Dillon Maples has a plus slider. Give it a nickname.

During Wednesday night’s game I was occupied. As such, I was entirely out-of-the-loop during Dillon Maples’ two inning of reliefs. However, my Twitter feed was effusive in praising the effort. And the slider. Check out that slider here:

That kind of movement eventually got me thinking. What should Maples’ slider be nicknamed?

I’ve come up with some options for you to select from. I strongly encourage write-ins. I’ve even hashtagged #NameDillonMaplesSlider on Twitter. Go with what works for you.

The Myrtle Breach

Maples’ slider first got recognition in 2017 as he was pitching for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. As I tend to enjoy regionalism, the Myrtle Breach was my first idea. It’s not perfect, but it gave me a starting point.

Poysonberry

Any time I go to a pancake house with a syrup lazy Susan, I look for Boysenberry. It’s not as good as Maple, but what is. If the pun is in play, one of the nickname should be pancake-topping related. And so one is.

The Warrant

Similarly, with a name like Dillon, something ought to be “legally related.” I went with “The Warrant,” as it leads to hitters being arrested.

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Two additional items are more important than Maples’ slider moniker. First is to realize how much he has improved over a period of time. The velocity and curve have rarely been the concern. Adding the slider gave him another option when his fastball command strays. Which happens.

That he has gotten so much better since his earlier outings should be a tell to not judge a pitcher too early. If that is your takeaway, I’m very good with that.

However, for me, two tweets won the night.

One was from Pelicans announcer Scott Kornberg.

Kornberg’s honesty and genuine concern for the game and its people are a part of what keeps bringing me back to Myrtle Beach broadcasts.

Finally, Iowa Cubs broadcaster Alex Cohen took the other high road.

Cohen took about two weeks to place his stamp on Iowa Cubs broadcasts. He tracks the I-Cubs as “pieces to the puzzle” quite well. Some night that the parent club is off, feel free to listen anywhere along the streaming pipeline. It’s worth the effort.

Whether you comment or not, be respectful when the slider, by whatever nickname, hangs and travels 4-10. Be respectful, and remember why the draft can be so important. Maples was returned to Iowa after Wednesday’s game, but he’ll surely return to Chicago soon.

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