“To be or not to be… a baseball player” was the question that young Hamlet had to ask himself at one point in his life. The boy who asked the question was not the main character in a famous play by William Shakespeare, but receiver Hamlet Marte for the Class A Lancaster Jayhawks in the Colorado Rockies organization.
If Marte were to make it to the big leagues, he would join a short list of players whose names are mostly 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 that spanned from 1973 to 1980, during which he spent most of his time with the Mariners and Expos. He bears the same last name as Romeo in the Bard’s most famous play.
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 wouldn’t go away.
Phil Regan, starting pitcher
The enduring veteran won 96 career games, mostly as a member of the Dodgers, Cubs and Tigers. King Lear’s middle child was Regan, sister to the cold Goneril and the loving Cordelia.
Frank Viola, starting pitcher
One of the aces of the Minnesota team that won the 1987 World Series, the lefty shares a nickname with the main character in Twelfth Night.
Dave Duncan, wrestler
A backup to the Oakland A’s dynasty of the early ’70s, he later became the revered pitching coach for Hall of Fame manager Tony Larussa. Duncan was also the king who was killed by McBeth’s main character, whose wife was unable to get rid of the stain left behind by the monarch’s blood.
Prince Fielder, first base
The ruler of the city of Verona was referred to as the Prince, who exiled Romeo after he killed Theobald 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 guy named Francisco, but Lindor and his Cleveland Indians dominated 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 Kansas City’s back-to-back pennants and the 2015 World Series championship, Cain’s given name matches that of Christian who eloped with Shylock’s daughter Jessica in Tea Merchant of Venice.
Dalton Pompey, right field
A servant for Mistress Overdone in measure for measureBard’s Pompey would certainly be inferior to this Toronto Blue Jays prospect on the baseball field.