The Cincinnati Reds called up top prospect Christian Encarnacion-Strand on Monday. That had fans asking which player had the longest last name in MLB history.
For any sport, fans find trivial facts that they can share with their buddies at the bar or while at home watching the game. Hey, who doesn't want to sound like the smartest person in the room?
It just so happens that a move at the major league level has spurred the discussion for a trivia question.
Over the weekend, FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray reported that the Cincinnati Reds were calling up Christian Encarnacion-Strand, one of their top five prospects in the farm system. The Reds made the move official on Monday, July 17, and he will play in the team's game that day against the San Francisco Giants, where he will bat seventh as the team's designated hitter.
With Encarnacion-Strand making his debut, a question has been brought up — which player had the longest last name in MLB history?
Which player has the longest last name in MLB history?
The longest last name in MLB history does belong to Encarnacion-Strand with 18 characters, according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs. As for who has the second-longest last name in MLB history, that is Minnesota Twins pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson (16 characters).
Not only does Encarnacion-Strand have the longest last name in major league history, but also the longest full name with 27 characters, per Langs.
What is interesting to note is that Encarnacion-Strand won't have his full last name on the back of his Reds jersey. Instead, he will have "Encarnacion" above his No. 33.
At the time of his call-up, Encarnacion-Strand was raking with the Triple-A Louisville Bats. In 67 games played, Encarnacion-Strand has recorded a .331 batting average, a .405 on-base percentage, a .637 slugging percentage, 20 home runs, 62 RBI, 65 runs scored, 92 hits, 69 strikeouts, and 33 walks in 278 at-bats.
There you have it. If you want to stump your friends with baseball trivia, be sure to bring up that Christian Encarnacion-Strand has the longest full name and last name in MLB history.