This player's last name is so long his nameplate stretches all the way onto the sleeves of his jersey
A baseball jersey is not an open canvas. It's a limited artistic forum, restricted by the realities of how many letters, numbers or whatever you can fit onto it. That's why you never see players wearing like, No. 1,423 on their backs. Either it wouldn't fit, or it would look pretty silly.
But last names, now that's a different story. For big leaguers with lengthy surnames, you've got to find a way to squeeze their whole joint onto the uniform. Traditionally, the strategy here has been to curve the letters in a really sharp arch, almost creating a semi-circle (also known as "Saltalamacchia Style").
But in a Spring Training game Monday afternoon, Rangers Minor League infielder Tyler Depreta-Johnson introduced a revolutionary new technique to get the whole name on the uni.
That's right, the arms. Whichever genius in the Rangers' apparel department came up with this solution deserves a raise. The Rangers' lettering is also bigger and bulkier than every other team, so it's no surprise they were the ones forced into such a paradigm-shifting sartorial reorientation.
Jake Mintz is the louder half of the Cespedes Family BBQ. Despite a torn UCL in his right elbow, he still finds a way to tweet excessively during baseball games.
