From ‘Big Red’ to ‘Clutchman,’ the 2026 MLB trade deadline saw nicknames of all styles bounce across the league. Still, 19th-century baseball might have the 21st century beat on that front. Using Sports Reference’s new all-sports nickname search, you can surface some of the best nicknames and stories from that era.
What is Sports Reference search?
On Sports-Reference.com, you can now search any player or team across every Reference site. There’s no AI and no paid results — Sports Reference Search takes you straight to the players and teams you’re looking for.
This brand new search engine also has a couple of major upgrades. In addition to player names, you can now search for players by nickname. To celebrate, we dug through Baseball Reference’s database to find some of the strangest nicknames from 19th century baseball.
Tony “Apollo of the Box” Mullane
The pitcher Tony “Apollo of the Box” Mullane was among the great stars of 19th-century baseball — and not entirely for his on-the-field skills. A massive ticket draw, Mullane earned the nickname “Apollo of the Box” because of his good looks. Opposing teams would regularly schedule “Ladies’ Days” when Mullane took to the mound against them. The “Apollo of the Box” was also one of the first ambidextrous pitchers in baseball history, believed to have switched throwing hands mid-game on several occasions.
In addition to his off-the-field exploits, Mullane holds the all-time record for most wild pitches thrown in a career. Across his career he managed a 284-220 record, with a 3.05 ERA, 3.06 K/9, and 66.6 WAR in 4,531 ⅓ innings. Mullane’s name was on the 2013 Veterans Committee Hall of Fame ballot, but he was not selected to the Hall of Fame.
Jack “Death To Flying Things” Chapman
Among the stars of the pre-professional era, Jack Chapman was bestowed the nickname “Death To Flying Things” for his play as an outfielder. However, Chapman is better known as the manager of an 1877 Louisville Grays team involved in a notable game-fixing and gambling scandal. In an 11-year managerial career, Jack “Death To Flying Things” Chapman led the Louisville Colonels to one American Association pennant in 1890.
Bob “Death To Flying Things” Ferguson
Infielder Bob Ferguson, an amateur teammate of Jack Chapman, is credited with the moniker “Death To Flying Things” as well. There is still debate over whether Chapman or Ferguson received the nickname first. A player-manager from 1871-1884, Ferguson’s 798 career errors rank him 17th on the all-time errors leaderboard.
Pearce “What’s the Use?” Chiles
A career felon and egregious sign-stealer, Pearce Chiles is among the strangest players in baseball’s history books; Chiles’ nickname — “What’s the Use?” — is just as strange to read. Chiles earned the nickname from writers after repeatedly shouting “What’s the use?” at batters before catching pop-up balls.
In two seasons with the 1899 and 1900 Philadelphia Phillies, Chiles slashed .294/.328/.430 with 3 home runs, 99 RBI, and a 1.1 WAR in 449 at-bats. Chiles put up a .590 OPS and negative WAR in the 1900 season, but was still expected to return to the Phillies in 1901. However, he was taken to an El Paso jail — which he would later escape — after an alleged robbery of $95. Pearce “What’s the Use?” Chiles was believed to have bounced around jails and semi-pro leagues for the rest of his life.
Jimmy “Foxy Grandpa” Bannon
Standing at 5’5”, Jimmy “Foxy Grandpa” Bannon played four years in major-league baseball from ages 22 to 25. In his first three seasons, Bannon was a 5.4-WAR player. However, he was released in 1896, his final major-league season, after putting up a .626 OPS with 29 errors in 89 games.
It was in his time as a minor-league journeyman and manager from 1897 to 1911 that Bannon earned the nickname “Foxy Grandpa” from fans and sportswriters. His hair grayed prematurely by 1902, and The Wilkes-Barre Record wrote on February 8, 1906, that the 35-year-old “gray haired youngster” was “known from coast to coast as Foxy Grandpa.” After his retirement from baseball in 1911, “Foxy Grandpa” was elected to the New Hampshire legislature in 1912.
Visit Sports-Reference.com and see what other nickname rabbit holes you can go down.
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