The inaugural Players Weekend begins on Friday, and the Twins are excited about the option to put nicknames on the back of their jerseys as well as a personalized patch on their sleeve.
The Twins will be in Toronto for a three-game series, and players will be wearing colorful, non-traditional uniforms featuring alternate designs. They'll be able to have a nickname placed on the back of the jerseys made by Majestic Athletic, as well as the ability to wear and use uniquely colored and designed spikes, batting gloves, wristbands, compression sleeves, catcher's masks and bats. Each player will also wear a special patch on his sleeve showing the progression of a child evolving into a Major Leaguer. Under that logo is white space, and players will mark a name of someone they are grateful for helping them advance their careers, such as family or a coach.
• Shop for Players Weekend gear
Here's a look at what Twins players will be wearing this weekend, although some decided not to go with a nickname or a patch:
Ehire Adrianza: "Guarenero"
Adrianza is from Guarenas, Venezuela, and wanted to pay tribute to his hometown.
Tribute patch: Ehire & Nitza -- Adrianza honored his parents, who live in Venezuela. His dad is a baseball trainer and his mom works for a cosmetics company.
Matt Belisle: Using last name
Tribute patch: Tommy Boggs -- Belisle gives credit to former Major Leaguer Tommy Boggs, who served as his coach with Austin Slam Baseball in Texas while growing up.
Jose Berrios: "Orlandito"
Berrios goes by Jose in baseball, but everyone in Puerto Rico knows him by his middle name, Orlando -- or Orlandito, which means Little Orlando.
Tribute patch: Angel y Magaly -- Berrios said his parents are his inspiration and helped him reach his goals. His father, Angel, pitched in the Minor Leagues.
• What you need to know for Players Weekend
Alan Busenitz: "Buze"
Busenitz goes by Buze for short.
Tribute patch: Paul, Stacy, Michelle -- Busenitz honored his parents, Paul and Stacy, and his wife, Michelle.
Byron Buxton: "Buck"
Buxton said his nickname has always been "Buck," and his family and friends have called him it regularly since his high school days.
Tribute patch: Brixton -- Buxton's son, Brixton, was born in 2013 and can often be found in the Target Field clubhouse. Buxton said being a father changed his life, and he's happy to be able to spend time with his wife, Lindsey, and Brixton.
Jason Castro: "Stro"
Castro's nickname is just a shortened version of his last name, but he's on the 7-day concussion list.
Tribute patch: Tom Castro -- Castro, who grew up in Castro Valley in northern California, said his dad, Tom, helped him get to where he is today.
Bartolo Colon: "Morales"
Morales is the last name of his late mother, Adriana, and Colon wanted to pay tribute to her. He promised her he'd try to pitch until he was 45.
Tribute patch: Adriana Morales -- The tribute patch is also in honor of his mom, who passed away in 2014.
James Dozier: "Doz"
Dozier said it was an easy nickname to select because his teammates have always called him "Doz" for short.
Tribute patch: Fulton, MS -- Dozier said he had too many people to thank, so he went with his hometown of Fulton, Miss. His parents and siblings still live in the area and watch all of his games.
Tyler Duffey: "The Doof"
It's been Duffey's nickname in baseball as long as he can remember and is also in his Twitter handle: @TheDoof13.
Tribute patch: My family -- Duffey, a Houston native, decided to honor his family with his patch. He lost his mom to breast cancer in 2012.
Eduardo Escobar: "El de la Pica"
Escobar's nickname pays homage to where he was born in Venezuela. He said it's a nickname his teammates and friends still call him.
Carmen Adeca, Juan Bacoa, Juan Escobar, Amador Arias -- Escobar chose to honor his mother, Carmen, and his early coaches who taught him baseball, Bacoa and Escobar (no relation). Arias is the scout who signed him with the White Sox.
Dillon Gee: "G money"
Gee said it's always been his nickname in baseball, a play on words of his last name.
Kyle Gibson: "Gibby"
Gibson said he's been going by Gibby ever since he could remember playing baseball.
Chris Gimenez: "G"
Gimenez joked that because most people mispronounce his last name, he simply goes by "G."
Tribute patch: Clint Wheeler -- Wheeler was Gimenez's coach at Gilroy High School. He said Wheeler gave him the tools to succeed at baseball.
Trevor Hildenberger: "Hildy"
Hildenberger goes by "Hildy" for short.
Tribute patch: Branham Hills LL -- Hildenberger chose to honor his local Little League in Branham Hills near where he grew up in San Jose, Calif.
Max Kepler: "Rozycki"
Rozycki is Kepler's last name, as his full name is Maximillian Kepler-Rozycki, but he decided to shorten it and go with his mom's last name in the Majors. His mom, Kathy Kepler, is an American-born ballet dancer who met his father, Marek Royzcki, a Polish-born ballet dancer, in Berlin where they married and raised Max and his sister.
Tribute patch: God -- Kepler honored his religion and kept it simple in his tribute.
Joe Mauer: Using his last name
Family -- Mauer said he had too many nicknames to narrow it down to just one on his jersey, but that he wanted to pay tribute to his family -- and there were too many names to put on the patch.
Glen Perkins: "Perk"
Pretty much all of his teammates refer to him as "Perk" for short, making it an obvious nickname for the three-time All-Star.
Jorge Polanco: "Chulo"
Polanco said it's been his nickname since he was a baby, given to him by his uncle. It roughly translates to "pretty boy," and is what his family calls him.
Tribute patch: Ines Pacheco, Melida Pacheco, Maximo Polanco -- Polanco said he's honoring his mother, Ines, and his grandmother and grandfather.
Thomas Pressly: Using last name
Tribute patch: Thank you mom & dad, 1 Cor. 9:24 -- Pressly credits his parents for helping him reach the Majors, but he lost his dad to cancer in 2014. His favorite Bible verse is about self-discipline, and how all runners compete in a race but there is only one winner.
Taylor Rogers: Using last name
Tribute patch: Family -- Rogers said he wanted to honor his parents and also is close with his twin brother, Tyler, who pitches in the Giants' Minor League system.
Eddie Rosario: "Bandidou"
Rosario said it roughly translates to "Bandit," which has been his playful nickname with his group of friends since he was a kid in Puerto Rico.
Tribute patch: Rosario Haddock -- Rosario paid tribute to his mother's maiden name, as his full name is Eddie Manuel Rosario Haddock.
Miguel Sano: "Boqueton"
The nickname roughly translates to "Big Mouth," referring to the fun that Sano likes to have while on the field, jawing with his teammates and being entertaining in the clubhouse.
Tribute patch: Angelica & Melania -- Sano lost his daughter, Angelica, in November 2014 to a heart defect a week after she was born. He thought about wearing Angelica on the back of his jersey but wanted to keep it fun while playing tribute to his late daughter on the patch. He also wanted to honor his mother, Melania, who raised him in the Dominican Republic.
Ervin Santana: "Magic"
Santana is a big basketball fan and was called "Magic" as a kid for the way he played basketball. Earvin "Magic" Johnson is his favorite player, and he also named himself after Johnson while in the Minor Leagues, changing his name from Johan to Ervin to avoid confusion with the former Twins Cy Young Award winner.
Tribute patch: Consuelo & Juan -- Santana remains close with his parents, and has mom still visits him often to cook him Dominican Republic-style food.
Kennys Vargas: "Little Papi"
Vargas has long-admired David Ortiz and the two became close friends with the Twins and Red Sox both training in Fort Myers, Fla. Ortiz, of course, was known as "Big Papi," so Vargas, at 6-foot-5 and 290 pounds, decided to go with "Little Papi" as a tribute.