Mookie Wilson
William Hayward Wilson (1956- )

This outfielder is well remembered for two things – his nickname (which stemmed from the way he said "milk" when he was a child) and the ground ball he hit in the 1986 World Series (the one that rolled between the legs of Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner).

You might also credit Wilson for consistency. He went through a five-season period when his batting averages were .271, .279, then .276 three years in a row.

Wilson had a career best .299 with the Mets in 1987. He retired after the 1991 season with a lifetime batting average of .274, but if we were giving bonus points for nicknames, Wilson would be among the all-time leaders.

Hooks Wiltse
George LeRoy Wiltse (1880-1959)

I heard a lot about Wiltse as a kid because he was born in Hamilton, NY, not far from where I lived (Hamilton is the home of Colgate University) and somewhere along the line my father had seen him pitch, probably in the International League when Wiltse was in his 40s.

His nickname stemmed not from a curve ball, but from his fielding ability. There are two stories – one was that his New York Giants battery mate, catcher Frank Bowerman, exclaimed, "That's hooking them!" after Wiltse caught a ball that had been hit up the middle; the other (and the version I prefer) is that the manager of the Syracuse Stars, watching Wiltse play first base in 1902, said the player had hooks for hands.

But it was Wiltse's pitching that earned him a place on the New York Giants roster in 1904. He won his first 12 games, a major league record for a rookie. He'd go on to win 139 games in the majors, with two 20-win seasons.

On May 6, 1906, Wiltse struck out seven men in two innings, a feat made possible by his catcher Roger Bresnahan, who dropped the third strike on one of the hitters.

Wiltse's most memorable game came on the Fourth of July in 1908 when he took a perfect game into the ninth innings against the Philadelpia Phillies. He retired the first two batters, then faced opposing pitcher George McQuillen, still in the game because it was a scoreless tie. Wiltse threw two strikes past McQuillen, then followed it with a pitch that appeared to be strike three, but the umpire thought otherwise. Wiltse's next pitch ruined his perfect game when it hit McQuillen, who was awarded first base. Wiltse kept the no-hitter going, retiring the next four batters as the Giants won the game in the tenth inning.

Wiltse's most unusual day was Game Two of the 1913 World Series when injuries to other players forced manager John McGraw to use Wiltse at his second-best position, first base. Wiltse's fielding highlighted the game as he made two excellent plays that prevented the Philadelphia Athletics from scoring, preserving a shutout for Christy Mathewson. The game remained scoreless until the tenth inning; the Giants won, 3-0. It was their only victory of the Series.

After he left the major leagues Wiltse played and managed in the minors, mostly with the Buffalo Bisons of the International League. Later he spent some time as pitching coach for the New York Yankees, before settling down in Syracuse where he sold real estate and served a term as a city alderman.

Snake Wiltse
Lewis DeWitt Wiltse (1871-1928)

The older Wiltse brother pitched for three seasons (1901-03) and four teams (Pittsburgh, the Philadelphia Athletics, Baltimore Orioles and New York Highlanders). He was 15-19 in 1902 with Philadelphia and Baltimore and gave up a league high 397 hits.

Like his younger brother, Snake Wiltse was versatile enough to play other positions, particularly first base. He did just that in 1902, also playing the outfield and second base.

He was a good hitter and on Aug. 10, 1901 set a single-game record for pitchers by getting four extra base hits – two doubles and two triples. His lifetime batting average of .278 is more impressive than his overall pitching record (30-31).

How, where and when his nickname originated I do not know.

His name could belong to a character in an old cowboy movie, but Ivy Wingo was a catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds (1911-29). His one World Series was the infamous 1919 affair against the Chicago White (make that Black) Sox. Wingo caught three Series games for the Reds, reaching base seven times in 10 plate appearances (four singles, three walks). Wingo's lifetime batting average was .260.

His younger brother, Absalom Holbrooke Wingo, nicknamed both as Al and Red, was an outfielder for the Philadelphia Athletics and (mostly) the Detroit Tigers and hit .308 in his six-year-career, including .370 in 1925. Al Wingo probably would have hung around the major leagues for several more seasons had he been a better fielder.

Kettle Wirts
Elwood Vernon Wirts (1897-1968)

Wirts was a catcher who played all 49 of his major league games with Chicago teams, the Cubs (1921-23) and the White Sox (1924). His batting average: a paltry .163.

However, he found a place in Cub history with his only major league home run, which put him on a short list of players whose first Wrigley Field homer was a grand slam. That hit accounted for four of the six runs batted in Wirts had in 1922.

Chicken Wolf
William Van Winkle Wolf (1862-1903)

Willie Wolf received a new nickname during his teens, thanks to his friend Pete Browning, another Louisville boy who'd become a major league baseball player.

Wolf and Browning were teammates on a semi-pro team. One day, before an important game, Wolf overindulged on chicken stew, which came back to get him during the game. That's when Browning started calling his friend "Chicken."

Wolf didn't particularly like the nickname, but he was stuck with it because he and Browning remained teammates for several years with Louisville of the American Association, then considered a major league. Eventually Wolf started calling himself Jimmy, but to most he remained Chicken til the end.

Wolf was an outfielder who played every other position at least once (1882-1892). He led the American Association in hitting in 1890 with a .363 average.

When he retired, he became a Louisville fireman and was involved in a serious accident in 1899, suffering a head injury from which he never fully recovered. He died in 1903.

Wolf's long-time friend, Pete Browning, died two years later, also in Louisville, at age 44. Browning was one of the best hitter of his time, compiling a lifetime average of .341. But he was a troubled soul, an alcoholic who in 1905 was declared insane. He was briefly institutionalized, but released in the care of a sister. A month later he was admitted to a hospital for surgery involving one of his several health problems, but Browning was fighting a losing battle. He died in September – official cause: mastoiditis.

Mellie Wolfgang
Meldon John Wolfgang (1890-1947)

Also nicknamed "Red", Wolfgang began his major league career in impressive fashion, pitching two shutouts, posting a staff-best 1.89 earned run average with a 9-5 record with the 1914 Chicago White Sox.

One suspects he had arm trouble for the rest of his career. His earned run average was terrific the next two seasons and he was stingy with the hits he allowed, yet pitched only 181 innings, picking up six wins. He would make just nine more appearances, all in relief, before calling it quits in 1918.

Taffy Wright
Taft Shedron Wright (1911-1981)

Like Coot Veal, Taffy Wright usually is listed on one of those all-food line-ups baseball-name fanatics are always compiling. One other thing about Wright, the guy could hit. He arrived in the majors in 1938 as a Washington Senators outfielder and batted .350 in 263 at bats. His hit .309 the next season, was traded to the Chicago White Sox, and just kept on hitting. When WW2 interrupted his career, after he had played 85 games in 1942, Wright was carrying a lifetime batting average of .328.

He wasn't the same hitter when he returned in 1946, though he did manage one solid season, hitting .324 in 1947. When he finished his major league career in 1949, with the Philadelphia Athletics, his lifetime average had dropped, but was still an impressive .311. He holds the major league record for most consecutive games (13) with a run batted in, though he never had more than 97 RBI in a season. Kansas City's Mike Sweeney tied that record in 2005.

You never know when you explore the internet whether what you read is fact or fiction (like you're probably wondering, was there really a ballplayer named Mellie Wolfgang?), but one website article said Wright holds the record for the most times anyone slid safely into first base – yes, first base – in a single season. Wright reportedly did it six times one year.

Yats Wuestling
George Wuestling (1903-1970)

Shortstop Wuestling played in 83 major league games (1929-30) with Detroit and the New York Yankees and is included here because he's the only Yats I've encountered. So far, I have no idea what the nickname means.

Early Wynn
Early Wynn (1920-1999)

Wynn, a Hall of Famer, was considered one of baseball's meanest, toughest pitchers. He once said he'd throw at his own mother "depending on how she was hitting." You'll find several Wynn quotes online, all of them variations of the same theme: "A pitcher has to look at the hitter as his mortal enemy."

Wynn pitched his first big league game at age 19 with the Washington Senators. Though he managed to win 18 games with the Senators in 1943, chances are Wynn wouldn't be in the Hall of Fame if he hadn't been traded to Cleveland in 1949. It was in Cleveland that he had four 20-win seasons. He added a fifth with the Chicago White Sox in 1959, picking up another win in the 1959 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He pitched his last game at age 43, back with Cleveland, and retired with an even 300 wins (against 244 losses).

He also was a good hitter. One of his 15 pinch hits was a grand slam home run. In 1956 he was struck in the face by a line drive off the bat of Jose Valdivielso. Wynn lost seven lower teeth and needed 16 stitches.

After his playing days, he coached and also worked as a broadcaster for the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago White Sox.

His nickname was Gus, short for Gloomy Gus, a reflection of his disposition, at least when he was on the mound.

• Favorite baseball names index: