MLB power rankings: Top 30 nicknames of all-time
By John Buhler
28. Phil Rizzuto: Scooter
The late Phil Rizzuto was a Hall of Fame shortstop for the New York Yankees. Though he missed three years of his ball playing prime because of World War II, Rizzuto was still one of the most beloved Yankees of his generation. He was a five-time All-Star, the 1950 AL MVP and a seven-time World Series Champion.
Rizzuto would successfully transition to a lucrative radio analyst with the Yankees for over 40 years after his playing career came to an end in the 1950s. He was a little guy at only 5-6, but he made all sorts of good things happen in the infield
Rizzuto made a great glove at shortstop and was a terrific bunter. Since he was so shifty on the baseballs, the nickname Scooter just kind of stuck throughout most of his adult life. How can you not like a guy nicknamed Scooter, even if you don’t really like the Yankees?
People didn’t really know how old Rizzuto was, but he was always around New York doing good baseball things. While he would get to see Cooperstown induction by the Veterans Committee in 1994, Scooter would pass away in 2007 in his late 80s.