnson, P), Arizona Diamondbacks, etc.*
88. Alex (Alex Rodriguez, SS/3B), Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees
Modern Era (2006–Present)
89. Clayton(Clayton Kershaw, LHP), Los Angeles Dodgers
Clayton Kershaw is a left-handed pitcher who is already a 10-time All-Star and a Cy Young award winner. He got his 200th career win in 2023 against the New York Mets.
90. Mookie(Mookie Betts, OF), Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers
Markus Lynn “Mookie” Betts got his start in 2014. He is also the first to win the Most Valuable Player, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, batting title, and World Series all in the same season.
91. Miguel(Miguel Cabrera, 1B/3B), Detroit Tigers
92. Bryce(Bryce Harper, OF), Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies
92. Max (Max Scherzer, RHP), Detroit Tigers, etc.*
93. Albert(Albert Pujols, 1B), St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Angels
94. Fernando(Fernando Tatis Jr., SS), San Diego Padres
95. Jacob(Jacob deGrom, RHP), New York Mets
96. Mookie(Mookie Betts, OF), Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers
97. Aaron(Aaron Judge, OF), New York Yankees
98. Giancarlo(Giancarlo Stanton, OF/DH), Miami Marlins, New York Yankees
99. Shohei (Shohei Ohtani, DH/P), Los Angeles Angels
100. Juan(Juan Soto, OF), Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres
101. Ronald(Ronald Acuña Jr., OF), Atlanta Braves
102. Christian(Christian Yelich, OF), Milwaukee Brewers
Tips for Choosing the Perfect Dog Name
- Take your time. Don’t choose the first thing that comes to mind.
- Involve family members in the process. They can often have ideas that you might not have thought of.
- Call the name out to your dog several times to see how they react.
- Consider your dog’s personality. Is your pet more defensive or offensive by nature? If your pet likes to run the show, maybe choose the name of a famous coach or manager, like Yogi Berra.
Summary
There is no shortage of great names for your pet if you’re inspired by baseball because the sport has a long history and many legendary players. Our favorites include Babe, Homerun, Mickey, Yogi, and Barry. However, we recommend taking your time to select something that suits your pet. Spending a few days calling out different names to them can lead to surprising results, especially when you invite others to help.
Featured Image Credit: alexei_tm, Shutterstock
