“To be or not to be … a baseball player” was the question young Hamlet had to ask himself at one point in his life. The boy asking the question was not the main character in a famous William Shakespeare play, but the catcher Hamlet Mars of the Class A Lancaster Jayhawks of the Colorado Rockies organization.
If Mars makes it to the majors, he would join a short list of players who have names primarily associated with Shakespeare. Here’s a list of guys who could make a team named after the Bard’s works.
John Montague, relief pitcher
The right-hander emerged primarily from the bullpen in a career spanning from 1973 to 1980, during which most of his time was spent with the Mariners and Expos. He bears the same last name as Romeo in the most famous work of the Bardo.
Marcus McBeth, relief pitcher
His best year was with the Reds in 2007, but he will always be known for having the same last name as the main character in the play about the place that would not disappear.
Phil Regan, starting pitcher
The longtime veteran won 96 career games, primarily as a member of the Dodgers, Cubs and Tigers. King Lear’s middle daughter was Regan, the cold-hearted sister of Goneril and the loving Cordelia.
Frank Viola, starting pitcher
One of the aces on the Minnesota team that won the 1987 World Series, the southpaw shares a nickname with the main character of Twelfth Evening.
Dave Duncan, receiver
An endorsement of the Oakland Athletics dynasty of the early 1970s, he later became the revered pitching coach of Hall of Fame manager Tony Larussa. Duncan was also the king who was assassinated by the main character McBeth, whose wife was unable to get rid of the stain left by the monarch’s blood.
Prince Fielder, first baseman
The ruler of the city of Verona was known as Prince, who exiled Romeo after he killed Tybalt Capulet.
Jeff Kent, second baseman
The National League MVP helped the Giants win the 2002 pennant, and the Earl of Kent was a devoted friend of King Lear.
Francisco Lindor, shortstop
The Tempest it includes a man named Francisco, but Lindor and his Cleveland Indians ruled the American League last year.
Ed Lennox, third baseman
Spending 1906-1915 for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, Lennox shares his name with a thane in Mcbeth.
Henry Aaron, left field
The Hall of Famer who broke Babe Ruth’s career home run record might well be known as a king in his own right, much like Shakespeare’s play about the British monarch in Henry IV.
Lorenzo Cain, center field
A key part of back-to-back Kansas City pennants and the 2015 World Series championship, Cain’s first name matches that of the Christian who eloped with Shylock’s daughter Jessica in Tea Merchant of Venice.
Dalton Pompey, right field
A servant of Mistress Overdone in Measure for measure, Bard’s Pompey would certainly be inferior to this Toronto Blue Jay prospect on the field of play.
