Question of the Week

Wade, Huntsville, AL
Subj: Name game
Greetings Ryan, can you tell us what is the most common last name is baseball? First name too if you are really good.

No problem, Wade. It took a little digging (and a whole lot of caffeine), but I discovered that 25 Major Leaguers have Johnson written on the back of their jerseys, making it the most common name in professional baseball. Rounding out the top ten are Perez (23) Gonzalez (23), Smith (20), Hernandez (20), Martinez (20), Rodriguez (19), Miller (18), Garcia (17), Ramirez (16) and Jones (16). The most common first name, meanwhile, is Michael which is shared by 110 players. Incidentally, there’s even a Michael Johnson who is a farmhand with the Padres. Johnson has yet to suit up with San Diego, but based on his outstanding pedigree you might want to nab him for your fantasy league team when he does.