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With signing of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Blue Jays are new owners of longest name in MLB history

Some teams prefer players with the longest hit streaks, the longest home runs or the longest beards. But on Tuesday, the Blue Jays made a bold statement: they desire the player with the longest last name:

Yes, although this is a Minor League deal, Jarrod Saltalamacchia had the longest surname in the Majors last season and allegedly the longest in MLB history. Congrats, Blue Jays, and sorry, Blue Jays jersey name stitchers. Of course, we're guessing Toronto also wanted Salty for his ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark -- he averages 20 homers per 162 games and had 12 in 246 at-bats last season:

So, who's close or been close to Saltalamacchia for the vaunted longest surname crown? If Braves prospect Chase Johnson-Mullins gets called up, he could tie for the lead (if you're not against hyphens). At 13 letters, there's been 19th-century infielder Gene DeMontreville, former reliever Tim Spooneybarger and former Giants pitcher William VanLandingham -- who, quite possibly, might have the greatest first/last name combo in human history.

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