When the Rays called up prospect Bob Seymour on Thursday, they inadvertently ended one of Major League Baseball's greatest droughts: lacking players who go by "Bob."
Remarkably, no major leaguer has gone by Bob since relief pitcher Bob Howry retired in 2010 according to MLB's Cut4. That's 15 years without a single Bob gracing a major-league diamond. That is, until Thursday.
🚨 NEW BIG LEAGUE BOB ALERT 🚨 https://t.co/fMJnSbjUUz
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) August 14, 2025
Sure, the great Bob drought isn't a complete surprise with less and less Roberts deciding to go by Bob, but the name was once extremely popular across the MLB. There's Giants manager Bob Melvin, legendary Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker and Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson. And as Cut4 pointed out in their Bob-less baseball investigation in '19, five members of the 1971 Pirates World Series team went by Bob.
You'd think there'd be at least one Bob to play in the major leagues in the past decade-plus, but no Bobs until Seymour.
Our latest Bob was drafted by the Rays in the 13th round of the '21 MLB draft and has slashed .263/.327/.553 with 30 home runs and 87 RBIs in Triple-A Durham this season. Per the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin, he's expected to join the team in San Francisco Friday ahead of the Rays' weekend series with the Giants. That means Seymour's debut could miraculously come against another Bob—Melvin. Hopefully the two link up for a photo to commemorate the historic moment.
Welcome, Bob.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rays Prospect Set to Become MLB’s First ‘Bob’ in 15 Years.
