OT: Unique baseball names
 

Put on your baseball thinking caps!

I believe that Xander Bogaerts and Eppa Rixey hold a non-statistical rarefied position in the MLB world. While players like Waite Hoyt have a unique first name, from what I can tell, Xander and Eppa have both unique first and last names

What other players that played MLB have had both unique first and last names? Given names only. Nicknames don't count. :p

I'm sure there are some obvious ones I've missed, so let's find out. :)

I've gone through the names and here is the updated list:

Tier 1 - Totally unique given first name and last name (neither exist):
Eppa Rixey (HOF)
Xander Bogaerts
Lerrin Lagrow
Jurickson Profar
Arquimedez Pozo
Ugueth Urtain Urbina (the trifecta... tip 'o the cap to Frank)
Kosuke Fukudome
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Masanori Murakami
Quinton McCracken
Quincy Trouppe (totally surprised that there was no other Quincy)
Rik Aalbert Blyleven (no Rik, but a Rikkert Faneyte)
Yoenis Céspedes
Rougned Odor
Shin-Soo Choo
Kenshin Kawakami
Werner "Babe" Birrer
Edinson Volquez
Ledell "Cannon Ball" Titcomb
Wonderful Terrific Monds III
Sebastian "Sibby" Sisti (surprised no other Sebastians)
Ender Inciarte
Shawon Dunston
Rawlins "Rawly" Eastwick
Debs Garms
Hobart "Hobie" Landrith
Vada Pinson
Carey Selph
Scipio Spinks
Allyn Stout
So Taguchi
Kolten Wong
Sugar Ray Marimon
Lastings Milledge
Orel Hershiser
Hideo Nomo

Tier 2 - The Killebrew rule (unique first/last name position, meaning no other MLB with Harmon as a first name or Killebrew as a last name, though first could be last or last could be first)
Harmon Killebrew (HOF) (Terry Harmon)
Winford Ansley Kellum (Jim Winford)
Ferris Fain (Bob Ferris)
Miller Huggins (Killebrew rule, lots of Millers)
Gibson Alba
Mays Copeland
Ennis "Rebel" Oakes
Freeman "Ossee" Shreckengost

Questionable, in that the player went by that name their career even though it wasn't their given name (this gets into nickname territory though)
Nomar Garciaparra (given name as Anthony Nomar)
Kila Ka'aihue (given name as Micah Kila, and a few Micahs)
Urban Shocker (Urban Clarence "Red" Faber and Urban John "Johnny" Hodapp)

No Dice-K, try again
Covelli Loyce "Coco" Crisp (Joe Crisp)
Arismendy Alcántara (Israel Alcántara)
Phillip Bedgood (a few Phillips)
Garland Buckeye (Garland "Jake" Stahl and a few others)
Fabian Gaffke (Fabian Kowalik)
Blas Monaco (Blas Minor)
Rance Mulliniks (Rance Pless that played for KC in '56 and Mulliniks given name was Steven Rance)
Garth Iorg (Dane Iorg, Garth Mann)
Ten Million (Minor Leaguer, and also a Douglas and Robert, both Minor Leaguers as well)
Rusty Kuntz (given name is Russell, and Rusty Staub, given name Daniel)
Vida Rochelle Blue (Luzerne Blue)
Sixto Lezcano (Carlos Lezcano)
Joaquin Andujar (Joaquin Benoit)
Carmen Fanzone (Carmen Hill, among others)
Chicken Hawks (given name Nelson, and if not, then there was a Chicken Wolf)
Benny Agbayani (given name Benny, but so was Benny Joe Edelen)
Van Lingle Mungo (Van Kelly, Van Snider)
Woodson "Woodie" Held (Melvin Held)
Heathcliff Slocumb (given name listed as Heath, and there are a few others)
Chalmer "Bill" Cissell (sorry, Chalmer "Lum" Harris)
Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish (Calvin Ripken, Calvin Eldred, Calvin "Pokey" Reese, and a few other "Cals", but one of the coolest and longest names though)

Lerrin Lagrow?

Harmon Killebrew?

Jurickson Profar

Arquimedez Pozo

Why not three names?
 

The winner

Ugueth Urtain Urbina

Covelli Loyce "Coco" Crisp

Urban Shocker.

I misread the question.

I don't know if he technically fits the bill, but Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish should at least get honorable mention.

Steve

Arismendy Alcántara

Kosuke Fukudome, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Masanori Murakami.


Steve

Quinton McCracken (unless you count Marshall Quinton who played in the AA in 1884 and 1885)

Quincy Trouppe?

Rikalbert Blyleven


Steve

Heathcliff Slocumb
Nomar Garciaparra


Steve

Cool! Keep 'em coming!

With the influx of Asian and Hispanic names, there will be a lot more than I originally thought. :eek:

Yoenis Céspedes

Rougned Odor

Kila Ka'aihue
Shin-Soo Choo
Kenshin Kawakami
Winford Ansley Kellum (unless you count James Head Winford)

This has been fun, but it distracting me from watching the Cubs lose to the Rockies. Or, I should say: thank you for distracting from watching the Cubs lose to the Rockies.

... Werner "Babe" Birrer ... Edinson Volquez ...

Until the recent plethora of "Taylors" as a first name, there were only 4 MLB players to have Taylor as the first name prior to 1980 (Douthit, Duncan, Phillips, and Shafer). Pretty soon it will be as common as "Mike" or "Michael" for a MLB player's first name. Or maybe not. :)

Ledell "Cannon Ball" Titcomb

Phillip Bedgood
Garland Buckeye
Fabian Gaffke
Blas Monaco

Some of my favorite Cleveland players name

Rance Mulliniks

Garth Iorg

Nope. Garth's brother Dane also played so Iorg isn't unique. Come to think of it, Garth isn't either (Garth Mann).

Ten Million

Actually... neither is Mulliniks as there was a Rance Pless that played for KC in '56 and Mulliniks given name was Steven Rance. ;)

Minor Leaguer, and also a Douglas and Robert (both Minor Leaguers as well). :)

Has anyone mentioned Rusty Kuntz?

Being a Giants fan, it cracked me up every time I saw him during the last WS.

Vida Rochelle Blue

I know it's not uncommon but the fact that there was a pitcher named Bob Walk cracked me up as a kid.
Drew

Sixto Lescano

Joaquin Andujar

I thought of Andujar and then found Joaquin Benoit on baseball-reference.com. And, as an update to my comment before, as soon as I stopped thinking of names the Cubs came back to beat the Rockies on a 2 run homer by Dexter Fowler. Ok, I know that isn't pre-War, but the last time the Cubs won a World Series was pre-pre-War.

I suck at this!

Carmen Fanzone

I kid you not...
 

Chicken Hawks

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl...awksch01.shtml

Ironic name for the pitcher: Bob Walk
Always loved the name Benny Agbayani aka Hawaiian Punch

Wonderful Terrific Monds III

I have difficulty getting beyond the fact that there is a player in the majors right now named Rougned Odor. How is that even pronounced?

Van Lingle Mungo

Woodson "Woodie" Held

Roog Ned O Door

The "oo" sound in the first rhymes with tool.

He doesn't fit - remember Rusty Staub?

Updated list of names at the top
 

I've gone through the list of names provided, and was surprised at how many were not unique. :eek:

I've put a summary in the initial post at the top (if anyone cares). :cool:

Take 2...
 

Since I was unsuccessful at my first try, this time I'll offer up Chalmer (Bill) Cissell.

What about Ferris Fain?
Drew

Sorry, Chalmer "Lum" Harris. :(

He gets in via the Killebrew rule (Bob Ferris). :)

I believe another Tier 1 is Miller Huggins.

Sibby Sisti