The Major League Baseball regular season is closing in, so now is the time for hundreds of surefire and borderline Major Leaguers to hone their craft in the warm embraces of Arizona or Florida.
Of the 780 players who will ultimately grace the 26-man rosters of the 30 MLB franchises, only a handful will leave a lasting impact on the game at large – but some of them, and others less notable, are on the MLB all-name team.
With that in mind, U.S. Betting Report adds a fun element to our legal online sportsbooks coverage. We wanted to single out a host of MLB players whose names stand tall in a crowded field of worthy recipients, from the Burgers of the world to the Nootbaars that roam our midst.
Here’s who stands out in the MLB when it comes to the best names in the game, ahead of Opening Day:
Batters Who Dot MLB All-Name Team
| Position | Player | Player |
|---|---|---|
| Catcher | Bo Naylor (Guardians) | Seby Zavala (Mariners) |
| First Base | Jeimer Candelario (Reds) | Vinnie Pasquantino (Royals) |
| Second Base | Danny Mendick (White Sox) | Miles Mastrobuoni (Cubs) |
| Shortstop | Carter Kieboom (Nationals) | Bo Bichette (Blue Jays) |
| Third Base | Yoan Moncada (White Sox) | Jake Burger (Marlins) |
| Outfield | Akil Baddoo (Tigers) | Manuel Margot (Dodgers) |
| Outfield | Jazz Chisholm Jr. (Marlins) | Myles Straw (Guardians) |
| Outfield | Lars Nootbaar (Cardinals) | Mickey Moniak (Angels) |
| Designated Hitter | Rowdy Tellez (Pirates) | Heston Kjerstad (Orioles) |
The first-team offensive list for MLB names of the year is a who’s who of baseball talent. This list is highlighted by MVP contenders like Bo Naylor of the Cleveland Guardians, who has +16000 odds to win the American League award in 2024 with DraftKings Sportsbook.
Yoan Moncada of the Chicago White Sox has +20000 to win AL MVP at DraftKings and Jazz Chisholm of the Miami Marlins is at +14000 to win NL MVP. Second-team members include Bo Bichette of the Toronto Blue Jays (+3000 AL MVP odds), Vinnie Pasquantino of the Kansas City Royals (+20000 for AL MVP) and Baltimore Orioles infield/outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad (+2200 to win AL Rookie of the Year). They are all props available for customers at U.S. mobile sports betting operators.
Other players, like veterans Jeimer Candelario of the Cincinnati Reds, Carter Kieboom of the Washington Nationals, Akil Baddoo of the Detroit Tigers, Lars Nootbaar of the St. Louis Cardinals and Rowdy Tellez of the Pittsburgh Pirates are far from the MVP odds board favorites yet hold a special place in our collective hearts thanks to their unique surnames and given names.
Some Pitchers With Memorable Names
| Position | Player | Player |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Pitcher | Jesus Luzardo (Marlins) | Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers) |
| Starting Pitcher | Jose Berrios (Blue Jays) | Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers) |
| Relief Pitcher | Touki Toussaint (White Sox) | Kody Funderburk (Twins) |
| Relief Pitcher | Buck Farmer (Reds) | Seranthony Dominguez (Phillies) |
| Relief Pitcher | Orion Kerkering (Phillies) | Brusdar Graterol (Dodgers) |
Some that stand tall among the MLB’s best names on the bumps of the AL & NL in 2024 include Jesus Luzardo of the Miami Marlins, Jose Berrios of the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox veteran Touki Toussaint, Cincinnati Reds RHP Buck Farmer and Orion Kerkering of the Philadelphia Phillies. Those five are our first-team members this year.
Of the bunch, Luzardo has the best Cy Young odds of any member, at +3300 on Caesars Sportsbook, while Berrios (+5500 AL Cy Young odds at BetMGM), Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto (+1000 NL Cy Young odds) and Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers (+1000 for AL Cy Young) also find their names listed on awards lists.
The rest of the pitching All-Names team for the year includes Kody Funderburk of the Minnesota Twins, Seranthony Dominguez of the Philadelphia Phillies and Brusdar Graterol of the Dodgers — proving that well-named players can be just as memorable as those that take home the MLB’s most prestigious awards on a yearly basis.
The Dodgers are preseason favorites to win the World Series at BetMGM Sportsbook with +360 odds as of March 6.
