Zach Davies will be 'Bat Boy' as Brewers don nickname jerseys for MLB's 'Players Weekend'

SAN FRANCISCO – Because of his boyish looks and diminutive frame (6-feet, 155 pounds), Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Zach Davies has been asked more than once during his career if he was the bat boy.

“I hear that a lot. ‘You must be the bat boy,’” Davies said with a smile.

Accordingly, it was an easy choice when players were asked what nickname they wanted on the back of their alternate jerseys for games this weekend, otherwise known as “Players Weekend” throughout the major leagues. Wearing bright-colored uniforms inspired by youth league designs, players will have nicknames on the back of their jerseys instead of their real last names.

So, when Davies takes the mound Saturday at Dodger Stadium, he will have “Bat Boy” on the back of his jersey.

“I took it as a joke and just had fun with it,” Davies said. “Everybody calls me that. I just went with it. It’s a kids weekend, so it’s for the kids. It just shows you don’t have to be the biggest and the strongest to play this game.”

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A lot of the nicknames come from inside the clubhouse, using what players call each other for fun and ribbing purposes. Others come from nicknames they had as children.

Domingo Santana will be “Showmingo,” a clubhouse nickname. Matt Garza will be “The Count,” because of his supposed resemblance to the Muppet from Sesame Street. Oliver Drake will be “Bucko,” a family nickname from his childhood. The same story with rookie lefty Josh Hader, known as “Haderade” by teenage friends and teammates.

Jared Hughes is “Bull” because he resembles that character from the old TV show “Night Court.” Orlando Arcia is “El Niño” because of his youth. Travis Shaw will wear "Mayor DDC" because of the nickname given in Boston, "Mayor of Ding Dong City." Some names are easy to understand, such as Ryan Braun’s “Ocho” (he wears No. 8) and Jimmy Nelson’s “Big Sweat” (he sweats a lot).

Others are not so obvious. Slugger Eric Thames will wear “Sang Namja” on the back of his jersey, a nickname he picked up while playing in Korea. The literal translation is “real man” but Thames said the colloquial use is “bad ass.”

The first teams to wear the different uniforms were the Pirates and Cardinals, who played on Sunday night as part of MLB’s Little League weekend in Williamsport, Pa.

“I thought that game just showed on TV really well,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “I thought the uniforms were cool. The uniform has kind of turned into a costume, a little bit. We’re wearing up to 10, 12 different uniforms a year, but this is fun for everybody.

“The players get a little freedom to do what they want, which they’re looking forward to. Players poke fun at themselves probably more than people realize. That’s the nature of this. That’s how you keep your sanity sometimes. That’s what some of the guys are doing here – poking fun at themselves. That’s a big part of the culture in any clubhouse.”

Counsell will have the name “Chicken” on the back of his jersey, a nod to his role in the family story “The Chicken Runs at Midnight” of former Brewers coach Rich Donnelly and his daughter, Amy. If you aren’t familiar with it, do yourself a favor and Google it.

Brooks claimed: The Brewers made an organizational player move before the series finale against San Francisco, claiming right-hander Aaron Brooks from the Chicago Cubs and optioning him to Class AAA Colorado Springs. To make room on the 40-man roster, Sky Sox right-hander Paolo Espino was designated for assignment.

Brooks, 27, who has brief experience in the majors with Kansas City and Oakland, was pitching at Class AAA Iowa, where he was not faring particularly well. He was 8-9 with a 6.20 ERA in 24 starts, with 181 hits – including 27 home runs – in 138 innings.

Despite those poor results, Brewers general manager David Stearns said he liked the pitcher’s repertoire.

“He’s really a polished starter who has had success at the minor-league level (including 12-3, 3.88 ERA with Class AAA Omaha in 2014),” Stearns said. “He’s got a five-pitch mix. He throws a quality changeup. He battled a hip injury last year but, other than that, he’s been able to pile up innings in the minor leagues.

“To have an opportunity to bring him into the organization, we thought was a plus. He had an option left. He’ll start in Colorado Springs and we’ll take it from there. He has given up more hits this year than he has in the past but we don’t really see a meaningful difference in stuff.”