Reds Prospect Has The Ultimate Baseball Name But With It Comes Huge Expectations

Sometimes you hear athlete names that make you think about how the person with that name was destined to compete at a high level. I always think of ex-F1 and NASCAR driver Scott Speed. 

I mean, c'mon, "Speed?" The only more perfect name for a racecar driver would be Scott Drivescargood.

Well, we've got the latest one of those names and it belongs to a Cincinnati Reds prospect out of Mexico.

His name? Ichiro Cano.

Let the high expectations begin! 

That's one of the best names in the sport's history. We're talking about a sport that has seen names like Rollie Fingers, Johnny "Ugly" Dickshot, and the always crowd-pleasing Rusty Kuntz. 

Alright, so maybe it's not better than any of those, but it's still good…

Ichiro Cano is what the 18-year-old third baseman and shortstop goes by, but his full name is Ichiro Cano Hernandez. He's a graduate of Academia Beisbol Alfredo Harp a big-time baseball academy in Mexico that has churned out its fair share of Major Leaguers.

This is one of those instances where it was baseball career or bust. The second Ichiro's parents picked those names, doing anything else was out of the question. At least if you want to retain your sanity.

Imagine if he did anything else. What if he decided, "I'm going to start selling insurance." Good luck trying to seal a deal with a client, because all they would want to do is ask questions about the name.

"Wait… is your name REALLY? Ichiro Cano? Like, for real?"

This would happen non-stop. Sure, trying to make it as a pro ballplayer won't be a cakewalk especially if you find yourself wallowing below the Mendoza line despite sharing names with some of the best to ever do it.

We'll see how Ichiro Cano's career shakes out. Who knows? Maybe he'll become such a huge star and a potential Hall of Famer that Ichiro Suzuki and Robinson Cano will be lucky to share names with him.

I wouldn't hold my breath for that, but I would never rule it out.