MLB power rankings: Top 30 nicknames of all-time
By John Buhler
23. Ryne Sandberg: Ryno
He may have been named after a relief pitcher Ryne Duren, but Ryne Sandberg was clearly the better ball player. Sandberg was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005 after being the face of the Chicago Cubs for the 1980s to 1990s.
Sandberg is one of the most versatile second basemen in major league history with nine gold gloves, seven silver sluggers and the 1984 NL MVP. He also has one of the most impactful nicknames in the sport: Ryno.
Though it is clearly a play on his first name, it makes a slender second baseman sound all the more tough. He wasn’t a rhinoceros, but Sandberg was more than a handful to be reckoned with during his heyday as the star player of the Cubs.
His star power in Chicago, and nationally, was grossly underrated. A lot of boys with the similar sounding first name of Ryan have been given the Ryno nickname at some point in their life. It was a solid nickname for one of the greatest players in Cubs history. If only he was a better manager…