Puma, shaman and schneebs, these are just some of the hilarious nicknames that the Toronto Blue Jays players have been given from fans, loved ones and their fellow teammates.
On Friday, the Blue Jays posted on X a light-hearted video of the nicknames bestowed upon the team’s popular players.
Pitcher Alek Manoah starts the video off strong with his nickname, puma, given to him by an announcer.
“Had a game in college where there was a ball, little dribbler down the line, came off the line running, kind of picked it up bare-handed, threw it to first, got the guy out and the announcer was like, ‘Man, Manoah’s running off the mountain very puma-like’ ran on from there,” the 26-year-old said in the video.
Next up is pitcher Bowden Francis who received his nickname, shaman, after dressing up as one for a talent show.
“We had a rookie talent show and I dressed up as a shaman and I blessed the team and I had palo santo and sage going and they still call me that today,” he said.
Left fielder and second baseman Davis Schneider got his nickname schneebs because he has the same last name as the team’s manager and for his love for a certain 2003 comedy.
“When I first got drafted, everyone kind of knew John, our manager John Schneider, and I liked the movie School of Rock, so they kind of gave that to me because I love the movie. A lot of the players and my teammates call me that right now, just to not confuse me with our manager John,” Schneider said.
Last but not least, shortstop Ernie Clement got his nickname “Ernesto” from his father.
“My dad started calling me Ernesto. At a young age, I was always throwing the ball side arm. My Latino brothers, they can throw from down under a little bit better than I can but I try to be like them when I play infield, so he started calling me Ernesto and I thought that was funny,” he said.
