Ex-Royals player asks to be called by nickname — to the delight of giggling fans
The Royals went into the 2016 MLB Draft as the defending World Series champions, but they didn’t find success with the players they picked that summer.
Nicky Lopez, who was a fifth-round choice, has been the most productive player chosen by the Royals that year. Seven made it to the majors, including 10th-round selection Richard Lovelady.
Four years after being picked by the Royals, Lovelady made it to the big leagues and he spent three seasons in Kansas City. He has since been with the Braves, Cubs, Rays, A’s and Twins organizations.
Minnesota released Lovelady last week and he signed with the Mets. Upon joining New York, Lovelady on Monday let reporters know he had a request.
He wanted to be known by his nickname: Dicky Lovelady. MLB.com reporter Anthony DiComo shared the update on X.
That made the inner sixth-grader in many fans giggle. Here is what fans, teams and writers had to say about the name change request from Lovelady.
This story was originally published June 24, 2025 at 9:36 AM.
