Phillies’ All-Black Uniforms, Nicknames Revealed for 2019 Players’ Weekend

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

Players' Weekend (August 23-25) is back for a third year, and the Philadelphia Phillies will take a page out of the Philadelphia Eagles' playbook with black uniforms.

Because the Phillies will be away against the Miami Marlins during Players' Weekend, their National League East rival had first dibs and opted to go with white uniforms instead of the monochromatic black (all home teams can chose either color). Marlins pitchers will still wear black caps to ensure umpires and batters have clear visibility of each pitch.

Players’ Weekend was created by MLB and the MLBPA to "more effectively market the sport’s stars and to engage a young audience." It is an opportunity for players to showcase their passions, backgrounds and interests by putting their personal touches, including nicknames, on what they wear and the equipment they use.

The best part of Players’ Weekend? The player-selected nicknames! The Phillies' 2019 nicknames are as follows:

• Jose Alvarez — Kíke
• Jake Arrieta — Snake
• Jay Bruce — Bruuuce
• Corey Dickerson — CD
• Zach Eflin — EF
• Bryce Harper — Harp
• Cesar Hernandez — Cesita
• Rhys Hoskins — Big Fella
• Gabe Kapler — Kap
• Scott Kingery — JETPAX
• Andrew Knapp — Knapp Time
• Andrew McCutchen — Drusneeze
• Adam Morgan — A-MO
• Mike Morin — MOOSH

• Hector Neris — Compa N
• Juan Nicasio — Arenoso
• Aaron Nola — Nols
• Blake Parker — B-Easy
• Nick Pivetta — Piv
• Roman Quinn — PSJ
• J.T. Realmuto — REAL
• Sean Rodriguez — Chi Chi
• Jean Segura — EL MAMBO
• Drew Smyly — Smiles
• Jason Vargas — Vargy
• Vince Velasquez — V²

Players Weekend 2018

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Players Weekend 2017

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Other 2019 Players' Weekend Notables:

• Late Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who passed away suddenly at the age of 27 on July 1, will be remembered league-wide. Players will have the option of wearing a patch in his honor.
• A league-wide batting helmet will be used. The Phillies will wear matte black Rawlings helmets, while the Marlins will wear matte white.
• Expanded use of mobile devices on the field or in the dugout, at any point prior to the National Anthem, to promote the event on social media (using #PlayersWeekend).
• Players will have the option of wearing a T-shirt highlighting a cause or charity before and after the game.
• There will be 30 Players’ Weekend Ambassadors, one for each team, who will champion the initiative and their teammates’ efforts. Rhys Hoskins returns as the Phillies' ambassador.
• Game-worn Players’ Weekend jerseys and helmets will be auctioned, with all proceeds donated to the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation, which aims to improve the caliber and availability of amateur baseball and softball programs across the U.S. and Canada.

MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince adds:

The [uniforms] are simple and sharp, and they will help the creatively colored and decorated equipment — including bats, spikes, batting gloves, wristbands, compression sleeves and catcher’s equipment — pop. With jerseys by Majestic, caps by New Era Cap and socks from Stance, they are the black-and-white canvases upon which players will paint their personalities for the weekend-long event planned jointly by Major League Baseball and the MLB Players’ Association.

Authentic and replica Players' Weekend caps, jerseys and socks are available at MLBShop.com.