Baseball Players with Fish Names

98 Baseball Players with Fish Names

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Over the years, many unusual names were introduced to us by baseball players. Sometimes groups of player names seem to fit into a category, like the total number of “Babes,” or monikers most likely linked to “Star Wars”, or even fish names like Trout and Salmon.

Thinking of that last part, we did some research and found 98 players with fish names, or monikers related to fish or sea creatures, and thought to share them along with our insight into the players in a single place. So, here goes!

Some names are clearly fish, or fishy enough (haha). But some others may be debatable, so we will include them in their own section below, and not count those in the final official baseball fish names tally. We’ll bold the names that count, in our opinion.

Baseball Stars with Fish Names

Let’s start with the well-known MLB players, whether bonafide stars, or borderline stars, starting with the two alluded to in the first paragraph: Tim Salmon and Mike Trout, both huge parts of the history of the California/Los Angeles Angels franchise. These players were (or in Trout’s case, are) stars for the team ~ and are included in many baseball “All-Fish Team” lists.

Others who were at least above-average major leaguers include:

  • Robbie Ray
  • Kevin Bass
  • Sid Bream
  • Dizzy Trout
  • Jack Morris (Jack is a type of fish)
  • Gil Hodges (Welcome to our latest addition to the Baseball Hall of Fame!)
  • Melvin Mora
  • Dolph Camilli
  • Catfish Hunter
  • Mudcat Grant
  • Jeff “Shark” Samardzija

(Interesting that Hunter and Grant were contemporaries for a few years, and they were good, which makes one wonder why more players did not adopt fish nicknames).

Fishy Enough for Baseball

Some baseball player names are definitely fish or related to sea creatures:

  • A.J. Pollock
  • Hank Conger
  • Lip Pike
  • Ed Whiting
  • Callix Crabbe
  • Steve Trout
  • Mike Carp
  • Art Herring
  • Shad Williams
  • Marlin Steward
  • Chico Salmon
  • Chris Ray
  • George Haddock
  • Brian Bass
  • Anthony Bass
  • Brandon Puffer
  • Melvin Mora
  • Brian Bass
  • Dory Dean
  • Jess Pike
  • Harry Eells
  • George Haddock
  • Marlin Stuart
  • Neal Finn
  • Robert Whalen
  • Roger “Shark” Bernadina
  • Nate Spears
  • Benji Gil
  • Bobby Scales
  • Cod Meyers

Oh No!: Jack is a Type of Fish Also

So the list gets even longer:

Thank goodness we’re not going to also count Jackies …

And the Oscars Go To

Note that the oscar is a species of fish, so …

  • Oscar Gamble
  • Oscar Tavares
  • Oscar Villarreal
  • Oscar Charleston
  • Oscar Brown
  • Oscar Mercado
  • Oscar Hernandez
  • Oscar Robles
  • Oscar Stenage
  • Oscar Zamora

And if you know about the rusty angelfish, add Rusty Staub, Rusty Greer, and Rusty Kuntz! (As well as, arguably, Angels Stadium).

The Fishers of Baseball

We found 7 pitchers in MLB history with the last name Fisher, and 4 position players ~ including Showboat Fisher! (Seems like a cool name to us). The rest:

Pitchers

Ray Fisher
Eddie Fisher
Jack Fisher
Don Fisher
Brian Fisher
Ed Fisher
Tom Fisher

Position Players

Bob Fisher
Derek Fisher (the left-fielder, not the basketball player)
Gus Fisher
Showboat Fisher

Some fish baseball names were not given at birth, obviously. The first name of Catfish Hunter, for instance, is Jim (as evidenced on his early baseball cards). Grant’s full name was James Timothy Grant Jr.

Hunter was tabbed “Catfish” by former Kansas City/Oakland Athletics owner Charles O. Finley, who upon drafting Hunter said he thought the pitcher needed a “flashy nickname.”

Grant got his nickname from Cleveland Indians teammate (and roommate) Larry Doby, who said he was “ugly as a Mississippi mudcat.” Mudcat, of course, is a flathead catfish.

Thomas P. “Oyster” Burns was so nicknamed because during the off-season he … sold oysters. He played 15 seasons in the MLB from 1884 to 1895, and wound up with a career batting average of an even .300. Note: an oyster is a shellfish, but for our list, close enough!

And who could forget Antonio “El Pulpo” Alfonseca ~ in English, “The Octopus.” He pitched for the Florida Marlins (and octopus was a marlin!), Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, and Texas Rangers through 2007, and he is well known for having an extra digit on each hand and foot!

Close But No Cigar

Marlon Byrd and Marlon Anderson. Think about it: Byrd missed the fish and bird lists by a single letter!

The Seattle Mariners are named for a type of sailor or seaman. And Tug McGraw was a heck of a relief pitcher.

Trivia Time: Minor League Baseball Teams Named for Sea Animals

There are more than a dozen minor league baseball teams named for sea animals, making it the 4th-largest category of team names in the minors (“MLB Jr.” names like Pawtucket Red Sox, Rome Braves, or San Jose Giants tops the list, followed by land animals and then air animals). Fish or shellfish mascots include the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Hickory Crawdads, Tampa Tarpons, Bridgeport Bluefish, Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Charlotte County Redfish, Sacramento Steelheads, Carolina Mudcats (imagine if James “Mudcat” Grant has played for them!), and Kenosha Kingfish.

There also is the Portland Sea Dogs, but that type of fish ~ a beast that looks like a dog but with webbed feet, fins, and a scaly tail ~ is mythical.

Question: Are any MLB teams named for fish?

Answer: Yes, the Tampa Bay Rays (at one time the Devil Rays) and Florida Marlins. The mascot for the Marlins is named T.D. ~ for “The Dolphin.”

Q.: Does fishing gear count?

A: Not officially for this list. But consider: A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez nickname, probably a solid nickname for a fishing rod!), the manager Hooks Cotter, and the ever-memorable pitcher from the 1970s, Dick Pole.

See Also:
5 Reasons Why Catchers are Bad Hitters
Was Michael Jordan Good at Baseball?
Is Felix Hernandez a Hall of Famer?: Readers Ask, We Answer
Why is Mike Trout So Good: Our Readers Ask