OK, there are lots of better ways, probably. Go plant a tree or donate to an environmental group. Seriously, there’s a need out there.
But we’re here for the baseball connection, so here’s a position-by-position look at the best Earth Day names we could find with Baseball-Reference’s excellent search tool.
MORE: Watch ‘ChangeUp,’ a new MLB live whiparound show on DAZN
1B Wally Joyner
His Earth Day connection: Because his nickname was Wally World, and there weren’t any players with the actual word “world” in their real name. Also, he went to high school in Stone Mountain (Georgia). And, yes, I know the nickname came from the National Lampoon movie “Vacation” and not something Earth Day-ish, but that’s OK.
2B Fred Lake
His Earth Day connection: Fred had an odd big-league career. He played his first five MLB game in 1891 and his last three games in 1910 — with only 40, total, in between those two years.
SS Al Dark
His Earth Day connection: If we were stretching things, Al could be here because of his last name, Dark. Half the earth is dark half of the day, right? But Al’s nickname secured his spot on this team. Known as The Swamp Fox — TWO nature/earth things — Al was the NL Rookie of the Year for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948 (the year after Jackie Robinson) and made three All-Star teams in his playing career. He managed 13 years in the majors, too, for the Giants, A’s (first in Kansas City, then in Oakland), Indians and Padres. His 1974 A’s won the World Series.
3B Arlie Latham
His Earth Day connection: I know what you’re thinking. Who is Arlie Latham and why is he on this list? Because, friends, Arlie Latham’s nickname was “The Freshest Man on Earth” — and that’s awesome. And little Arlie, who was listed at 5-8, 150 pounds, was quite the speedster. He twice swiped more than 100 bases in a season, with a high of 129 for the St. Louis Browns in 1887 — he didn’t even lead the league that year, btw.
CF Mike Trout
His Earth Day connection: If we’re being honest, any excuse to talk bout Mike Trout’s awesomeness is a good excuse. The trout just might be the world’s favorite sport-fishing species, and many of the fresh-water varieties are looked at as indicator species. If a cold-water river isn’t clean enough to support a viable population of trout, that river’s in trouble.
RF Mike Greenwell
His Earth Day connection: There are plenty of guys with the last name Green who have played big-league baseball over the years. So why did we pick Mike for our right-fielder? Because he wants the world to green well, not just green regularly (I’ll let myself out).
LF Phil Plantier
His Earth Day connection: Had a little trouble finding left fielders, not going to lie. I went with Phil because where would we be on Earth Day without Plant(ier)s? And Plantier’s always been a favorite, what with his fast start in the bigs — he hit .331 with 11 homers in 53 games as a rookie in Boston — and that squatting batting stance. Every kid everywhere tried to copy that in backyard wiffle-ball games, right?
C Steve Lake
His Earth Day connection: Well, his name is Lake, for starters. But he also loved parrots. No, really. Check out his 1991 Studio baseball card.
UTIL Frank Mountain
His Earth Day connection: His name is Mountain. His real name. Frank Henry Mountain. He was a do-everything guy, too; he pitched in 143 games — he went 26-33 for the Columbus Buckeyes in 1883 — and played outfield, first base and shortstop (well, one game), too.
SP Steve Trout
His Earth Day connection: The Trout name, of course. And Steve gets the pitching nod over Dizzy Trout — who had a better career — because Steve’s nickname was Rainbow. Two Earth Day-related connections? That gets you a spot on the first team.
Rest of the pitching staff …
P Greg Swindell (His given first name is Forest!)
P Blue Moon Odom (Slight nod over Moonlight Graham)
P Makato Ozone (One year in the independent United Baseball League, but that counts)
P Chan Ho Park (All-Star for the Dodgers in 1991)
P Storm Davis (His given name was George Earl, but Storm is a better baseball name)
